Photo credit: Don Rebar
An entire music classroom at Milwaukee’s Golda Meir School receive instruments collected during the 2017 Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Instrument Drive.
The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music is asking area residents to dig into their closets, attics and basements for gently used musical instruments they no longer want. The community instrument drive, on Oct. 5, will benefit Milwaukee area kids who can’t afford an instrument of their own to practice at home.
Residents can drop off instruments at one of four locations. Those who don’t have an instrument to donate can still contribute by making a gift to the instrument repair fund. The average repair cost for donated instruments—including cleaning, repairs and new cases—is $180.
“There are thousands of instruments that go unused by their owners, and there are thousands of young students who could benefit by using those instruments to pursue their dream of creating music,” says Eric Tillich, President and CEO of the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. “At least 80 percent of school districts in the United States have experienced cutbacks in music programs and the Conservatory is dedicated to keeping music alive through programs like this.”
The Wisconsin Conservatory of Music, a nonprofit community music school, inaugurated the instrument drive in 2017. In that year, community members donated nearly 200 instruments and accessories, including a trumpet played in World War II Trinidad, a sax from the 1964 World’s Fair and a granddaughter’s first flute. Many had not been touched in decades. These and other instruments now have new owners with young musicians in the community, including students at Golda Meir School and Ronald W. Regan IB High School.
All donated instruments are cleaned, repaired and given new cases. To deliver instruments to students and schools in good working condition, the Conservatory contributes dollars from its annual budget, seeks underwriting partners from the community, and actively fundraises to cover the repair costs.
Stay on top of the news of the day
Subscribe to our free, daily e-newsletter to get Milwaukee's latest local news, restaurants, music, arts and entertainment and events delivered right to your inbox every weekday, plus a bonus Week in Review email on Saturdays.
The Conservatory has a waiting list of applicants who are eager to get an instrument of their own to practice outside of school and build their skills.
One such student, Mekdes Woldemariam, isn’t interested in playing a trumpet or a clarinet, or other instruments commonly found in a school band or orchestra. She is hoping someone will donate a harp, and vividly remembers the first time she heard a woman playing the harp. “She was playing the music so beautifully and her hands were moving so fast. As soon as you hear the music it’s so soft and delicate. It makes you go into a different zone. It’s just so beautiful,” she says.
Instrument donor Maryanna Meikrantz of Cedarburg gave a 1950s alto saxophone during the 2017 drive. It was manufactured in Paris. Meikrantz says she loved the French sax when her parents bought it for her in high school and remembers how impressed she was with the pearl keys and the fancy engraving. Wherever she has moved, the instrument has moved with her.
When she heard about the 2017 instrument drive, she decided it was time for her beloved saxophone to have a new, enthusiastic owner who can get as much enjoyment from it as she did, years ago. “For me, music is wonderful in and of itself,” Meikrantz says. “It was, and is, so meaningful to me.”
On Oct. 5, residents are encouraged to "Be Instrumental" by donating instruments at the following drop-off sites and making by contributions to the drive's Instrument Repair Fund.
2019 WCM Instrument Drive Donation Centers
Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (Milwaukee) McIntosh|Goodrich Mansion 1584 N. Prospect Ave, Milwaukee Donation Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Wisconsin Conservatory of Music (Bayside/Fox Point) Audubon Court Shopping Center 333 W. Brown Deer Road, Fox Point Donation Hours: 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. Brass Bell Music 210 W. Silver Spring Drive Milwaukee Donation Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. Music & Arts 12805 W. Janesville Road, Muskego Donation Hours: 10 a.m. – 4 p.m.
2019 Wisconsin Conservatory of Music Instrument Drive sponsors and partners include Brass Bell Music, MKE Lifestyle Magazine, Music & Arts, the Morning Blend, PNC Bank, Shepherd Express, Today’s TMJ4 and WUWM 89.7 FM.
