Secondhand Musical Instruments to Play Encore in Howard County Schools

They are musical instruments that are not used anymore – but that does not mean they are not needed.

They are more than 25 clarinets, drum sets, guitars, trombones, trumpets and other instruments, all donated to students in school bands in Howard County who do not own their own instruments. Though schools do loan out instruments for home practice, sometimes there are not enough available.

Those assorted brass, percussion, strings and woodwinds – and even some music stands – were donated Saturday by kids and parents, many of whom had come to Mt. Hebron High School in Ellicott City for the Howard County Solo and Ensemble Festival.

The drive was organized by Howard County Parents for School Music.

Said Joan Orcutt, the advocacy group’s chairwoman: “There are many students in better-off schools [where enough instruments are available], or their parents are able to buy their own instruments – but there are schools in the county where that’s not a possibility, or maybe the parent doesn’t want to allocate those funds until they’re sure their child is into it.”

Among the instruments that came in Saturday were a euphonium (a deeper-sounding horn) and a trumpet – castoffs no longer used by Karen Whitney’s two oldest sons.

“They each now have better instruments,” said Whitney, a Clarksville resident whose kids have all since graduated from county schools. “These are school-level instruments, which are really good for students who are learning how to play. And they’ve been sitting in our closet for the last six years.”

Whitney said she was especially glad to be able to donate the euphonium.

“It’s really hard to find those big instruments. They’re expensive, and I know that band teachers are always trying to encourage students to play the big instruments,” Whitney said. “All the boys want to play trumpet and all the girls want to play flute. The band teachers have lots of trumpets and flutes, but they don’t have many bass instruments.”

The instruments that can be refurbished will have that done for free at Music & Arts Center’s repair shop in Frederick; the company is donating parts and labor.

“Regardless of where they get their instruments from, we want as many kids involved in the arts as possible,” said Andrew Hummer, an educational representative for the company, which he said helped to launch Howard County Parents for School Music years ago.

“Spend $20 dusting them off, that’s a great investment in someone’s life,” he said. “We’re going to get as many of these in and right back out as soon as possible.”

The instruments that came in varied in condition, according to Bob Frushour, director of repair operations for Music & Arts Center.

“We’ve seen everything from complete basket case to excellent,” Frushour said of the instruments. 

The most expensive fix he’d seen as of noon on Saturday was the first instrument that came in-- a clarinet. “You’re looking at probably in the neighborhood of $300 dollars; that’s a complete overhaul,” he remarked.

But the value of such programs outweighs their costs, said Hummer.

“Sometimes we have instruments sitting around our shop that we donate to kids to use,” he said. “More often than not we try to help school systems get instruments reconditioned so they can donate them out to kids.

“Even if we can help 10 of them who otherwise wouldn’t have been able to sign up for band, it’s worth doing.”

Hummer of Music & Arts Center said the donation drive will become an annual event. But people who would like to donate instruments right now are encouraged to contact Joan Orcutt at 301-854-2447.