|
Philadelphia, PA … Before retiring, Fred Moyer was a music teacher at a school that struggled to afford its music program. To make his students’ education possible, he took on the responsibility of collecting instruments that the school did not have the funds to purchase. Now retired, Fred and his wife Jamie wanted to rehome their collection of musical instruments that were no longer being played. They trusted the music education non-profit Musicopia to place them with the students who need them most through its Gift of Music instrument donation program. This program not only provides students with the opportunity to learn to play music but also relieves music teachers from the burden of having to supply the instruments their school cannot afford. The Gift of Music program gets instruments to students through the relationships it builds with local schools, and to date, it has collected, repaired, and placed 7,000 donated musical instruments with students and schools. Thanks to this program, countless local schools, including Eugenio Maria de Hostos Charter School and Our Lady of Angels Regional Catholic School, have been able to build, rebuild, and expand their music programs. Our Lady of Angels Regional Catholic School faced the devastating loss of all their instruments in a fire in 2018. With limited funds to replace the instruments, the school’s music teacher, Marylee Logan Fairfield, turned to Musicopia. The donated instruments from Musicopia not only helped the school rebuild after the fire but also provided opportunities for its music department to grow. Knowing their in-kind donation will spread joy to school communities, like Our Lady of Angels, the Moyers are thankful to have played a part in creating this impact. “I feel better knowing that some young person is getting access. It just makes my heart feel good,” Jamie shared. Thanks to Musicopia’s Gift of Music Program and its instrument donors like the Moyers, dedicated teachers like Marylee can focus on their work as educators without having to bear the weight of filling critical gaps. (Read more about the Moyers’ and Ms. Fairfield’s stories here.) The program’s work is far from over due to the ongoing demand for instruments. If you have an instrument that is not getting the love it once did, consider passing it on to a student in need! For more information, please visit https://www.musicopia.net/instrument-donation-program.
|
|