Eustis Middle School Mustang Band Blog

Any donations are appreciated and help the foundation for the MCSC program. Helping us reach out to many local children. Showing them that with hard work they could achieve such dreams and at the same time learning is easier and more fun. For More Information Please Visit:

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Eustis Middle School Band Program and Community Partnership

Our students are positive role models in the comunity and we are working to develop a program called The Mustang Caring For School Community (MCSC). The program is designed to create a caring school environment characterized by kind and supportive relationships and collaboration among students from the Mustang Band, staff, and parents. The MCSC model is consistent with research-based practices for increasing student achievement as well as the theoretical and empirical literature supporting the benefits of a caring classroom community in meeting students' needs for emotional and physical safety, supportive relationships, autonomy, and sense of competence.
By creating a caring school community, our program seeks to promote pro-social values, increase academic motivation and achievement, and prevent drug use, violence, and delinquency. MCSC has four components designed to be implemented over the course of the school year:

(1) Meeting the community Throughout the year the Eustis Mustang Middle School Band competes in many fairs, festivals and shows. After each performance the members of the band gives other students a question and answer session. During this time our students explain all the benefits they receive during their time with the band program. The members of the band each explain how the band has helped them become better students, friends, and how the confidence just helps them be a better human being overall.

(2) Class Meeting Lessons This provide students in the Mustang Band with a forum to spend time with local elementary school students in a classroom climate. During the time spent in the classroom our students will share their experiences and explain why the time they spend with the band is not only good for social awareness but more important how being involved with the arts can improve test results. Our students want to show the younger elementary students that learning notation in music reading is understanding fractions. With the Mustang Band sending members to the local elementary schools Mastering fractions is a problem for students of mathematics instruction. Understand and having facility with fractions is the key to understanding and being able to do higher mathematics. Understanding how to use and manipulate fractions is a consistent problem for English Language Learners. Using music and musical notation as tools has proven to raise mathematical understanding.

(3) Community Outreach This is an important tool that the members of The Mustang Band use now and will continue to build upon. During the school year the Eustis Middle School Mustang Band plays music around our community many times, for instance, our local Street Festivals, parades and elementary schools. But we want to take it a step further. Our Community Outreach Program will reach the children who are not always exposed to the fact that children at 10, 12, 14 years of age can actually play an instrument. We want to reach those children who did not know they had the option to join the band due to financial restraints. Our program will bring our Jazz Band and our Steel Drum Band to The Place twice per year. During this event the members of the band will reach out to children who are underprivileged and housed in bad areas. Letting them know about our instrumental donation program. These children are not aware that thanks to fund-raising efforts they could too join band because the entry fees and uniforms can in fact be donated. These are the children who need something inspirational so they may fulfill their lives in the best way possible. Many of these children may never know that they too could play a steel drum or saxophone.

(4) Real World Experience Once per year we will invite the top thirty students from the elementary schools that are in our jurisdiction. The top thirty meaning the thirty students that have the most poor attendance and or grades. We will invite them to a free event hosted by the Mustang Band in their band room. The students will get a chance to see in person the Eustis Mustang Steel Drum Band and The Eustis Mustang Jazz Ensemble. After the concert the students from the surrounding schools will be able to interact with the instruments, the students and the director. The students will be able to ask any question and as they feel more comfortable in this situation learning and attending becomes a want. After this event we the booster committee talks about the very possibility that a child who was not trying hard can with commitment try something fun and interesting. Then the committee will distribute information about our instrument donation program that would not be known for not having this Real World Experience.

We all know that integration of the arts with academics makes it easier for students to improve their grades. The Mustang Caring For School Community (MCSC) wants to reach as many students as possible. If we can reach more children our future world will be an even better place.