Have an old trombone collecting cobwebs in a closet or a long unused flute buried on a shelf?
Dearborn Public Schools would like to give used instruments new life and love in the hands of a student learning to play. The district has launched a used instrument drive to collect band and orchestra instruments still in good condition.
Dearborn Public Schools owns hundreds of instruments for student use. However, a recent increase in the number of students wanting to take instrumental music has left the district without quite enough instruments to loan to all students who would like to learn. In the past, students would often pay to rent instruments either from the district or from a private company. Increasing the number of instruments available for loan to students will also make it possible for all students to participate in the district’s music programs, even those from families unable or unwilling to rent an instrument. It also could provide supplemental instruments to leave in the classrooms so students do not have to worry about constantly hauling large or heavy instruments to and from school.
For the last several years, the district has used some funds from the Wayne County RESA enhancement millage to waive the student fee to participate in extracurricular activities, including marching and jazz bands.
Residents who have music instruments in good condition to donate are encouraged to start by calling their local school – elementary, middle or high – to see if they would be interested. Donors can also reach out to Dan Taylor, district music resource teacher, via email at taylord@dearbornschools.org. (Note, district schools are closed from Dec. 23, 2023 through Jan. 7, 2024.)
All common band and orchestra instruments will be accepted including flutes, trombones, saxophones, trumpets, tubas, bassoons, French horns, clarinets, piccolos, oboes, violins, violas, basses, cellos and drums. Electric guitars are also being accepted. For logistical reasons, the district cannot accept pianos and keyboards.
“I want to thank the community in advance for helping with our instrument drive,” Dan Taylor said. “We really want to make instrumental music accessible to as many students as possible from fifth grade through high school. To do that, we need to make sure no student is prevented from taking music because they cannot get their own instrument.”
The social media friendly version of the instrument drive flyer