As of December 2008, the Rachel Elizabeth Barton Foundation has raised $50,350 of the $130,339 needed to complete Phase 1 of our curriculum project, leaving $79,989 yet to be raised in order for us to accomplish our goal.  

Your gift in any amount will be greatly appreciated. Below are some examples of what your contributions will fund.

$3-5,000 = commissioning one new work by a living Black composer

Please click here to learn about sponsorship opportunities.

Phase 1:
The Violin Student’s Library of Music by Black Composers
Volumes 1-5  

Total Estimated Expenses:  $130,339  

Breakdown of Expenses:
Commissions — $30,000
More than an anthology of existing works, this series will also include newly written compositions for students at the beginning, intermediate, and advanced levels. We plan to commission ten prominent Black composers from around the world, enabling us to enrich the repertoire with two new pieces per volume.  

Companion CDs — $28,950
To enhance the student’s ability to learn the repertoire, each volume will be packaged with a companion CD.  The costs of recording include studio rental, fees for the recording engineer and session producer, rehearsal and recording time with the piano accompanist, the services of a violin technician, and post-session editing.  

Music & Text Preparation — $22,709
Preparing the compositions and articles for publication involves many steps.  All of the sheet music must be entered into the computer by an expert in music writing software, piano accompaniments must be created for those pieces for which they are lacking, a text editor must review the written portions, and the services of a copyright lawyer will be required.  When the draft version of the volumes is complete, they must be photocopied and mailed to leading educators for review.  

Research — $32,180
The history lessons contained in these volumes are an integral part of our vision. Through composer biographies, performer profiles, feature articles, and accompanying photographs and illustrations, we look forward to acquainting students with the rich history of Black musicians’ contributions to classical music and string playing. Costs for accomplishing this include the salary of a Research Editor, research interns, library fees, and photocopying.  
Web Page, Illustrations & Graphic Design — $16,500
These published volumes will be supplemented by an educational Web site, www.stringstudentslibrary.com, which will contain further resources for string students and teachers. Both the Web site and our books will include graphic elements that will attract the student’s attention to the compositions and to the history lessons. Leading children’s book illustrators will create original artwork to augment existing archival images.  

Total Income Raised to date:  $50,350     

Funds Remaining to be Raised:  $79,899    

Please click here for a printable donation form.  

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