Total Instruments Delivered Music4Life™ has started its new fiscal year (begins each Sept. 1st) with the delivery of 34 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments to participating public school districts. For use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals, the “fair market value” of these 34 instruments and related materials is $12,075. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.
Kent Program Gets Instrument Bonanza
Not yet counted among the report above are the 51 musical instruments donated to the Kent Music4Life program in late October, all from donor Jim Renton. Jim recently closed M-Power and donated its remaining instruments to our Kent booster club. Shepherded by Kent President Linda Mackintosh of Coldwell Banker Bain, the instruments include violins, cellos, guitars, flutes, clarinets, saxes, trumpets, a French horn and other instruments that are being evaluated for repairability right now. Many thanks to Jim and congrat's to the Kent booster club team.
Kids Need to Keep Playing How do students get the musical instruments when the schools aren't open? That's a question we often get. Our music teachers tell us they still get the instruments to kids through direct delivery, leaving them for pick-up at designated times and other means. Here's the most important thing to remember: A student needs to keep practicing his or her musical instrument as often as possible so they keep their music skills sharp. A layoff of even a few days can be noticeable quickly. Pretty soon the student loses interest or moves on to other things. That's why we keep pumping newly repaired instruments into the system.
COVID-Care Available for Instruments One concern now being expressed is the question of how musical instruments, especially wind instruments, are cleaned of COVID germs.
Billy Kennelly, owner of Kennelly Keys Music, tells us that "All instruments turned in, street buys, rentals and Music4Life instruments sit in quarantine for at least a week. Then during the processing stage, all instruments are cleaned and sanitized. We ... invested in large ultrasonic cleaning systems."
Ted Brown Music President Whitney Brown Grisaffi says this includes "Spraying instrument cases, handles, and latches with an 80% alcohol solution when both picking up an instrument and dropping it off to the school; (s)anitizing hands with alcohol-based hand sanitizer immediately before entering the school; (w)earing a mask while in the building or communicating face to face with music educators or school officials; (and a)ssisting directors by offering guidance on how to properly store and disinfect instruments. ... Our repair techs are wearing masks and gloves and summer repairs will be quarantined again after work is complete and returned to your schools."
Deric Dobesh of Bigfoot Music in Arlington agrees and says "With basic repairs we sanitize all cases before they are taken to the shop. Once at the shop our tech(nician) is only allowing one instrument out of the case and on the bench at a time. All instruments are wiped down with sanitizer before and after being serviced. Our tech wears gloves, mask and a face shield while any instrument is on the bench. Gloves are never reused on a second instrument. Repair bench and tools are wiped down with sanitizer after every repair is completed."
What "Ready-to-Play" Means Every year our school district representatives are reminded of "The PROMISE of Music4Life." We guarantee that every instrument delivered to them is ready-to-play and in a serviceable case. A horn without a mouthpiece is not ready-to-play: We buy one for it. A violin without a bow is not ready-to-play: We buy one for it. This makes the instrument ready-to-play NOW! Sure, sometimes an instrument will slip through that’s not ready-to-play for some reason. Whenever this happens, we ask that the music teacher immediately report it to the Music4Life CEO and we’ll make it right. Also our vendors take great pride in their work and want to guard their reputations.
OneHope Wines Continue into December
The OneHope Wine fund raising opportunities for all school district-based programs have been continued into early December. This is part of our year-long effort to raise funds for each program so that musical instruments for kids in-need can be repaired. The Napa Valley winery that was built on hope and rooted in purpose about a dozen years ago to help local and national non-profit causes to deliver on their promises. In the process, the OneHope Wine Foundation has delivered more than $5 million to worthy non-profits. Ten percent of qualified wine purchases at OneHope are delivered to the Music4Life booster club of your choice. Wines are ordered and paid for online and then delivered right to your door, a real convenience during these quarantine times. (NOTE: An adult must be available to sign for the delivered wines.) Tell your friends who might also be willing to support Music4Life while drinking some of the world's best wine.
Edmonds Program Continues to Build
Joining former Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling on the Edmonds booster club are Admiral Bill Center, US Navy Ret. and 2006-07 President of Seattle Downtown Rotary, as well as 2016-17 Edmonds Daybreakers Rotary president Chris Lindberg and Edmonds Community College Dean of Student Recruitment Steve Woodard. Other local enthusiasts who share our values of "kids," "instrumental music" or "education" are welcome to serve on the Edmonds booster club, too (click here).
Booster Club Feature: Everett The Music4Life booster club supporting Everett Public Schools is another of our public school district-based Programs. This booster club has been responsible for bringing more than 200 full-sized musical instruments and other musical equipment to students attending Everett Public Schools. Jane Webber leads the group as president. Other members of the Everett Music4Life Booster Club include (by last-name alpha) Carmen Boggs; instrumentalist Rick Bowen of the Washington Blues Society; music teacher Emily Cheever; community activist Lois Craig; Georgia Lindquist (recently retired from Everett Public Schools); Kalle Spear, Assistant Principal at Gateway Middle School; Dr. Mark Valentine of Everett Rotary; Carol Wheeler, another long-time community activist; Nicole Whiteley, the Superintendent's representative to the booster club; composer/lyricist Mark Wilder who doubles as Managing Partner of Wilder2.com; and Jeanne Willard of Everett Public Schools. Others are welcome to join us. MANY THANKS to all our Everett booster club friends!
Gifts in Memory of (friends) Donations honoring the service or memory of individuals you know may be made online or by credit card. Any size donation is welcome.
