Category: Community Outreach

Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

Instrument in the Attics Donation to Wynne Schools

Post author By Regina Schneider
Post date June 7, 2023

On April 28, 2023, Instruments in the Attic (IiA) was able to provide over 100 instruments and accessories to middle and high school students in Wynne, Arkansas. Matthew Cooper, a middle school music teacher in Wynne Schools, reached out to Samantha Clarke (IiA Coordinator) earlier this academic year seeking instruments for the program. Cooper had learned about and received instruments from IiA in the past when he was teaching in Maryland, so he sought help from the program again in his current job. In the midst of coordinating the details of the instrument pick-up and school needs, the Wynne community faced an unimaginable tragedy: on March 31, their town was struck by a massive tornado. It completely destroyed their high school and half of their town. While they are on a path to recovery, the damages will take at least 2-3 years to rebuild.

Wynne High School destroyed by the tornado. *Local Memphis 24*

Matthew Cooper, Middle School Music Teacher, and colleague with MCAA Staff

Cooper stated, “These instruments could not have come at a better time.” He and his colleague drove from Wynne, Arkansas to Mason Community Arts Academy with a trailer in tow in order to get instruments and supplies back to their students. The donation included band and orchestra instruments, guitars, percussion equipment, and various accessories, and has made it possible for music to continue for the students in Wynne despite the hardships they are facing. Receiving these instruments has allowed the students to attend and perform at Music in the Parks at Magic Springs in Hot Springs, Arkansas, and has allowed the guitar ensemble to remain intact. As Cooper said, “This is going to help us so very much moving forward out of this disaster.”

Instruments in the Attic is always seeking instrument donations so that we can continue to help those in need locally, nationally, and internationally. If you would like to make a donation or to find out more, please visit our page or email us at academy@gmu.edu!

Written by Dr. Samantha Clarke
Edited by Regina Schneider

Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

Instruments in the Attic Travels to Jamaica

Post author By Regina Schneider
Post date February 8, 2023

MCAA guitar teacher, Glen McCarthy was generous enough to include Instruments in the Attic (IiA) on his vacation to Sandals, Jamaica over winter break. Before his trip, Mr. McCarthy came to Instruments in the Attic Coordinator, Samantha Clarke, seeking a trumpet to bring with him. He explained that the Sandals Foundation was in need of a trumpet, and that he would love to bring it there on behalf of Instruments in the Attic.

This is not the first time that Mr. McCarthy donated an instrument on IiA’s behalf. Not only has he brought other instruments to the Sandals Foundation as a part of his travels, but Mr. McCarthy regularly facilitates donations to school music programs throughout the Northern Virginia area. Mr. McCarthy is always generously lending his time to IiA by assessing and repairing guitars and helping to match instruments with students and teachers in need. Mr. McCarthy is such an asset to Instruments in the Attic, The Academy, and our greater community, and we are so fortunate to have him here at MCAA!

Community Outreach Events Instruments in the Attic

Instruments in the Attic: Instrument Drive

Post author By Regina Schneider
Post date October 5, 2022

The first Mason Band Concert of the academic year will take place on Monday, October 17^th at 7:30pm in Mason’s Center for The Arts Concert Hall, featuring the Mason Symphonic Band and Wind Symphony, conducted by the new Director of Concert Bands, Dr. William L. Lake, Jr.

Dr. Lake has sparked a partnership with MCAA’s Instruments in the Attic Program by initiating an Instrument Drive to be held at each of the Mason band concerts this year, beginning with his inaugural concert as Director of Concert Bands on 10/17. The next concert dates will be Mason Symphonic Band on 11/21 and Mason Wind Symphony on 12/1. Instruments can be dropped off at the MCAA table in the Center for The Arts lobby prior to each of these concerts, beginning at 7pm. A representative from MCAA will be there to facilitate donations and to answer any questions you may have.

Instruments in the Attic works to give donated instruments a new life by getting them into the hands of students and teachers in need. All donations to help us continue this mission are greatly appreciated! Any questions can be directed via email to Samantha Clarke, Coordinator of the Instruments in the Attic program at sclark55@gmu.edu. We hope you can join us at these concerts and that you consider donating any instruments you have that are no longer being used!

Tickets and more information can be found here: https://music.gmu.edu/events/?trumbaEmbed=view%3Devent%26eventid%3D670607084

Follow Mason Bands on Facebook! https://www.facebook.com/GMUBANDS

Announcements Community Outreach

Piano Available to Good Home – 08/27/22

Post author By Regina Schneider
Post date August 26, 2022

A generous community member from Burke, VA recently contacted the Academy about gifting her acoustic upright piano to a good home. If anyone is interested in accepting this gift, please contact us ASAP.

The piano (pictured above) is a 48-year-old (approx.) Currier 23904 upright. The piano itself would be free of charge (to a good home); however, the recipient is required to pay for the moving expense, which averages around $250-300 (when using a professional piano moving company) depending on the distance traveled, number of stairs involved, etc. Also, acoustic pianos usually require a tuning from a professional piano tuner after a move as well.

If you think you have a need (and a space) for this piano, it’s a great opportunity to look into. As per usual, we will handle this on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email us at academy@gmu.edu (no phone calls please) and put “Piano Available to Good Home” in the subject (or simply Reply to the Newsletter email). A recipient will be matched as soon as possible.

Please note that these opportunities typically come up several times throughout the year, so keep checking the Academy Newsletter!

UPDATE: This piano has been claimed, thank you.

Announcements Community Outreach

Piano Available to Good Home – 08/12/22

Post author By Matt Geske
Post date August 11, 2022

The piano (pictured above) is a 60-year-old (approx.) Starrk acoustic upright. The piano itself would be free of charge (to a good home); however, the recipient is required to pay for the moving expense, which averages around $250-300 (when using a professional piano moving company) depending on the distance traveled, number of stairs involved, etc. Also, acoustic pianos usually require a tuning from a professional piano tuner after a move as well.

Please note that these opportunities typically come up several times throughout the year, so keep checking the Academy Newsletter!

UPDATE: This piano has been claimed, thank you.

Community Outreach

Piano Available to Good Home – 05/25/22

Post author By Matt Geske
Post date May 27, 2022

A generous community member from Falls Church, VA recently contacted the Academy about gifting her acoustic upright piano to a good home. If anyone is interested in accepting this gift, please contact us asap.

The piano (pictured above) is a 50-year-old (approx.) Kimball acoustic upright. The piano itself would be free of charge (to a good home); however, the recipient is required to pay for the moving expense, which averages around $250-300 (when using a professional piano moving company) depending on the distance traveled, number of stairs involved, etc. Also, acoustic pianos usually require a tuning from a professional piano tuner after a move as well.

Please note that these opportunities typically come up several times throughout the year, so keep checking the Academy Newsletter!

UPDATE: This piano has been claimed, thank you.

Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

April 23rd Instruments In The Attic Gotcha Day A Resounding Success

Post author By Matt Geske
Post date April 29, 2022

Last Saturday, local music teachers joined Mason Community Arts Academy staff at Day Violins for a special IiA Gotcha Day, hosted by Day Violins owner and MCAA Board Member Jenna Day.

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As part of the event, luthier Ben Jones-Hayes led an excellent string instrument repair workshop for the teachers, demonstrating basic instrument repairs, teaching them solutions for instrument emergencies in the classroom, and discussing the intricacies of string instrument construction and restoration.

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Afterwards, teachers shared ideas and thoughts on how IiA can continue to better serve our local schools’ string programs and the community. At the end of the event, string instruments from the IiA collection previously repaired by Day Violins technicians were made available for the teachers to take back to their string programs for students in need.

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Thanks so much to everyone involved in making this a great community event, especially Day Violins for hosting!

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR INSTRUMENTS IN THE ATTIC OUTREACH PROGRAM

Community Outreach Music

Piano Available to Good Home – 02/19/22

Post author By Matt Geske
Post date February 18, 2022

A generous community member from Herndon, VA recently contacted the Academy about gifting her acoustic upright piano to a good home. If anyone is interested in accepting this gift, please contact us asap.

The piano (pictured above) is a 51-year-old Everett acoustic upright. The piano itself would be free of charge (to a good home); however, the recipient is required to pay for the moving expense, which averages around $250-300 (when using a professional piano moving company) depending on the distance traveled, number of stairs involved, etc. Also, acoustic pianos usually require a tuning from a professional piano tuner after a move as well.

If you think you have a need (and a space) for this piano, it’s a great opportunity to look into. As per usual, we will handle this on a first-come, first-serve basis. Please email us at academy@gmu.edu (no phone calls please) and put “Piano Available to Good Home” in the subject. A recipient will be matched as soon as possible.

Please note that these opportunities typically come up several times throughout the year, so keep checking the Academy Newsletter!

Community Outreach Instruments in the Attic

Instruments Gotcha Day Provides Musical Support for Schools

Post author By Zi Wang
Post date November 11, 2021

MCAA’s instrument donation program, Instruments in the Attic, launched a new initiative providing needed instruments to area Title I schools, collaborating with Mason students from the Dewberry School of Music NAfME student organization and Day Violins.

“It’s really nice to get instrument donations that we can give to the students,” said Paul Erickson, a Fairfax County elementary school band teacher who has dedicated 22 years of his career to music education for young children. “Many of our students cannot afford to buy or rent an instrument from a store. Now, we could provide our students with the instruments. We appreciate Mason putting this together for us.”

The new initiative, Instruments Gotcha Day, aims to loan gently used instruments donated from the community to area’s schools that struggle to purchase instruments. Samantha Clarke, the community outreach coordinator at the Academy, who organized the inaugural Band Instrument Gotcha Day event, shared that the music educators who came to the event have a budget to repair but no funding to purchase instruments.

“They are in a difficult situation where they don’t have access to what they need for their students,” said Clarke, Mason doctoral student in conducting, who experienced funding challenges during her teaching career in New York. “We can provide these schools the access to more instruments through our Instruments in the Attic program. Schools can repair any instruments as needed to extend the lives of instruments so that more students can play an instrument for the first time.”

The Academy partnered with George Mason University Dewberry School of Music to plan the event with the support from Mason’s NAfME student organization and Day Violins to facilitate the recycling, repairs, and reuse process.

“We are proud to be a part of this initiative,” said Zoe Lamb, president of the Mason NAfME chapter and a music education graduate student. “It’s a great way to get music education students involved, and this is a great opportunity for everyone to get together and give back to the community.”

Weeks leading to the Gotcha Day event, Lamb and the Mason NAfME chapter members examined and cleaned all the band instruments before hundreds of instruments were displayed outside Day Violins. More than 15 local Title I school band directors, and music educators in Fairfax, Prince William, and Loudoun counties received 100+ instruments to support their program.

“This has become a dream come true for us,” said Jenna Day, owner of Day Violins and member of the Academy Advisory Board since 2008. Along with her husband, Jason Day, the couple has helped the Academy repair all the string instruments at the Day Violins, a family-owned string instrument shop in Chantilly, Virginia.

“We have a large number of instruments donated by the community that need to be in the hands of students,” said Jenna. “I put my passion into making sure all the instruments are repaired and the community people get them. This is an amazing program.”

Established in 2008, Instruments in the Attic has received more than 1,100 instruments from community members. The program has loaned out 600+ instruments to schools and individuals and supported school band and orchestra programs. Instrument petting zoo programs were held in various preschools and community events. More than 100 instruments were delivered to underdeveloped regions to help them establish their music programs, including El Salvador, Haiti, Costa Rica, Jamaica, and Africa.

Another Gotcha Day is slated for spring 2022, with an emphasis on string instruments and guitars. To support our new initiative, please consider donating gently used instruments to the program or contributing to the Instruments in the Attic fund to support instrument repair and program expenses.

Community Outreach Music

Violin Students Pay Tribute to Black Artists

Post author By Zi Wang
Post date February 4, 2021

Seven Mason Community Arts Community violin students performed in the “Celebrating Black Composers and Musicians” virtual concert in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. The concert was broadcasted in senior living facilities and made available to individual seniors in our community.

“Abby was proud to participate in the program and hear other talented young musicians’ performance,” said Elizabeth Dalton, a parent of MCAA student who participated in the virtual concert. “She was glad to pay a virtual visit to residents of care homes who have been so impacted by social distancing over the past year.”

MCAA students—Austin, Moira, Abby, Eano, Jasper, Chloe, and Sarah—highlighted the works from numerous Black composers, including: “Theme from Sonata No. 4 for Two Violins,” by Joseph Bologne; “Le Vieux Garcon,” by Ignatius Sancho; “Les Contes Des Fees,” by Ignatius Sancho; “Mele Ekpom,” by Kenneth Kafui; “Chasseurs a Pied de la Louisiane,” by Basile Jean Barès; “Feeling the Pulse,” by Juwon Ogungbe; “The Boy with the Axels in His Hand,” by Thomas Greene Wiggins; “Iya Ni Wura Iyebiye,” by Godwin Sadoh; “The Entertainer,” by Scott Joplin; “Minuet No. 15,” by Ignatius Sancho; “Balada,” by Francisca Gonzaga; “Just So in the North,” by Ignatius Sancho; and “Le PertorriqueAa: Reverie,” by Marie-Seraphine Gotay.

Prior to each performance, students shared each musician’s story and background of the pieces to help bring diversity to classical music.

“We were amazed when we learned the history of the pieces, particularly that New Orleans teen composer Basile Jean Barès who had his work published and copyrighted while he was still enslaved.”

“Creating meaningful performance experiences for my students is an essential part of my teaching,” said Ms. Claire Allen, MCAA’s Violin Teaching Artist who received the performance invitation. “In my studio, we have been working to diversify our performance repertoire to include works by Black composers, and this concert gave my students the opportunity to showcase these composers and their wonderful works.”

The concert is a part of the Sharing Smiles Concert Series, hosted by Empowering the Ages and the National Philharmonic, aiming to bridge the gap and nurture relationships across all generations.

“I was thrilled to be invited to have students perform in this concert,” said Ms. Allen. “The National Philharmonic education wing and Empowering the Ages are fulfilling multiple needs—that of young artists to have performance opportunities, and that of older adults in our community to attend live performances and connect with young people.”