Music department seeking old instruments

FARMINGTON – Music teachers are asking parents who have their children’s old instruments gathering dust in closets, basements and crawl spaces to consider donating them to the program.

Mt. Blue Regional School District’s music department is trying increase its stock of instruments, so teachers will be able to help students who would otherwise be incapable of paying the rental or purchase price.

“One thing we heard from the school board [during the budget process],” music department director Carol Shumway said, “is that every student who wants to play an instrument should do so.”

Renting an instrument costs around $25 a month, and many families don’t have the funds to purchase instruments, especially for band and orchestra beginners. The department maintains a supply of instruments to allow those students to participate, but that supply is often outstripped by demand.

Music teachers suspect that many parents, after their kids have outgrown beginning instruments, simply store them. They’re hoping some of these parents might consider bringing them to the department, whatever their condition might be.

The department has already received gifts of a flute and trumpet, and its using its smaller budget and a generous challenge grant from Franklin Savings Bank to repair and clean the instruments for general use.

“Every instrument that we get expands our ability to teach kids,” band teacher Karen Beacham said, noting the educational and developmental advantages to participating in a music program.

The instruments can be brought to any MBRSD school and, barring total destruction, parents shouldn’t be concerned about their condition.

“Kingfield POPS helped us round up some [instruments] a couple years ago,” Beacham said. “Some of them turned out to be great.”