One middle school in Cabell County and another in Wayne County were awarded grants to help support the music programs offered during the school year.
Huntington East Middle Middle School in Cabell and Buffalo Middle School in Wayne will each receive around $40,000 in grant funding to be used for musical instruments and ongoing program management and materials through the program.
“It’s going to allow students who might not be able to buy one, to get an instrument to participate. We have some school instruments but they are fairly old and hard to maintain,” said Nathan Kerr, HEMS music teacher.
Kerr has taught in Cabell County for over two decades and knows the importance of incorporating the arts into education, but said he feels it’s especially important coming off a year where many were unable to get the full experience of music classes.
It is just wonderful timing for us, you know, we couldn’t even perform last year. We did one performance and it was just on video. The arts are so important because it gives students another way to express themselves,” Kerr said.