Free Musical Instruments from Nonprofit Charity Music

Confucius said "Music produces a kind of pleasure which human nature cannot do without." St. Francis of Assisi said "For it is in giving that we receive." Combining the sage advice of these wise men helps us to understand the passion and commitment of the people behind Charity Music. Charity Music is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit public service organization whose mission is to help cultivate the next crop of upcoming artists. They do this by providing musical instruments on loan, at no charge, to individuals wishing to explore their hidden musical talents. Students, senior citizens, community groups, and military personnel have benefited from the program, receiving musical instruments they would not otherwise have been able to afford.

Advantages to Students

There is a large and growing body of research evidence which shows that students participating in musical instruction enjoy a number of advantages over their non-musical counterparts, even when overcoming social and economic obstacles. For example, university studies conducted in Florida and Georgia show that they tend to perform better on standardized tests, and get better grades in reading, math, language arts, and science. A University of Texas study indicates that they are less prone to alcohol abuse and are emotionally healthier in general. And consider this - according to a study conducted by noted educational researcher Peter Wood, music majors have the highest percentage of acceptance into medical school - 50% higher than biochemistry majors for instance.

Overcoming Financial Obstacles

While it's clear that one of the best ways to help disadvantaged kids is to provide musical instruction, often the largest hurdle is the cost of the instruments. New instruments range in price from hundreds of dollars into the thousands. Even families who choose to rent an instrument must put a security deposit down, which itself is often $100.00 or more. Used instruments are an option, but can still be expensive, and the buyer has to be careful about the quality and condition of the instrument. Charity Music helps families overcome these obstacles by supplying good, working instruments at no cost.

In addition to accepting donations of musical instruments, Charity Music raises money and awareness of their cause by hosting charity concerts, and by selling concert tickets that were donated by various artists for this purpose. In July, there was a concert fundraiser (Rock for Rock's Sake) in Reno NV where bands like The Juveniles, The Humans, Slasher, and Nevermute were among those that lent their talents to the cause.

The People

The official spokesperson for Charity Music is legendary radio personality Roy Gray. Roy became a patron of the musical arts at a young age, coming from a family rich in musical heritage. He counts among his family members the producer of the famous gospel group "Mary Mary" (Warryn Campbell), one of Luther Vandross's producers, and the singing voice of Fat Albert (Michael Gray). Roy himself played the drums in an R & B group called "Love, Peace, and Happiness" in the late 1970's. In addition to doing commercial voice-over work, Roy hosts "Roy's Concert Connection" on KKDA out of Dallas and "Jazz, Joy, and Roy", a 5 hour jazz show on ICN (International Christian Network). Roy has taken a lead role in the development and promotion of Charity Music in the southwest, and was responsible for the recent collaboration between Charity Music and the "Birthing a New Compton" concert in Compton, California. This concert featured such artists as J Moss, The Williams Brothers, Norman Hutchins, Dorinda Clark Cole and TSL (AKA The Starlights). When asked why he chose to get involved with Charity Music, Roy stated that he wanted to give something back to the community, and has an outstanding offer to do free voice-over work for any 501(C)(3) non-profit organization. Once he took a look at Charity Music, he found the charity, it's goals, and the people involved "extraordinary", and he and his publicist Kathy Hanson have been diligently supporting the cause ever since.

Roger Fachini, past president of the Macomb Symphony Orchestra, is the current director and driving force behind Charity Music. While many large non-profit organizations maintain rosters of paid employees, Roger is proud of the fact that Charity Music is an all volunteer establishment, and will always remain so. He believes that this helps ensure that the people involved are "in it for the right reasons." He may be onto something. Last year, Charity Music was selected by the White House as a Certifying Organization for the President's Volunteer Service Award, a national program recognizing Americans who have demonstrated a sustained commitment to volunteer service. Earlier this year, Charity Music was featured in an article in Institute of Industrial Engineers Magazine for its exceptional efficiency. Environmental Magazine even mentioned Charity Music for its contribution to restoring the musical heritage of New Orleans after hurricane Katrina in its article "Saving a City, One Trumpet at a Time."

Q and A with Roger Fachini

Q. What prompted you to start Charity Music?

A. It started out as a musical instrument drive to raise funds for the symphony orchestra. It was not a very profitable in that respect, but we started getting calls from other groups - schools and other non-profits - who could really use some of the instruments that we'd collected. Helping others in this way turned out to be fun, and some of us stayed with it. Now we frequently team up with other 501(C)(3)s like the Make A Wish Foundation and United Way to help organize instrument drives and related fundraisers.

Q. How do you achieve the exceptional efficiency for which Charity Music is noted?

A. By identifying key people local to each region that share our commitment, and leveraging their determination and leadership. We are in the process of establishing chapters in every state, where members organize instrument drives, and connect with other area non-profits for local events to raise funds, as well as awareness of Charity Music. Also, donation collection locations are key to the success of the musical instrument program. Originally these were mostly music stores, as this was a way for them to help out and get some recognition in return. The interest in participating is expanding, however. I recently received a call from the owner of a beauty salon who wants to organize an instrument drive.

Q. If I had an extra musical instrument, why would I donate it to Charity Music instead of my local school or a near-by musical institute?

A. Wherever there is a need, by all means, that's OK. Charity Music either has or will have the infrastructure to match donations to specific needs, depending on your geographic location. Ideally, Charity Music will act as a clearing house similar to the "Freecycle" networks (which in fact we work through sometimes).

Q. What's on the horizon for Charity Music?

A. More collaborations with other organizations, such as Reno's Holland Project (which was a co-beneficiary of the "Rock for Rock's Sake" concert). An expanded web presence, with an automated way of tracking donations and requests. Pub-Crawls (where we're hoping for a chance to get into the Guinness Book of World Records) and Poker Runs to help raise awareness. You can generally get a list of current events at www.charitymusic.com.

Q. What instrument(s) do you play?

A. I played sax and clarinet in the Marine Corps Band.

Q. Any other comments?

A. Yes. Groups like Charity Music give kids options. We're hoping that more of them will pick up a clarinet instead of a hypodermic needle.

To find out more about Charity Music, or to learn how you can get involved, visit www.charitymusic.org.

References:

Heartwise Parenting, Nurture Your Child's Gift - With Music!, Inspired Parenting

Confucius, http://thinkexist.com, Thinkexist.com

Michael Zwart, AN ASSESSMENT OF THE PERCEIVED BENEFITS OF EXTRACURRICULAR ACTIVITY ON ACADEMIC ACHIEVEMENT AT PARAMOUNT HIGH SCHOOL, Academic Leadership Live the Online Journal

American Music Conference, Research Briefs: Did You Know?, American Music Conference Research