Total Instruments Delivered Music4Life™ has reported first quarter (Sept. thru Nov.) results to its booster clubs with the delivery of 91 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 91 instruments and related materials is $29,925. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.
Final Results Are In for 2019-20 September 2019 started out with a bang with the kids returning to school, musical instrument repair shops humming (Editor: Is that what repair shops do when they're busy?) and Music4Life getting ready to burst through the record number of delivered instruments set just the year before. Six months later we were well on our way, having delivered 223 musical instruments valued at $148,434. And then the pandemic hit! Schools closed, as did instrument repair shops and most of the rest of the U.S. economy. It was to remain that way largely until August when repair shops started reopening and we started getting a handle on "virtual learning." Music4Life finished its year delivering 240 ready-to-play musical instruments and supplies valued at $157,099 or 99.9 percent of the previous year. As you see above, we're off to another great year, "God willing and the creek don’t rise," as Tennessee Ernie Ford used to say.
Riverview Becomes 11th Music4Life Program
Dr. Anthony Smith
Riverview Superintendent
Proving that you don't have to be a big public school district to participate, the Music4Life Governing Board approved in December the addition of the Riverview School District as its 11th program. Riverview serves students from the Duvall / Carnation area. Superintendent Anthony Smith says, "As a former music teacher and professional musician, I am especially excited to be accepted as Music4Life's eleventh school district program. This aligns with the Equity, Access, Inclusion lens we are using for everything we do as a public school system." Welcome aboard, Riverview!
Expanding Our Reach to All Band / Orchestra Teachers One of our biggest nightmares is the mother or father of a family in-need who doesn't even consider getting a musical instrument for their student because they can't afford it. In today's economy, many families cannot even afford to rent a musical instrument! This is precisely why Music4Life was started in 2007: To serve students of families in-need. Some of these families may not even know that Music4Life exists! We are trying to fix that. One way is to work with our 11 public school district representatives on an outreach effort to communicate with eligible families that we're here and may be able to help them. So we are asking our instrumental music teachers to help. One way is through Quarter Notes. Anyone is welcome to sign-up to get this e-newsletter -- or forward it. Join us, won't you?
Windermere Renews for 2020-21
Last year six of the Seattle-area Windermere offices owned by Jill Wood conducted a campaign that resulted in about three dozen musical instruments and financial support donated to Music4Life.
Jill recently said she was so excited about the program that she wants to expand it to all western Washington Windermere offices serving Music4Life school districts. What better time to connect with possible instrument donors than when they're moving and see that long-neglected trumpet, clarinet or violin that's been in-hiding. Details are being worked out with Jill's Windermere staff, but be on the lookout for a public unveiling in the spring or early summer. Many thanks to Jill Wood and Windermere!
Welcome to Cathy Thompson
Cathy Thompson
Des Moines-area community activist Cathy Thompson is the new president of the Highline Music4Life Booster Club. She succeeds predecessors Catherine Carbone Rogers of Highline Public Schools and real estate analyst Steve Swank, both former presidents of the Des Moines Rotary Club. Cathy has been a band parent (her e-address starts with "bandmama...) and a prominent community activist with numerous organizations for years. "I am excited to be a part of this effort," she says. Welcome aboard, Cathy! And many thanks to Catherine Carbone Rogers (who continues on the Highline booster club) and Steve Swank.
SmartMusic Helps Teachers to Teach One question we increasingly get is, "Why should we support Music4Life when students can't even get together in bands or orchestras to practice their music?" First, it is critically important that students practice their instruments every day so they can maintain their skills. Second, there now are digital programs such as SmartMusic that allow teachers to work with students to improve their playing skills. In other words, "music teaching." Until in-person teaching becomes available again, SmartMusic and similar digital programs allow teachers to evaluate, critique and otherwise help student performance in a live setting. It will probably be one of those virtual tools we’ll continue using even after we get back to what "normality" means.
Harp Is Available
This 17-year-old 50-inch Celtic harp, made by Thormahlen in Corvalis, is being donated to Music4Life by long-time friend Gary Christianson, formerly of KIRO TV. The harp has 36 strings, all with levers. If your school district can use it, let us know. Otherwise, we'll sell it and use the proceeds to repair our usual musical instruments, each of which on-average costs $125 to fix.
Speaker's Bureau Program Started Our outreach effort now includes a Music4Life Speaker's Bureau program. Comprised of former Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling (he started the instrumental music program at Shoreline Community College years ago), former KING TV on-air host Cliff Lenz (he co-hosted "Seattle Todaya" for 17 years), and Music4Life Co-Founder David Endicott (a VERY checkered past!), the three are available for speaking to community service groups, chambers of commerce, private and non-profit businesses and others. Contact us here.
Booster Club Feature: Shoreline The Music4Life booster club supporting Shoreline Public Schools was the third of our public school district-based Programs. This booster club has been responsible for bringing more than 125 full-sized musical instruments and other musical equipment to students attending Shoreline Public Schools. Retired Shorecrest band director Ken Noreen leads the group as president. Other members of the Shoreline Music4Life Booster Club include (by last-name alpha) community activists Lynn Evans and Renee Hart; Ellen Kaje and Hanna Mazur of Shoreline Public Schools; former Shoreline School Board member Dick Nicholson; Shoreline instrumental music teacher Nick Novy; Leann Rozema, the Superintendent's long-serving representative to the booster club;Greg Schroeder of Lake Forest Park Rotary;Maria Stevens of Shoreline Public Schools; and Nick Wade of Shoreline Public Schools. Others are welcome to join us. MANY THANKS to all our Shoreline booster club friends!
While we're thinking of it, many thanks to retiring Shoreline Schools Superintendent Rebecca Miner for her unwavering support and encouragement of Shoreline Music4Life, as well as to her trusty sidekick Kathie Schindler, Executive Assistant, who's (thankfully) not retiring.
