Category: Instruments in the Attic

The Academy was recently honored to receive a very special donation of a jazz vibraphone (“vibes”) set. The instrument belonged to late local Jazz musician and DC native Charlie Barden. His surviving family members’ thoughtful gift, which will be used in the Mason School of Music Jazz department, pays homage to his musical legacy.

Charlie Barden lived a vibrant life as a musician, composer/ arranger, visual artist, Navy medical technician, businessman, and family man. Through the years, Mr. Barden performed many gigs throughout the DC area, often headlining with the Charlie Barden Trio. He also performed with groups that included Danny Gatton, Allen Houser, Steve Jordan, Mort Langstaff, Van Perry, Robert Redd, Bob Southee, Brooks Tegler, and Paul Wingo. He was also a recording artist, appearing on or creating several CDs.

One of Mr. Barden’s daughters, Kate Sampogna (pictured above), contacted the Academy with the donation offer and provided a very detailed description of the instrument along with loving words about her father: “It is a full-sized Leedy Vibraharp from 1935, nearly all original . They are the exact same model that Lionel Hampton was using when he joined Benny Goodman’s band in the mid to late 1930’s. The bars on the vibes are original and intact, and this is crucial, because they are the original aluminum bars, and thus the tone is “period-correct” for the late 30’s Benny Goodman/Charlie Christian sound. You can’t get this sound from modern vibes as the modern bars are made of different materials.”

Mason School of Music Jazz Professor James Carroll (pictured above) was extremely grateful for the donation. Coordinating with Academy staff, he arranged for the placement of the instrument in the School, specifically to be used in study and performance by Jazz students at the university. “This is all about musical legacy,” commented Professor Carroll. “What a special gift!”

Although bittersweet, the Barden family finds great solace knowing that their father’s musical legacy will live on, as emerging jazz musicians practice and perform on this instrument for many years to come.

 

Pictured above: vibraphone set plus artwork by Charlie Barden

 

Mr. Barden’s surviving adult children were kind enough to share some of their fondest memories of their dad and growing up in a musical family:

• “When he used to play New Year’s Eve parties and bring us home the party hats when we were kids.”
• “Dad and Mom pushing the vibes up Massachusetts Avenue to the Historic Trust Building where Dad had a gig. The only parking they could find was several blocks away, so they put together the vibe pieces by the parked car and then pushed the vibes to the Trust.”
• “Dad being introduced to Danny Gatton through our brother Joe and ending up as one of the musicians on one of Danny’s albums.”
• “Dad playing with a group at Blues Alley.”
• “Dad putting together a group and providing the music for many museum exhibit opening receptions at the Smithsonian’s Museum of American History.”
• “Dad gathered some of his music friends and played my wedding reception.”
• “In his mid 80’s, Dad deciding to compose some original pieces and then cut a CD of them at a recording studio in Alexandria–this provided the music on the website.” (see below)

 

To learn more about Charlie Barden’s life, legacy and music, you can visit his former website at
www.charliebarden.com

 

 

The Academy would like to express a heartfelt thank you to Mr. Barden’s family for their gift. As with all donations to our Instruments in the Attic program, we are committed to placing lovingly used musical instruments into the hands of music students in need and recycling the love of music.

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT INSTRUMENTS IN THE ATTIC

 

The Academy was thrilled to send a small selection of flutes, all of which had been donated through our Instruments in the Attic program, to a high school for girls in Nairobi, Kenya. As part of a larger music education initiative led by Mason School of Music Professor Lisa Billingham, the delivery of the flutes was accompanied by new recorders provided by West Music.

The recent trip was made possible by a GEO Global Discovery Grant awarded to George Mason University. Mr. Leonard Wekesa, a music teacher at the State House Girls High School which accommodates around 500 girls, was responsible for the invitation to Nairobi.

 

 

“When we arrived at the school, we realized that they only had two guitars – both with broken or missing strings. Along with the flutes and recorders already delivered, we have sent new guitar strings,” said Dr. Billingham.  “In March 2019, I will return to Nairobi with members of our University Chorale to continue our work in the area of music education, including a workshop with their choir. We look forward to continuing to build relationships with teachers in Nairobi and appreciate the contributions from the Instruments in the Attic program that allow us to share a larger scope of music education.”

We will continue to share more updates on this wonderful initiative as it moves forward!

 

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We are thrilled to announce that the Academy has been honored with the Legend Leadership Award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, specifically for our Instruments in the Attic donation and outreach music program. The prestigious grant award continues the late great Dale Earnhardt’s commitment to supporting programs that focus on children, education, and environmental/ wildlife preservation.

The award includes a generous financial gift from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, earmarked for expenses related to musical instrument repair and for scholarship funds for two Mason student “Teaching Scholars”, plus an official certificate, a book about Mr. Earnhardt, and finally a signed, limited edition Epiphone electric guitar (pictured above).

 

 

“On behalf of the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, we would like to congratulate you, and the Instruments in the Attic program, as one of our selected Legend Leadership Award Winners,” stated Dale Earnhardt Foundation representative Rhonda Phipps in a letter to the Academy. “In recognition of this creative program, and the leadership of your [Mason] students, [the grant award will] help the program to continue and expand. Congratulations on all your achievements and we know that you, and Instruments in the Attic, will continue to make a positive impact with the students in your community through the universal gift of music.”

The Instruments in the Attic program accepts gently-used instruments from generous community members who no longer have need of them, but can’t bear the thought of throwing them away. As funding allows, the Academy repairs the instruments to playable condition (as necessary) and then places them in various school or community music programs and into the hands of deserving young students who might not otherwise be able to participate in the joy of music-making.

Through the Teaching Scholars program (also part of Instruments in the Attic), a select group of Mason School of Music students (often Music Education majors) are awarded scholarships based on academic achievement and passion for music education. These Teaching Scholars are sent to local schools in the community to provide auxiliary music classes for young students, as well as auxiliary support to the music teachers in those schools.

 

(Academy staff with the Dale Earnhardt limited edition Epiphone guitar)

 

The financial award from the Dale Earnhardt Foundation will allow for more instruments to be repaired and “re-used”, and will increase the number of Teaching Scholar scholarship awards that can be given. The heightened exposure of the program will also provide long-term sustainable benefits.

We would like to give a very sincere thank you to the Dale Earnhardt Foundation, and the Earnhardt family, for recognizing our efforts to give access to quality music education and experiences to all community members, and for helping us “recycle” the love of music for all to enjoy!

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT THE DALE EARNHARDT FOUNDATION

 

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Through our Instruments in the Attic program, the Academy was recently able to loan out 15 acoustic guitars to children at Harding Avenue Elementary School in Blacksburg, VA, to help them establish a “Guitar Club” for 4th and 5th grade students.

The outreach effort was coordinated between Mason Guitar Professor Glen McCarthy and Harding Avenue Elementary teacher Will Holliman,  who heard about the Instruments in the Attic program through a family friend. The donated guitars will be used in general music classes, individual lessons, and guitar-specific classes .

“I envision these instruments building connections with more music programs and with Virginia Tech which is right next door to us,” said Mr. Holliman. “Students will be able to check out these instruments which will provide access to an instrument in the home. This will give students opportunities in music they would not otherwise have access to.”

 

 

See Blacksburg, VA on a map!

Providing instruments to students in need is a core objective of our Instruments in the Attic program, which accepts generously donated instruments from community members, repairs them as needed (and as funding allows), and identifies areas of need to place them in. Please consider donating an instrument and/or making a financial gift to support our continuing efforts to provide access to the arts for everyone regardless of circumstance!

 

LEARN MORE ABOUT OUR OUTREACH PROGRAMS