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Bach to School: WFMT's School Donation Program
In November 2010, WFMT created Bach to School, a music donation program designed to enhance music libraries in Chicago area grade schools and high schools. This program is made possible by the generosity of members of the WFMT Encore Society (donors who pledge at the $1,000 level or more). Since 2010, more than 80 Chicago schools have received substantial CD collections for their music libraries, passing the gift of music on to the next generation.
Bach to School currently has a waiting list of over 75 schools in the Chicagoland area that would benefit greatly from your generosity.
If you’d like to take part in WFMT’s Bach to School program, please select one of the gift sets below. You will be notified when your set has been shipped and to which school it was given.
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BACH TO SCHOOL --- Bach Edition: Complete Works 157-CD Set @ $1000.00
From the St. Matthew Passion to the Cello Suites to the Well-Tempered Clavier, this newly upgraded set includes 157 CDs, 2 DVDs and DVD-Rom with texts, the complete sheet music and liner notes. Organized into sections for orchestral and chamber works, keyboard, sacred cantatas, other vocal works, and organ, this may be the greatest collection in recorded history. All together, the set features 6 days, 16 hours, 19 minutes of music!
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Beethoven Edition - Complete Works 85 CD-Set @ $1,000
This collection from Brilliant Classics includes every piece written by Ludwig van Beethoven. The size of a loaf of bread (but a lot heavier), the set includes performances by the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, Vienna Philharmonic, Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Minnesota Orchestra, St. Louis Symphony, and many more.
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Vienna Philharmonic Symphony Edition 50 CD-Set @ $1,000
This limited edition includes 95 symphonies on 50 CDs performed by the Vienna Philharmonic under the batons of Claudio Abbado, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez, Carlo Maria Giulini, Lorin Maazel, Herbert von Karajan, James Levine, and many more. The works of 13 composers from Mozart to Shostakovich are featured, including the complete symphonic cycles by Mozart, Beethoven, Schumann and Brahms.
If you know of a school that could benefit from a donation to their music library, contact Angela Golden for more information at agolden@wfmt.com.
How Bach to School has impacted the community:
“I want to thank WFMT for the great musical collection that was sent last week to my school. We received the complete works of Mozart this past Monday and started listening to the recordings on Tuesday. As you may have guessed, a great deal of excitement was going on through the halls and beyond at our school. This was a gift of a lifetime for our small school. We have about 250 students in grades K-8. The students will have a much better appreciate of Mozart and other classical music and composers as a result of this gift. They are excited to hear what I will play next!” ~Karl Bruhn, St. John’s Lutheran School
“We received the Complete Set of Bach CD's today. Thank you so much for your generous donation. We will enjoy listening to the wonderful music in the library and during book club. And of course, students will be able to check them out. Best Wishes!” ~ Felicia Carparelli, Lake View High School
“I can't thank you enough for remembering RHS and sending this gift of music...It is such a remarkable resource and will provide years of opportunities for us to enrich the lives of students with music. I couldn't live without WFMT and we play it here in the library every Friday afternoon to much applause…” ~Ms. Licciardi, Librarian, Library Media Center, Roosevelt High School
“I think all of those who love classical music remember really discovering it for ourselves at some point in life, and the magical unfolding of that world before us and as we heard more and more, we wanted to listen again and again until those pieces became a part of us. What a lovely gift, to offer this music to children they will likely never meet, but for whom new worlds may open up upon listening.” ~ Julie Lawrence, Orchestra Director of the Geneva Community High School
“The gift of the "Mozart" music was a kind of magic!!! The students I work with are inner city ESL children. The music knows all languages and it has been delightful to explore the wonderful gift that was sent to our school.” ~ Vera Bunting, Librarian, Florence Nightingale Elementary School
Why Bach to School is needed:
“I'm the teacher for the brand new music program at The Nettelhorst School, a K-8 Chicago Public School in the Lakeview neighborhood. Working with limited recourses in a new music program, I can say that our school would be greatly enriched by the benefits of receiving such a donation. Thank you for your support of arts education!” ~ Mark Donlin, Music Teacher, The Nettlehorst School
“I teach at Dr. Martin Luther King College Prep High School in Chicago. Our school had an orchestra of which 250 students performed at President Obama’s inaugurations in Washington, D.C. Two years ago budget cuts forced a reduction in staff. I now play classical music in the media center while the students are doing their work. Students have shown a great appreciation for classical music and every time I turn the music off they request I turn it back on. I play a collection of ten of my own CDs for the students and would like to expose the students to even more great music that they may love.” ~ Faye Lynn, Dr. Martin Luther King College Prep
“Edison Park does not receive funding for the arts therefore a musical collection would help to provide a library of music and enrich the listening abilities of students. The collection would also give the students a rich understanding of music history and encourage deeper exploration and study.” ~ Amanda Mcclintok, Edison Park Elementary
“Because Vaughn’s students are from culturally diverse, low-income households, they generally have limited exposure to well-known classical music in their homes. This occurs because many parents are not themselves familiar with such music, and because many households do not have the means to purchase classical CDs and/or CD-playing equipment, nor do they necessarily have Internet access and the ability to download such music. One of the goals of our school is to create a secure, calm environment for student learning. In art classes, students often listen to classical music as a soothing backdrop while they work; in homerooms, students do a “calm classroom” breathing exercise in the middle of the school day. Many classical pieces can be used to further engender this aura of tranquility. In each of these instances, an expanded collection of classical works would be very beneficial.” ~ Patti Foerster, Librarian, Vaughn Occupational High School
