The annual donation of recorders (flute-like woodwind musical instruments) that goes to both college and elementary school students for use in music education.
In 2011 one of our Board Members, Marti Fucile, came up with the idea of seeing if graduating elementary school children and their parents would like to donate their recorders to the Daniel Fissell Music Foundation. Dan taught in five different elementary schools in Vienna before he passed away. The recorders have been donated from the students of those schools. The program has been a resounding success. In 2014 the program expanded and we are happy to say that we have received recorders from elementary schools all across Fairfax County. The recorders are collected and cleaned, then they are donated to Silliman University for use in their Music Program and Divinity School as well as having them distributed out to the elementary schools in Dumaguete.
Marti has had the help of another Board Member, Jenny Gunderman, and her daughter Julia, who was a former student of Dan’s. In 2012 300 recorders were collected and donated to Silliman University. In 2013 about 500 recorders were collected and donated. In 2014 they collected over a thousand recorders.
In 2014 the Board decided that the recorders collected would go to the school children who were survivors of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol Island in November 2013. Music is being utilized in their healing and therapy. As the focus of Dan’s Master’s Field Research was Sound Healing, the Board felt that this fell in line with our mission and unanimously voted to donate this year’s recorders to help the survivors in the healing process.
Marti has had the help of another Board Member, Jenny Gunderman, and her daughter Julia, who was a former student of Dan’s. In 2012 300 recorders were collected and donated to Silliman University. In 2013 about 500 recorders were collected and donated. In 2014 they collected over a thousand recorders.
In 2014 the Board decided that the recorders collected would go to the school children who were survivors of the 7.2 magnitude earthquake that hit Bohol Island in November 2013. Music is being utilized in their healing and therapy. As the focus of Dan’s Master’s Field Research was Sound Healing, the Board felt that this fell in line with our mission and unanimously voted to donate this year’s recorders to help the survivors in the healing process.