Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ delivered 175 full-size and ready-to-play musical instruments, plus 1,290 recorders for our program with the Seattle Symphony, all valued at $128,308 to its 14 participating public school districts during 2023-24. All instrument values are after repairs have been completed and are estimated by our independent third-party vendor-experts.
Intended for use by the students of income-qualified families, each instrument is a “loaner” that must be returned when the student leaves the school district (due to graduation, family moves to another school district, etc.) so another student of a family in-need can benefit from its use.
2024 “Blues ‘n Brews Festival” in Des Moines
The 15th Annual Poverty Bay "Blues ‘n Brews Festival" netted $15,000 for the Highline Music4Life Chapter. Seven hundred blues fans braved the unseasonable rainy weather on August 24th to support the cause. Thanks to the Rotary Club of Des Moines and Normandy Park" for making Music4Life the main beneficiary of this event.
Chapters Now Serving Students in 14 School Districts
As noted previously, Music4Life is on-the-move. Students attending public schools in Lake Washington, Issaquah and Sultan have been added since January 1, 2024. We are talking with community leaders in several other communities, as well. Watch this space for developments!
New Outreach Effort to I.D. Students
No matter how wealthy the average resident of any public school district may be, we know there always are families in-need with students wanting (but unable) to play a musical instrument. Therefore, Music4Life is launching a new effort to assertively reach out to these families. We are placing unpaid “ads” in the printed programs in school band and orchestra concerts. They may also be used online. Their message is simple: All a parent or care-giver needs to do is contact their local music teacher to establish income qualification, a very private and confidential conversation. Once we’re notified of the student’s interest, we’ll do our best to get them a ready-to-play instrument as quickly as possible. No Charge!
Music4Life Is A Community Service Program
Music4Life has been serving students in the Puget Sound area since 2007. We are financially supported by many local Rotary clubs, such as the Rotary Club of Kent (recent financial donation of $1,500) and the Rotary Club of Issaquah ($2,000). The key word in that last sentence is “supported.” Rotary clubs support Music4Life but don’t own it. Many other organizations and individuals support us, as well, and all are welcome. Kiwanis; Lions; Soroptimists; Chambers of Commerce; and many others. Not to be forgotten is the donation of $2,500 by the Everett Cultural Arts Commission. Even though we’ve provided thousands of musical instruments since being created, we know that we’re still just scratching the surface of the real need that’s out there. Join us, won’t you?!
Piano Tuning Is In-Process
Thanks to a major unrestricted donation, Music4Life has been able to start a new piano effort that’s been a gleam in our eyes for years! There’s no more fundamental instrument to any music program, including choral music, than the piano. It’s also the most difficult to deal with, largely because of its size. Several years ago Beth Wojick, a member of our Advisory Board, suggested we try to get pianos tuned. The problem is that piano tuning should be done at least once a year, preferably as students start the new school term. With this donation, we’re able to take Step One in this process. Last spring we asked each of our 14 Music4Life programs whether their pianos need tuning. Several responded that their school district budgets do not cover piano tuning. So Music4Life Governing Board Member Dean Petrich is organizing the tuning of nearly 200 Pianos, upright and grand. This is a prodigious task and we’re all deeply appreciative to Dean for getting it organized.
Our Competition
A question we get from time to time is, “who’s your competition?” We don’t know of any directly set-up to do what Music4Life does. What we DO know is that a person having a musical instrument to pass to others often just drops if off at a nearby school. Good intentions, but this leaves the school district to decide whether the instrument can be repaired (as almost all do) and then pays for that work to be done. Music4Life organizes the evaluation and repair process, pays vendors for the work they do and then gets the ready-to-play musical instruments to the school district that expresses a need for them.
Looking for Governing Board Members
Music4Life seeks volunteer Governing Board members. Those who share our values of “kids,” “instrumental music” or “education" are welcome to apply. We particularly seek those with marketing, development (fund raising) or finance expertise. Also welcome are those who are interested in service on one of our 14 local Chapter teams. If one of these describes you, just contact us at David@Music4Life.org.