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Summer Newsletter
August 2023 |
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It’s been a busy summer at Hungry for Music! I’m so grateful for the steady flow of instruments that are coming into our distribution center in the Shenandoah Valley. Music instruments are primarily donated by individuals and youth organizing instrument drives to fulfill a service project requirement. We also purchase new instruments and barter for others. The kids who organize instrument drives and fundraisers are very important to our mission!
Recently, an Eagle Scout from Boxford, MA organized an instrument drive for his service project and broke the all-time record for instruments/accessories collected with 350. More info on his awesome effort below.
Of course, not all the instruments come to us ready to play. All the instruments are assessed and then distributed to the appropriate repairperson or marked for an art project. Hungry for Music has almost a dozen luthiers and brass/woodwind repair folks who get the instruments ready for distribution. It takes a collective effort from our staff, volunteers, repairpersons, and instrument collectors for Hungry for Music to successfully carry out our mission. The instruments that are deemed not worth the cost of repairs are saved for art projects or auctioned.
I began Hungry for Music almost 30 years ago with the intention of supporting music education with zero resources, except a vision to make a difference. In the early years, it was a struggle and a challenge to make ends meet and create a solid foundation of a simple mission of recycling instruments to benefit those not able to participate in music programs because of lack of financial resources. It took a lot of baby steps. Missteps. A few leaps and a belief in the greater good.
This year we reached 1,000 musical instruments distributed at the earliest in our history. We still have four months to go and our request period for Title One music teachers just opened. Thanks to our new inventory software it’s easier to track the flow of instruments coming through our doors and to get a breakdown of the distribution. The breakdown so far for 2023 is 1,150 musical instruments, 109 programs in 32 states. Thank you to Cassie for learning the system and providing this information.
I want to thank everyone who has supported Hungry for Music in some way during our history. Our mission would not be possible without you.
May you always find comfort in music,
Jeff Campbell
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We appreciate the support we receive from teenagers who support Hungry for Music by organizing fundraisers and instruments drives. Spring and summer are popular times for these service projects. Here are a few that happened recently:
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Christian McCann from Boxford, MA now holds the record for the most music items collected for a service project instrument drive with over 350! Christian collected the instruments to fulfill his Eagle Scout requirement.
The previous record was also an Eagle Scout. Jackson Ledbetter from Virginia collected nearly 300 musical instruments several years back. He is currently a student at the Berklee College of Music in Boston.
Congratulations on a successful service project and entry into the Hungry for Music Hall of Fame, Christian!
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Pop music lover Timothy Roeting from Gainesville, VA also conducted a music instrument drive for his Eagle Scout service project.
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Hanna Ross collected a van load of musical instruments and also $1500 to complete her Eagle Scout Service Project. Hanna belongs to Troop 430 in Bayshore, NY. Thank you to our Long Island volunteer, Rob Gerver, for meeting her to pick them up!
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Olivia and Tess held a successful instrument drive at their school in Providence, Rhode Island. Olivia (pictured), along with her school and band mate Tess, collected over a dozen music instruments in support of our music instrument donation program.
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Ian Kleiner collected a carload of instruments for his bar mitzvah service project in Raleigh, NC.
Our super volunteer in North Carolina, Alan Ward, picked them up to assess and distribute in North Carolina!
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A BIG thank you to all these awesome young adults who support our mission. So grateful.
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Since 1994, Hungry for Music has distributed over 20,000 musical instruments to programs in all 50 states and 33 countries. It is always a lift when we receive notes like the following:
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“Our student Aya Raji from our Leaders High School program has excelled so much musically and as a person and demonstrated immense personal growth. She is attending University of Rochester on a full ride scholarship and is taking a double major in psychology and music performance for Classical Guitar.
This is the guitar she selected from our Hungry for Music inventory. She is beyond grateful. Thank you for helping us change a life through music. Her success is a Hungry for Music success as well.“
~ Jahzeel Montes, Internal Creations
Hungry for Music has been supporting Internal Creations since 2014.
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“Hungry for Music is incredible. She got it and cried. Thank you for showing my girl that she’s valued, loved, and deserving.”
~ A foster mom in Kentucky
Hungry for Music recently partnered with All Kids Need Music to provide a double French horn to an aspiring band musician in Kentucky. All Kids Need Music is a program that supports kids in the foster care system.
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“Beautiful little 1/16 violin from Hungry for Music and even more beautiful violinist!"
~ Music Lessons Express in Tallahassee, FL
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What?
Hungry for Music Distribution Center Open House & Concert
When?
Saturday, October 14, 4-6 pm (open house),
6 pm (concert) |
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Where?
24065 Senedo Road, Woodstock, VA 22664
Who?
Junior Appalachian Musicians (JAM) Kids, Jim Lloyd, Brett Morris, and others.
How Much?
Free. Donations recommended.
We are grateful to finally have the facility large enough to keep up with the flow of music instruments that come through our doors. It's a multi-purpose space and we are excited to be able to host more concerts in the future. |
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FamJam at Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
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It was a great day in Cleveland for the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame’s FamJam Day. Hungry for Music collected instruments and enjoyed sharing the vision of our mission with others. Thank you to Kathyrn Clusman and the Rock Hall’s summer staff for their support!
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Hungry for Music’s mission would not be possible without awesome supporters like Van Caldwell, who has been helping us since nearly the beginning of our outreach. Van has supported us in the past by sponsoring a storage unit for us to manage the flow of instruments. He also has found recipients for HFM instruments in his community. We are lucky to have his support and friendship.
Van is pictured here with his son, Nick. They made the two-hour drive from Maryland to deliver an SUV full of music instruments and gear to the HfM Distribution Center in Woodstock, VA. Thank you, Van and Nick! This donation will bring many smiles to the recipients.
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Our volunteer in Baltimore, Joe Compton, picked up a large donation in York, PA that included 10 French horns and a couple of tubas! It all fit in his Hyundai Accent. Barely! |
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Supporting Future Music Educators
Hungry for Music provides musical instruments to fledgling musicians, as well as advanced students who plan on continuing their music education.
This high schooler at Mt. Pleasant High School in Providence, RI recently received a trumpet from us.
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Congratulations to Hungry for Music’s Operations Manager, Cassie, for earning her Associate Degree! She walked into Hungry for Music’s distribution center four years ago, interested in trying out a cello. I told her I would give her one if, in return, she would work for us to pay it off. Cassie has been with HFM ever since and has worked her way to become our Operations Manager.
Her hard work and dedication have really impressed me, as she balanced raising kids, work, and school to earn her degree. Hungry for Music is very lucky to have Cassie as a part of our team. Way to go, Cassie!
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Hungry for Music has been donating guitars, banjos, mandolins, dulcimers, autoharps, and upright basses to Junior Appalachian Musicians, Inc (JAM) since Helen White founded the organization in 2008. Since, JAM has grown from one to over 60 programs in four states.
Pictured (again! 🙂) is an integral part of the JAM machine, Jim Lloyd, who is holding a few of the latest Hungry for Music contributions (another upright bass!!) to support their growing program.
This was the first stop on an instrument delivery trip that will travel to Southern Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, and Tennessee. We are preparing another delivery/pick up trip to Mid-West, then South & Southwest. |
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The winner of the guitar painted by the blind dog, Ralphie, was won by Terrance Leen.
Congratulations, Terrance, and thank you for supporting Hungry for Music!
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Hungry for Music T-Shirts!
You can support Hungry for Music by purchasing a T-shirt from our store.
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Since becoming a non-profit 29 years ago, Hungry for Music has brought the healing quality of music to more than 20,000 children in 50 states and 32 countries through its musical instrument donation program. We appreciate everyone who has helped us along the way and could not fulfill our mission without the generosity of others.
If you are able, please donate funds, buy a t-shirt from our online store, or visit our website to find out about other ways you can support Hungry for Music. |
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Miss a recent newsletter? Click the link to view past issues. |
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