Piano and Instrument Adoption Program

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It began with a phone call asking to donate a piano.  We quickly found a school in need of a piano.  Next was a call about a flute, followed by calls about a saxophone and an organ. This was the birth of our Piano & Instrument Adoption Program! We established a website and began receiving many calls that subsequently resulted in a flood of calls beyond our ability to handle in an expeditious manner. We compiled a list of schools needing pianos so we could quickly place the pianos. To date, we have found homes for more than 350 pianos and other instruments.  However, the downside to all of this is that our 2½ employees are not sufficient to handle the extensive time required to effectively manage this expanding program, in addition to our other Outreach Programs and our annual 24-concert seasons.

The following are excerpts from letters by some of the schools and other beneficiaries expressing, in their own words, the great significance of the gifts:   

Sel Kardan, President & CEO of The Colburn School:

“Your legendary leadership to provide homes for musical instruments makes an enduring difference in the lives of students throughout our region including students at The Colburn School. We are proud to be associated with The Music Guild.  Your history of introducing world renowned artists to Los Angeles audiences is extraordinary. Additionally, you help build future audiences for music by providing access to instruments to disadvantaged inner-city grammar school children and several Los Angeles area Charter Schools.”

Valentina Martinez, Development Director, UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music:

“Your organization’s partnership in our musical instrument acquisition efforts is invaluable and plays a crucial role in sustaining The UCLA Herb Alpert School of Music as a leader in music education of the highest level. In-kind contributions help us to create an environment in which students can do their best work. We applaud the work of The Music Guild and celebrate our shared missions of providing talented students with access to quality instruments for ongoing instruction - benefiting them and our audiences greatly. Thank you for helping to enhance the quality of our School of Music, making a difference for the students, scholars and community members we serve. We sincerely appreciate your sharing in our vision and helping to make it all possible.”

Dr. Christine D’Alexander, Program Director, YOLA at LACHSA:

“Many thanks for your most generous donation of a Young Chang baby grand piano to our Youth Orchestra LA (YOLA) at LA County High School for the Arts (LACHSA) program. The piano is absolutely beautiful, and we have more than 100 young musicians eager to hear it played by our staff and piano students. As a result of The Music Guild’s gift, YOLA at LACHSA has been placed our new piano to Solis Hall, our rehearsal space, and has already proven to be so useful for our choral students and teachers. Our adopted piano will assist in continuing to provide quality music education to underserved students throughout Los Angeles County.”

Walter Zooi, Executive Director, Young Musicians Foundation:

“On behalf of the Young Musicians Foundation, I would like to thank The Music Guild’s Piano and Instrument Adoption Program for your continued support of music education in schools. By connecting organizations such as ours with donors of instruments, you facilitate the growth of our programs and help students gain access to quality instruments.”

Myka Miller, Executive Director of Harmony Project, Yamaha Baby Grand Piano and Three Cecilio & Bamberger violins, bows & cases:

“On behalf of The Harmony Project, I would like to thank The Music Guild’s Piano and Instrument Adoption Program for your continued support of music education for underserved youth. By connecting organizations such as ours with donors of instruments, you facilitate the growth of our programs and help students gain access to quality instruments. Your support truly means so much. It is only because of your generosity that we are able to continue inspiring students to dream big and provide the resources they need to succeed.”

Simply put, we need significant financial assistance to maintain this very valuable and growing program.  A concert lasts 1½ hours and become a lovely memory, but a piano and other instruments serves many students for years to come.