x
Breaking News
More () »

Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive begins

"The chance we have to make a difference in these kids' lives is wonderful."
Credit: Nelson Garcia
Students at East Elementary School in Littleton take band supported by the Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive.

How can a student know if they like playing music until they get a chance to try it?

"When I look at it, it looks really easy to play," Roismery Osegueda, said.

She is a fourth grader at East Elementary School in Littleton. Roismery plays the flute in band class before school. Music teacher Amy Gonzales says this is a big change from a few years ago.

"We did not have a band program at all," Gonzales said.

Gonzales says that all changed when she met a man named Tom Haller. He runs an organization called Littleton's Opening Notes under the umbrella of the Littleton Community Music Association.

"You know, I don't know, I was retired. I was bored, looking for something to do and my wife and I were very successful, very fortunate. So yeah, we give something back to the district," Haller said.

Opening Notes supports instrument programs across Littleton Public Schools. He worked with Bringing Music to Life to create a feeder program for the high schools. Haller wanted to help East Elementary specifically because it is made up of mostly minorities and low-income families.

"We wanted to develop this feeder system, but not just for those kids who could afford it," Haller said.

He arranged to have Bringing Music to Life deliver trumpets, saxophones, clarinets and trombones to East so it can jumpstart a new band program.

"I don't think most of our students would probably play an instrument at all if they had to rent an instrument from a music store," Gonzales said.

If you want to find out where you can bring a used musical instrument for donation, just click here: BringMusic.org. The instruments are restored and refurbished for students across the state of Colorado. The drive runs from March 5 through March 17.

Haller says Bringing Music to Life is saving programs around Colorado.

"The chance we have to make a difference in these kids' lives is wonderful," Haller said.

Before You Leave, Check This Out