Category: Instruments in the Attic

At the Academy building, a normally quiet Saturday in March was filled with the sounds of drills, stairs creaking with Boy Scouts and parents moving instruments up and down, and voices echoing with instructions, chatter, and laughter. Scouts from Troop 1865 were working on a project led by Robinson High School sophomore, Brendan Williamson.

Initial Outreach

Brendan initially reached out to our previous Instruments in the Attic Coordinator, Dr. Samantha Clarke, to inquire about the possibility of supporting IiA through his Eagle Scout project. Even though this was after she had left the Academy, Samantha was still periodically checking her George Mason University email at the time. She then passed the message along to Executive Director Mary Lechter and Coordinator of Music Programs and Outreach, Lucas Kremer. Lucas reached out to Brendan to set up a meeting to visit the Academy facilities and discuss ideas for the project.

From the initial meeting, Mary and Lucas were immediately impressed by Brendan’s ideas for the project, as well as his openness to their thoughts on what would be most beneficial to IiA. Throughout the planning and execution phases of the project, he showed incredible initiative, leadership, and attention to detail beyond his years.

Written by Lucas Kremer, Brendan Williamson, Regina Schneider
Edited by Regina Schneider

Mark Denicore cofounded the non-profit organization, Changing Latitudes, to “raise awareness and funds for the less fortunate.” The Academy and Instruments in the Attic (IiA) have worked with Changing Latitudes in previous years to provide instruments to students in both Haiti and Guatemala. Changing Latitudes aims to support communities in developing countries, including supporting scholarships for students’ education and capital improvements at schools.

As part of this year’s trip, the organization’s fifth straight trip to Guatemala, they will be delivering instruments to students across six schools throughout Guatemala. Most of the instruments will be donated to Escuela Oficial Urbana Mixta de Educación Especial, located in Paztún, Guatemala. IiA provided Changing Latitudes with 73 instruments to deliver to these schools: 57 soprano recorders, seven flutes, and nine clarinets.

Written by Lucas Kremer
Edited by Regina Schneider

Instruments in the Attic (IiA) recently provided instruments to the Culmore Teen Center, based in Falls Church, Virginia.

The Culmore Teen Center is partnered with Second Story, a local non-profit organization that “transforms the lives of local youth and families in need by providing safe havens and opportunities to grow and thrive through our residential and community-based programs…We help families in underserved communities in Fairfax County through our family resource centers, teen center, and after-school programs.”

IiA was able to provide a total of 33 instruments: six acoustic guitars, five trumpets, five trombones, five tenor saxophones, five electric basses, three upright basses, two keyboards, one electric guitar, and one drum set.

The Academy’s Instruments in the Attic (IiA) program collects instruments and equipment donated from the public to help support music teachers, students, and organizations.

Courtney Janeski, volunteer drums and percussion teacher for grades 7–12 at Hearthstone School, contacted the Academy to request instruments for their school.

Located in Sperryville, the Hearthstone School is a “small, independent, non-profit Waldorf-inspired school.” Janeski writes:

Hearthstone School serves students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. Our mission is to honor the whole child — heart, head, and hands — through a holistic, creative, and inclusive educational environment. Music plays a vital role in that mission, offering our students a powerful way to connect, communicate, and express themselves.

As a largely volunteer-run program with no dedicated budget for instruments or repairs, we face the challenge of providing meaningful musical opportunities for every child despite our limited resources.

In the lower grades, students begin their musical journey with the pentatonic scale, following a Waldorf-inspired approach that nurtures natural musical development and emotional expression. Pentatonic instruments — such as flutes and lyres — are in very high need, as our current collection is small and aging.

In grades 4–6, students are introduced to the violin, deepening their understanding of melody, harmony, and ensemble playing. Our current violins are quite old and in disrepair.

In the high school grades (9-12), I lead two student rock bands in our own “school of rock,” where music becomes a powerful outlet for emotional expression, creativity, teamwork, and confidence. Our percussion equipment is extremely vintage and in dire need of repair or replacement.

We’re pleased to have provided the Hearthstone School with 42 instruments: 12 acoustic guitars, 7 cymbals, 7 violins, 7 electric guitars, 4 amplifiers, 3 small harps, 1 pair of claves, and 1 lyre.