The Tau Beta Sigma Alumni Association is proud to announce the recipient of the 2017 TBSAA Grant: Sara Knapp, alumna of the Iota Psi chapter at Kennesaw State University.
Sara Knapp was a charter member of the Iota Psi chapter, serving a colony president and the first chapter president. She is a 2016 honors graduate of Kennesaw State University. Sara currently serves as the band director at Calhoun Middle School in Calhoun, Georgia. She also serves as Assistant Director of the Calhoun High School Marching Band. Prior to her appointment with the Calhoun School District, Sara served as an intern with the Conn-Selmer Division of Education and travels to the Galapagos Islands with Performing Arts Abroad. In addition to remaining active in the TBSAA, she is also a member of the National Association for Music Educators and the Georgia Music Educators Association.
Sara’s grant proposal requested financial assistance to initiate a mariachi band program. Calhoun Middle School, where Sara serves as band director, include a 65% enrollment of students of Hispanic descent; however, only 15% of the concert band program include these students. At a recent Georgia Music Educators Association conference, Sara learned of several school which had demonstrated success by introducing cultural heritage programming, such as a mariachi band curriculum. Sara’s grant proposal identified three key benefits to adding such a program for her school:
- creating the first school program (co-curricular or extracurricular) that reflects Hispanic culture
- involving families and communities in school activities
- introducing non-Hispanic students to a new aspect of musical repertoire and culture
The E.C. would like to thank all of the grant program applicants. The alumni of Tau Beta Sigma are doing amazing work across the country and we are proud to support them. Information about the 2018 TBSAA grant will be released next year. Congratulations Sara!
