All the News on Music4Life™

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December 29, 2020

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

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

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.

Details

November 19, 2020

SEATTLE, Washington Music4Life today reports delivering nearly as many musical instruments in the pandemic-shortened 2019-20 school year when compared with its previous 12-month period. The western Washington-based non-profit delivered musical instruments worth $157,099 in 2019-20 compared with $157,221 of instruments delivered in 2018-19 to ten participating public school districts. Each musical instrument receives a fair market value after repairs are completed as determined by independent vendor-experts.

Music4Life is a non-profit that provides donated and repaired musical instruments at no charge to ten local public school districts so all students may participate in school-based instrumental music activities. Music4Life mainly benefits students participating in free or reduced lunch programs.

“This really is an astonishing accomplishment,” says Music4Life Co-Founder and Chairman/CEO David Endicott, “especially when you realize that we basically did in just six months what had taken us the entire previous 12 months to do.” The program delivered 240 ready-to-play musical instruments to Auburn, Bremerton, Edmonds, Everett, Highline, Kent, Marysville, Northshore, Seattle and Shoreline Public Schools. Each instrument has a remaining useful life of three-to-15 years, meaning that multiple students may benefit from its use.

Research shows that students who participate in school instrumental music activities do better in math, science, history, literature, international languages, reading and writing, even in computer science, in addition to what it teaches in terms of teamwork and self-discipline. Not all children want to participate in instrumental music activities, of course. “But for those who do and whose families cannot afford a musical instrument,” Endicott says, “they are effectively barred from getting the full basic education guaranteed to them by the Washington State Constitution. And the sad fact is that, in today’s pandemic economy, many families cannot even afford to rent a musical instrument. So Music4Life is just as much an equal opportunity program as it is an instrumental music program.”

Ready-to-play musical instruments are provided to these school districts for use by students in any musical activity they choose, as long as they stay enrolled in that public school district. “We figure that the more they use them, the better they’ll get,” Endicott says. “If they leave the school district for any reason, such as graduation or the family moves, the instrument needs to be returned to the school district so another student can benefit from its use.”

“Local enthusiasts who share our values of service to ‘kids,’ ‘instrumental music’ or ‘education’ are welcome to join us,” Endicott says.

Details

October 31, 2020

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.

Details

September 28, 2020

Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ finished its fiscal year on August 31st with the delivery of 99.9% of musical instrument values compared with the previous 12 months. This was despite having just six months to get it all done. We delivered 240 full-sized musical instruments since Sept. 1, 2019 to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals. The total "fair market value" of these 240 instruments and related materials is $157,099. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.

Leadership for Edmonds Music4Life
Former Edmonds Mayor Dave Earling has agreed to serve as president of the Edmonds Music4Life Booster Club. "Mayor Dave" (as we admiringly refer to him) served as the Mayor of Edmonds for the last eight years and a total of 21 years of service to the City of Edmonds. Previously, he had owned a real estate firm, but was best known as the founder of the instrumental music program at Shoreline Community College. What he started there with 34 concert band students had grown to about 200 when he left 11 years later. Joining Mayor Dave on the Edmonds booster club will be Admiral Bill Center, US Navy Ret. and 2006-07 President of Seattle Downtown Rotary. They will be assisted in their new duties by Ken Noreen and Dennis Ashbrook, two noted instrumental music educators now retired from Shoreline Public Schools. Local enthusiasts who share our values of "kids," "instrumental music" or "education" are welcome to serve on the Edmonds booster club, too (click here). Welcome aboard, Mayor Dave and Admirable Bill!

OneHope Wines
OneHope Wines continues as our year-long effort to raise funds to repair musical instruments for kids. 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. Music4Life recently began a collaboration with OneHope to provide year-long financial support to each of our ten school district-based booster clubs, or to the global Music4Life parent organization. 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.) Each separate booster club Program is renewable every month. Patsy of our Northshore Program says, "The wine is quite good! Enjoyed a nice Cabernet just last night." Tell your friends who might also be willing to support Music4Life while drinking some of the world's best wine.

Booster Club Feature: Kent
The Music4Life booster club supporting Kent Public Schools is our second newest public school district-based Program. During its first two years, this booster club has been responsible for bringing 65 full-sized musical instruments and other musical equipment valued at $38,117 to Kent Public Schools. Coldwell Banker Baines real estate broker Linda Mackintosh leads the group. Other members of the Kent Music4Life Booster Club include (by last-name alpha) Kent Station Marketing Manager Cynthia Boyd, the Kent Community Foundation's Brenda Farwell, Don Gregory of the Kent Rotary Club, Allyson Johnson of the Kent Schools Foundation, senior-level music teacher Dr. Chris White, Harry Williams of the Kent Rotary Club and his wife Marge Williams of the Kent Sunrise Rotary Club. Others are welcome to join us. MANY THANKS to all our Kent booster club friends!

End of Year Reports Available Soon
End-of-year Donations Reports have already been provided to our booster clubs. The more formal year-end progress reports are being prepared now for e-distribution to every active booster club member soon. These will take into account that both schools and repair shops were closed for nearly the last six months. Ready-to-play instruments were delivered again starting in August

Annual Reports Also Available Soon
The Music4Life Annual Report that's intended for public consumption is also being prepared. Considering the pandemic, this should be a doozy! It will cover all our activities during the 2019-20 school year.

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.

Details

August 31, 2020

Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ has authorized resumed delivery of ready-to-play musical instruments to our school district-based representatives who are available to receive them. These senior-level instrumental music teachers, appointed by their respective superintendents, are holding the instruments until they can be delivered to the schools and ultimately to the students who need them. As of now, we have delivered 224 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments since Sept. 1st to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals. The total "fair market value" of these 224 instruments and related materials is $127,909. This is 81 percent of last year’s total. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.

Gosieski Donates Reeds
About a month ago our Treasurer, Gary Ryno, introduced Music4Life to George Gosieski, formerly a professional musician doing session work for radio and TV, as well as live shows. Gosieski donated 66 boxes of new B-flat clarinet and soprano, alto and tenor saxophone reeds to Music4Life. Each box contains up to ten new high-quality reeds. He also has agreed to teach senior-level music teachers how to cut and shave the reeds. Gosieski has gone on to lead a startup (www.jumpstartcsr.com) that has artificial intelligence (AI) for predicting, diagnosing, and treating biomechanical performance. Its focus is on preventing falls and over exertion/repetitive stress injuries. The reeds will be provided to our public school district-based Programs on the basis of the relative financial productivity of their booster clubs. If any of our school district representatives are interested in learning how to cut and shave these professional-quality reeds, contact David@Music4Life.org. Many thanks to George, and to Gary for the introduction!

Spirit of Harmony Collaboration
Since our founding in 2007, we've always said that we're glad to work cooperatively with anyone else who wants to serve "kids," "instrumental music" or "education." So it is with the Chicago-based Todd Rundgren Spirit of Harmony Foundation. Spirit of Harmony (SoH) is a national organization that spirit_harmony_logoadvocates for music education for children, particularly in public schools. Founder and President Todd Rundgren is a well-known musician, songwriter and record producer as a solo artist, member of the band Utopia and various collaborations including Ringo Starr's All-Starr Band. SoH brings a national footprint to our party and was brought to us by instrument donor Jennifer Jantzen of Federal Way, Washington. Music4Life, of course, delivers ready-to-play musical instruments to public school district students. Let the party begin!

OneHope Wines
Amazing as it seems, the coronavirus pandemic also brings opportunity. OneHope Wines is a Napa Valley winery that was built on hope and rooted in purpose. As in your purpose. It was created about a dozen years ago to help local and national non-profit causes to deliver on their promises. In the process, OneHope has delivered more than $5 million to worthy non-profits. Music4Life recently began a collaboration with OneHope to provide year-long financial support to each of our ten school district-based Programs (you might think of them as "chapters"), or to the global Music4Life parent organization. Ten percent of wine purchases at OneHope are delivered to the Music4Life Program of your choice. Wines are ordered and paid for online and then delivered right to your door, a real convenience during these quarantine times. Each separate Program is renewable every month. Tell your friends who might also be willing to support Music4Life while drinking some of the world's best wine.

Poverty Bay Blues & Brews Cancelled
So sad to say that the 2020 edition of the Poverty Bay Blues & Brews Festival has been cancelled due to the pandemic. Blues & Brews is the second of the major fund raising events presented by the Des Moines / Normandy Park Rotary Club. The first was the Poverty Bay Wine Festival that also was cancelled in early March for the same reason. A virtual wine festival was held in late July. Look for both events next year after the pandemic passes.

Booster Club Feature: Auburn
The Music4Life booster club supporting Auburn Public Schools is one of our newest public school district-based Programs. Ably led by President Shannon Spicciati (also Principle Oboist of the Auburn Symphony Orchestra and the superintendent's wife), other members of the Auburn Music4Life Booster Club include Randy Campbell, Natasha Daily, Cari Manry, senior-level music teacher Kevin Paustian and Skip Rowland. MANY THANKS to all our Auburn booster club friends!

End of Fiscal Year Approaches
August 31st marks the end of the Music4Life fiscal year, just as it does for most public schools. It's more of an accounting nicety than anything. But is our attempt to stay in-sync with public school districts and set a drop-dead deadline for getting ready-to-play musical instruments to schools so students who need them can start using them as soon as they return for classes. That also makes it a best case scenario in light of the pandemic and online classes.

Details

July 22, 2020

Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ will be resuming delivery of ready-to-play musical instruments to our school district-based representatives who are available to receive them. These senior-level instrumental music teachers, appointed by their respective superintendents, will hold the instruments until they can be delivered to the schools and ultimately to the students who need them.

As of now, we have delivered 224 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments since Sept. 1st to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals. The total "fair market value" of these 224 instruments and related materials is $127,909. This is 81 percent of last year’s total. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.

"Virtual" Wine Fest
The Poverty Bay Wine Festival, originally scheduled for March 7th, is being held "virtually" (online) on July 25th (that's this coming Saturday) from 4 to 8 p.m. The wines of 12 local wineries are expected to be featured. Each winery will be asked to present up to three of their wines, but all wines they have available can be purchased. You can select and reserve the wines, pay for them online and then go to curbside pick-up at the wineries. Presented, as always, by the Des Moines / Normandy Park Rotary Club. Join us online, if you can!

Vendors Resume Limited Deliveries
Music4Life works with respected local vendors who provide discounted repairs for the instruments we receive from donors. Among them are Kennelly Keys Music with several stores based in Lynnwood; Ted Brown Music with several stores based in Tacoma; Hammond Ashley Violins in Issaquah; Rafael Carrabba Violins on Queen Anne; and Bigfoot Music in Arlington. Others, including Olsen Violins in Ballard, provide convenient drop-off points making it easier for instrument donors to help. Most of these are still operating at reduced hours but are accepting curb-side drop-off of instruments being donated toMusic4Life. Facemasks and other measures to protect staff and visitors are appreciated. We provide you the hyperlinks to their websites so you can check their hours of operation and other details. If you're donating a musical instrument, please be sure to fill out the Music4Life Donor Form (below) and put it inside the case with the instrument.

MUSIC4LIFE INSTRUMENT DONOR FORM

New Instrument Drop-off Locations
We try to make it as convenient as possible for people to donate their "lovingly used" musical instruments toMusic4Life.Besides our vendors and school district headquarters, we are now in the process of identifying other convenient locations, such as the office of the Kent Chamber of Commerce.

A new poster promoting drop-off points in the community is now available. It's intended for display in store windows, such as businesses, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations and others willing to accept instrument donations. This example can be changed to fit your community's needs.

Booster Club Feature: Highline
The Music4Life booster club supporting Highline Public Schools continues as our largest and (arguably) most successful public school district-based Program. Ably led by Interim President Catherine Carbone Rogers, other members of the Highline Music4Life Booster Club include (by last-name alpha) Jordan Beckman, Paul Casperson, Claudia Dickinson, Bud Jackson, Dan Johnson, Dave Peterson and Mark Ward. Special mention is reserved for Steve Swank, who served as president during this booster club's first ten years. MANY THANKS to all our Highline booster club friends!

Details

June 10, 2020

Keeping Things in Perspective
The following notice appeared on the Music4Life™ Homepage as of mid-May:

"Feeding people and other emergencies during the current coronavirus health crisis are of compelling importance. We recommend supporting Northwest Harvest and Harvest Against Hunger (formerly Rotary First Harvest) .
We ask everyone to dig a little deeper to support them. Eventually, we expect to get through this mess. Once on the other side of it, we’re certain that the need by our kids for ready-to-play musical instruments will be just as important as it ever has been."

Please be sure to refresh your browser after calling-up the webpage.

Total Instruments Delivered
Schools remain closed, as do nearly all of our musical instrument repair shops. This means that Music4Life has delivered 224 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments since Sept. 1st to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals. The total "fair market value" of these 224 instruments and related materials is $127,909. This is 81 percent of last year’s total. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.

Our Ten Programs Continue Operations
The ten school district-based Programs of Music4Life are operated in-part by ten booster clubs, each comprised of local leaders and dedicated to its own public school district. So the Highline Music4Life Booster Club serves Highline Public Schools. The Everett Music4Life Booster Club serves Everett Public Schools. And so forth. To varying degrees each of these ten booster clubs continues to prepare for that time when we emerge from the coronavirus health emergency and can once again repair and deliver ready-to-play musical instruments to our participating public school districts for use by the students who most need them.

Schools and Most Vendors Closed
All of our schools remain closed and are preparing for the fall term. Similarly, all of our preferred vendor repair stores are closed except Kennelly Keys Music is accepting instrument drop-offs at their Lynnwood store. Music4Life encourages instrument donors to be on the lookout for used instruments in their garages or attics during their quarantine downtime and hold them for delivery when stores can re-open.

New Music4Life Poster Is Available
We try to make it as convenient as possible for people to donate their "lovingly used" musical instruments to Music4Life. A new poster promoting drop-off points in the community is now available. It's intended for display in store windows, such as businesses, chambers of commerce, non-profit organizations and others willing to accept instrument donations. This example can be changed to fit your community’s needs.

Booster Club Feature: Everett
(Editor's Note: We begin featuring the work of one of our various school district-based booster clubs with this edition.)

The Music4Life booster club supporting Everett Public Schools continues its monthly meetings even during this quarantine period. Ably led by President Jane Webber, other members of the Everett Music4Life Booster Club include (by alpha) Carmen Boggs; Rick Bowen; Emily Cheever (Sup's rep); Lois Craig; Dr. Mark Valentine; Carol Wheeler; Nicole Whiteley (replacing Emily); Mark Wilder; and Jeanne Willard. Special mention is reserved for Georgia Lindquist, who has served as scribe and inventory chief since the beginning of the Everett Program and is retiring from Everett P.S. Normally we'd include a group photo, but ZOOM prevents that for now. MANY THANKS to all our Everett 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.

Details

March 20, 2020

Editor's Note:
Students of families in-need getting playable musical instruments suddenly seems to pale in importance when compared with citizens getting life-saving health care, adequate food and other issues related to the current virus crisis. We just want you to know that we're doing what we can to navigate the flu crisis ourselves while maintaining the operations and integrity of Music4Life™. Once we get to the other side of this health crisis, Music4Life can resume its worthy importance to us all. With that essential purpose firmly in mind, here's where we are today.

Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ has delivered 224 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments since Sept. 1st to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free or reduced cost school meals. The total "fair market value" of these 224 instruments and related materials is $127,909. This is 81 percent of last year’s total in just the first six months of our fiscal year. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party vendor-experts.

Poverty Bay Wine Festival Postponed
Like many other public events, the Poverty Bay Wine Festival scheduled for March 7th has been postponed until this fall due to the coronavirus emergency. The annual event is a primary fund raiser of its producer, the Des Moines / Normandy Park Rotary Club. Details will be announced soon.

Heppner Added to Music4Life Advisory Board
Paul Heppner, president of the Encore Media Group, has been named a new member of the Music4Life Advisory Board. He joins Colleen Armstrong, retired Seattle Opera Chief of Staff; ADM Bill Center, retired US Navy; and Beth Wojick, retired CEO of Seattle SeaFair and Washington Special Olympics. Music4Life Advisory Board members provide special guidance on request.

KING FM Postpones Music4Life Month
KING FM radio will feature Music4Life as part of its "April Is Music4Life Month" program in King, Kitsap and Snohomish Counties and various cities in each. The feature is a month earlier than usual so we can get instruments to our preferred vendos for repairs before instruments arrive from the school districts during summer months. Our intent is to provide ready-to-play musical instruments as soon as schools open in the fall. Many thanks to KING FM!

Two Baby Grand Pianos
Two baby grand pianos have been delivered recently to our participating public school districts. One went to Evergreen High School in the Highline School District and the other to the Kentridge Performing Arts Center in the Kent School District. In order to accept any piano, it has to be professionally inspected for playability, a dolly has to be acquired so it can easily be moved from classroom to classroom, moving to the new location has to be scheduled and the piano has to be tuned after it has sat in its new environment for a month or so. These are additional expenses can easily add up to $1,500 and are normally paid by the piano donor.

All Instruments Deserve Repair
About 500 people every year now donate musical instruments to Music4Life to get them repaired and put back to use. We describe these as "lovingly used" instruments that donors have in their garages, attics or closets. They go to one of our preferred vendors ( Kennelly Keys Music, Ted Brown Music, Hammond Ashley Violins or various other drop-off points) and are evaluated for possible repair. We do the best we can to repair every instrument back to playability by a student. We did that 334 times last year (2018-19) and are on-track to do it even more this year. But sometimes the cost is just too great or is otherwise prohibitive. Even though our preferred vendors give us discounts on repairs, they still have to pay their technicians for their work. We just thought you'd like to know.

Everett Cultural Arts Commission
With the approval of the Everett City Council, the Everett Cultural Arts Commission has provided a grant to Music4Life to support its Everett Music4Life Booster Club. Many thanks to the Everett Cultural Arts Commission! (NOTE: Music4Life gets support from many commissions, foundations, companies and others. We feature each of them as best we can.)

Donation In Memory of Sue Bartels
Music4Life has received a donation in memory of Sue Bartels from Kristine Wear of Edmonds. Donations honoring the service or memory of individuals you know may be made online or by credit card. Any size donation is welcome.

Details

December 24, 2019

Total Instruments Delivered
Music4Life™ is off to another fast start this fiscal year with 163 donated and repaired full-sized musical instruments having been delivered to our ten public school districts for use by students qualifying for free school meals. That's nearly half the 334 instruments delivered all of last year in just the first quarter. The total "fair market value" of these 163 instruments, plus 1,400 recorders to Highline Schools and 2,417 harmonicas to six school districts is $82,074. All instrument values are according to our independent third-party experts.

New Program for Marysville
We've added another new school district-based program serving the students of Marysville Public Schools. Heartily endorsed by Marysville Superintendent Jason Thompson, the Marysville Music4Life Booster Club is led by Chair Lee Hudson, Secretary Amy Kiffe and Development Director Deanna Hudson (Lee's wife). About 15 other community activists complete the booster club. Instrumental music teacher James Orr has been appointed as the Superintendent's representative to Marysville Music4Life and has already begun receiving musical instruments.

Des Moines / Normandy Park Rotary Check
Club President Connor Talbott (left) of Des Moines / Normandy Park Rotary presented the club's annual donation to Music4Life at a November club meeting. The funds are used to benefit instrumental music students attending Highline Public Schools and are the product in part of the Highline Music4Life Booster Club. Instruments are distributed to each participating public school district based on the relative financial productivity of their booster clubs.

Harmonicas Donated
As we go around speaking to various service organizations, occasionally we're asked whether we get any unusual musical instruments donated. Surely counted among them would be the 2,417 new, boxed harmonicas we received in December from Ron Bloom (right) of Newport in south Bellevue. Total value is $12,085. Kennelly Keys Music delivered 1,056 to Highline Public Schools; 594 to Shoreline P.S.; 200 each to Edmonds, Kent & Northshore P.S.; and 150 to Marysville P.S., based in part on the relative financial productivity of each of their Music4Life booster clubs. Neil Stafford of Kennelly Keys tells us that harmonicas are great beginner instruments for very young students. "If I didn’t have a harmonica program, I’d sure start one with the gift of these instruments," he says.

Two Baby Grand Pianos
Two baby grand pianos are in-process of delivery this month. One is going to Evergreen High School in the Highline School District and the other to the Auburn School District. Others may be made available to our other public school districts as they become available in the coming months. In order to accept any piano, it has to be professionally inspected for playability, a dolly has to be acquired so it can easily be moved from classroom to classroom, moving has to be scheduled and the piano has to be tuned after it has sat in its new environment for a month or so. These are additional expenses and can easily add up to $1,500 and are normally paid by the piano donor.

Details

November 20, 2019

All public school students who want to participate in Marysville instrumental music activities may soon be able to do so. That’s the goal of a new program called Marysville Music4Life, according to Superintendent Jason Thompson.

Initial funding to start and sustain the new program is being sought by the Marysville Music4Life Booster Club, led by resident Lee Hudson. Other officers are secretary Amy Kiffe and treasurer Deanna Hudson. The group is comprised of about 15-20 local enthusiasts.

Music4Life ( www.Music4Life.org ) is the non-profit that acquires “lovingly used” musical instruments from adults who no longer need them, repairs them (if possible) and then provides them at no charge to participating public school districts for use by students in need. Music4Life also operates nine other programs supporting Auburn, Bremerton, Edmonds, Everett, Highline, Kent, Northshore, Seattle, and Shoreline Public Schools. The program acquires used instruments from those who understand that their highest and best use is to put them back into play. Music4Life also accepts donations to help pay for instrument repairs.

“The Music4Life program to our district will open doors for many of our students,” says Superintendent Thompson. “Music4Life has a long history of working with local public school districts to provide instrumental music opportunities for students. This is exciting for the Marysville School District and we are appreciative of our community members who have joined in this effort.”

“We are proud to be a part of this program and can’t wait to see the success of Music4Life in Marysville,” says Lee Hudson. “The Marysville School District has a free-and-reduced-lunch-rate of nearly 47 percent, meaning that the students of many families are likely to need help in acquiring a musical instrument to participate. We can do this. And should.”

The new Marysville effort will be led by the “Marysville Music4Life Booster Club” recently authorized by the Music4Life Governing Board. The Marysville booster club currently is comprised of Lee and Deanna Hudson; Kiffe; Maria Ascencio; Bob Clark; Melissa Cook; John Dougherty; Elizabeth George; Elva Henry; Jolanta Perry; Luz Romero; Marysville instrumental music teacher James Orr serves as a representative for the school district on the booster club. Also serving from the school district are Jodi Runyon, Director of Engagement and Outreach, and Brynn Marcum, Director of Curriculum and Assessment.

Mark Wilder, local instrumentalist/composer and owner of Wilder2 Marketing Partners, serves as the Music4Life Program Coordinator. Other community members who are interested in kids, instrumental music or education are welcome to participate.

The booster club develops resources for musical instrument repairs. Music4Life has relationships with several local musical instrument repair shops, including Bigfoot Music of Marysville/Arlington, Kennelly Keys Music in Lynnwood, Ted Brown Music in Tacoma and Hammond Ashley Violins in Issaquah. All vendors provide discounts to Music4Life for instrument repairs, as well as for purchases of new musical instruments. A downloadable Music4Life Donor Form must accompany all donated musical instruments.

Music4Life enjoys the support of notable music advocates and other community leaders. Gerard Schwarz, world-renowned conductor laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, has endorsed the program, saying, “This wonderful program begins with children in elementary school at a time when, if they’re interested and talented in any way, they have the greatest chance of success. Many people tell me of the impact that direct knowledge of instrumental music has had on their lives. We intend to give this advantage to all our children.”

Music4Life™ is supported in part by grants from 4Culture (formerly the Seattle-King County Arts Commission); the Highline Schools Foundation; the Everett Public Schools Foundation; OpenSquare; Knossos Foundation; the Hazel Miller Foundation; the Auburn Schools Foundation; the Kent Arts Commission; various local Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs; the Community Foundation of Snohomish County; as well as by the law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer; Seattle Symphony Orchestra; the Seattle Folklife Festival; Rafael Carrabba Violins; Encore Media Group; Lamar Advertising; 98.1 Classical KING FM; KNKX Radio; GMA Research; Cascade Symphony Orchestra; Randy Oxford Entertainment; the Stacy Jones Band; the Edmonds Center for the Arts; and others.

Details

November 27, 2018

Music4Life™ has closed another record year by providing 2,036 donated and repaired musical instruments at no charge for use by students at eight Puget Sound public school districts. The instruments are valued at nearly $183,000. This is an increase of 12 percent in instruments and nine percent of the total value of those instruments from those delivered the previous school year. Included were 311 full-size instruments and 1,725 recorders (the little flute-like instruments that stick straight out of the mouth) to third- and fourth-graders to two public school districts.

“We are very grateful to all those donors of ‘lovingly used’ musical instruments who make our work possible,” says David Endicott, Music4Life Co-Founder and President. “It is people who have a trumpet, flute, clarinet, violin or other used musical instrument in their garage or attic and donate it to Music4Life who make participation in school-based instrumental music activities available for students in need.”

Endicott says “the reason we do this is because research show that students who participate in instrumental music activities do better in math, science, history, literature, international languages, reading & writing, even in computer science, in addition to what it teaches in terms of teamwork and self-discipline. These are advantages that should be available to all public school students regardless of a family’s ability to provide them a musical instrument. The sad fact is that many families today can’t even afford to rent a musical instrument for a son or daughter to play.”

Music4Life provides donated and repaired musical instruments at no charge to public school districts for use by students in need. The Seattle-based non-profit acquires instruments from adults who no longer need them and decide that their highest and best use is to put them back into play. Music4Life operates programs supporting Auburn, Bremerton, Edmonds, Everett, Highline, Northshore, Seattle and Shoreline Public Schools. Music4Life also accepts donations to help pay for instrument repairs. At least two other local public school districts are being considered for the program.

Music4Life enjoys the support of notable music advocates and other community leaders.  Gerard Schwarz, world-renowned conductor laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, has endorsed the program, saying, “This wonderful program begins with children in elementary school at a time when, if they’re interested and talented in any way, they have the greatest chance of success. Many people tell me of the impact that direct knowledge of instrumental music has had on their lives. We intend to give this advantage to all our children.”

Music4Life is supported in part by grants from 4Culture (formerly the Seattle-King County Arts Commission); the Highline Schools Foundation; the Everett Public Schools Foundation; OpenSquare; Knossos Foundation; the Hazel Miller Foundation; various local Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs; the Community Foundation of Snohomish County; the Auburn Schools Foundation; as well as by the law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer; Seattle Symphony Orchestra; the Seattle Folklife Festival; Rafael Carrabba Violins; Encore Media Group; Lamar Advertising; 98.1 Classical KING-FM; KNKX Radio; GMA Research; the Early Music Society of Seattle; Cascade Symphony Orchestra; the Washington State Blues Society; Randy Oxford Entertainment; the Stacy Jones Band; the Edmonds Center for the Arts; Kennelly Keys Music stores; Hammond Ashley Violins in Issaquah; Ted Brown Music; and others.

Details

September 06, 2018

Pianos have been weighing heavily on our minds for the last few years. Why? Because Music4Life™ gets two or three calls nearly every week from people who want to donate their pianos. But most public schools already have pianos and what they need the most is to have those pianos tuned, a cost most find prohibitive.

Historically, when we’ve been offered an upright piano, we have to tried to sell it so we can take the cash from the sale and convert it into musical instruments that elementary school-aged kids say they want to play, such as trumpets, violins, flutes, clarinets, etc. And then in turn, we have to get most of those instruments professionally repaired, which requires even more cash.

All the while that this has been going on, we’ve had this feeling that we’re leaving money on the table by not accepting piano donations. No explanation was in sight, until we discussed the issue with Beth Wojick, former CEO of Seattle SeaFair and a member of the Music4Life Advisory Board.

Beth’s suggestion was to turn the whole concept inside-out. She advised that we:

1. Inventory the pianos in our school districts that need tuning (likely to be hundreds);
2. Get bids from several geographically-distributed piano tuners to do this work (probably 40-50 pianos for each tuner);
3. Raise funds separately from our normal repair budget to pay for their work; and then
4. Get the work done!

Result? The education of MANY STUDENTS will be enhanced! We call this innovative new program “Beth’s Piano Strategy.”

We have developed a list of local piano tuners that we have shared with each of our school district representatives to see if any are considered unqualified. After direct calls to several tuners, it appears they are interested in participating.

Next steps will be to ask for bids from those piano tuners, which will give us a dollar goal for fund raising. As we begin this program, no funds will be used for other mechanical repairs that might be needed. In fact, if a piano needs other mechanical repairs, it will be disqualified for tuning at this time. Also, no funds from our normal repair budget will be used.

“Beth’s Piano Strategy” is an emergent program. If ultimately successful, it can be done for hundreds of school pianos at the beginning of each school year. Stay tuned for more updates, and please spread the word to anyone who would like to contribute to the success of this program that we would gratefully accept donations here .

Details

May 11, 2018

May is “Music4Life Month” say County Executives Dow Constantine and Dave Somers, as well as the mayors and city councils of several cities in King and Snohomish Counties.

Music4Life the Seattle-based non-profit that acquires “lovingly used” musical instruments from adults who no longer need them, gets them repaired and then provides them to participating public school districts for use by elementary-aged students of low income families. Besides Seattle Public Schools, Music4Life also operates programs supporting Bremerton, Edmonds, Everett, Highline, Mukilteo, Northshore and Shoreline Public Schools. The program acquires used instruments from adults who understand that their highest and best use is to put them back into play. With adequate resources, Music4Life also buys new musical instruments for school districts.

“Summer is when we have to focus on getting used musical instruments repaired and ready-to-play so that students this fall can start to use them as soon as they are enrolled in school,” says David Endicott, co-founder and president of Music4Life. “We’re very grateful to Dow Constantine, Dave Somers and the mayors of our participating communities for their support in drawing attention to this critical educational need.”

Proclamations declaring city support for the Music4Life initiative have been enacted by Burien, Des Moines, Shoreline in King County and by Edmonds, Everett and Mill Creek in Snohomish County. Endicott expressed thanks to the mayors and city councils of those communities for supporting the initiative.

“The reason this is so important is because research shows that students who participate in instrumental music programs tend to do better in math, science, history, literature, computer science, international languages, reading, writing and other academic disciplines,” Endicott says. “This is in addition to what they learn in terms of teamwork and self-discipline.

“All this is true, unless their parents can’t afford to get them a musical instrument in the first place. And in today’s economy, many parents can’t afford to rent a musical instrument. To this extent, Music4Life is just as much an ‘education program’ as it is a ‘music program.’”

One recent national report found that half of all public school students are from income-eligible families that qualify for participation in the Free-and-Reduced-Lunch program. The Puget Sound area is no exception.

“Our hope is that adults who know of Music4Life will donate their musical instruments to us now so we can get them repaired over the summertime,” Endicott says. “An instrument Donor Form that must accompany the instrument is available for downloading on our website.”

Music4Life enjoys the support of notable music advocates and other community leaders. Gerard Schwarz, world-renowned conductor laureate of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra, has endorsed the program, saying, “This wonderful program begins with children in elementary school at a time when, if they’re interested and talented in any way, they have the greatest chance of success. Many people tell me of the impact that direct knowledge of instrumental music has had on their lives. We intend to give this advantage to all our children.”

Music4Life is supported in part by grants from the Hazel Miller Foundation, First Choice Health; 4Culture (formerly the Seattle-King County Arts Commission); the Knossos Foundation; various local Rotary, Lions and Kiwanis clubs; the Highline and Northshore Schools Foundations; as well as by the law firm of Garvey Schubert Barer; Seattle Symphony Orchestra, Cascade Symphony Orchestra, the Edmonds Center for the Arts, Kennelly Keys Music stores, Ted Brown Music, Hammond Ashley Violins in Issaquah, the Guitar Center stores and others.

Details

April 09, 2018

Here’s a great article from the Everett Herald about the recent donation of a grand piano to Everett High School.

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February 22, 2018

This award from Washington Music Educators Association is another indication that Music4Life™ is making a difference in kids’ music education!