ENG 546 Grant Writing

My class includes both graduate and undergraduate students. I have been participating in the Mayerson Student Philanthropy Project ever since I discovered it. It is perfect for this class because it allows students to experience grant writing from the funder’s perspective.

The Mayerson Project helps students learn about the importance of matching proposals to funders’ goals. It gives them the opportunity to evaluate grant proposals and face the difficult task of choosing grant recipients.

Through the Mayerson Project, students gain the insights needed to become better writers of their own grant proposals. The Mayerson Project also helps students learn about nonprofits in the community and talk with professionals in roles related to fundraising and development.

Two students worked with the grant recipient, Holmes High School.

Kevin Tucker: The Holmes High School Band has an incredibly rich history in Northern Kentucky, taking home many state marching band titles and educating thousands of musicians in Covington since its early years. The program is in a season of rebuilding; however, this has been a very successful and encouraging year.

This contribution of $2,000 to the band to purchase a new set of Megavox Long Range speakers with accessories will help the instructors speak to students clearly while on the field and for the metronome to be played loudly for on-field rehearsal as well as percussion rehearsal. These speakers are used by nearly every successful marching band at all levels. This equipment will replace very old equipment that no longer functions properly.

This project matches ArtsWave’s funding blueprint in several ways: It will deepen the roots in our region because the pride of alumni can be felt 50 years after graduation! Alumni still reach out to see how they can be involved in supporting the band. Membership in a successful band program creates lifelong memories and connections. The Holmes Band has experienced low participation over the past 10 years, but the new band director has improved student participation. A successful band program also helps to bridge cultural divides by bringing many students and members of the community together through our shared love for music performance.

Music programs are one of the most truly diverse cooperative opportunities where we can all share a common love and language. The band also forges a connection between personal cultures as well, specifically between athletes and artists, a historically difficult cultural bridge to cross.

It will enliven the local neighborhood by providing a sense of local pride for the band achievement as well as by providing entertainment and live music performance for the community. All concerts and performances are open to the public and the community is encouraged to be involved.

Likewise, the band “family” often serves in the familial role for many of these students. It will fuel creativity and learning by instructing and mentoring students to be the best musicians that they can be! Students are given the tools and encouragement to continuously improve their talents as they study and participate.

Lori Knapp-Lindsey: When I attended Holmes in the 1980s, the Holmes High School Band had hundreds of members and was considered one of the premiere bands in Kentucky. As poverty and racism have ravished many of the programs at Holmes over the past 20 years, the band has dwindled in numbers. This was very apparent when at my 20-year class reunion, our class met at the football field, excited to see the band perform before the game. As fewer than 20 students marched onto the field, we as alumnae were devastated, and this has remained on my mind over the years. Mr. Krieger’s work to rebuild the Holmes Band is one that is worthwhile for both the city of Covington and the students themselves.

This investment of the ArtsWave funds into Mr. Krieger’s project sends the message that we value his work and investment in the arts in an underprivileged school in Kentucky.

I personally envision a 30-year Holmes High School reunion band performance that looks and sounds quite different from the one we attended in 2011.

Oftentimes in graduate school, we practice writing opportunities that prepare us for future rhetorical situations. The Mayerson Project, though, invigorated my passion for philanthropy because we were able to actually affect change in a project. This has been one of my favorite projects during my time in graduate school at NKU.

From Conrad Krieger, director, Holmes High School Band & Choir

I am beyond thrilled to represent the Holmes High School Music Program as the recipient for the Mayerson Project grant!

This money will be used to purchase a new Megavox speaker system to be used by our marching band program throughout the season. These systems help teachers and staff members give instruction to students across long distances and to play a metronome loud enough for students to hear while performing.

The Holmes High School Band Program has a proud history of performance and community involvement that we are currently working to rekindle. This generous gift will provide us with the technology to take our hard work to the next level and increase our productivity during our rehearsals.

We are excited for the future of our program, and this gift will allow us to reach that future faster and more efficiently. The students work hard to proudly represent their school and community.

Follow our progress throughout the year on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/HHSMusicProgram.