When I was in elementary school, in third grade students were permitted to start taking instrumental music lessons through the school district. I remember attending a meeting about it with my parents, and being absolutely enthralled with the sounds coming out of the flute.
My parents managed to fit another monthly expense into what must have been a pretty tight budget and I was handed a shiny new Selmer Bundy student model flute, which I dutifully carried back and forth to school for the next 14 years. I took it to elementary school band practice (and to this day remember every piece we played that first year), marching band in eighth grade, orchestra practice and school musical rehearsals in high school, and even auditioned for my college orchestra. By this time, I had to confront the fact that I wasn’t very good at music, but by then I had found plenty of other ways to scratch the artistic itch, and laid my flute aside in favor of other pursuits.
But being unable to throw away or even sell something that had been such an important part of my artistic education, my flute has been sitting in my closet for years now. Then yesterday, I got an email about an organization called Hungry for Music. HFM accepts donations of used musical instruments to be distributed, both locally and internationally, to children who are motivated to study music but can’t afford an instrument.
It seems like every other person I meet used to play the clarinet, or used to play the trumpet, or used to play the guitar. Don’t let your instrument collect dust; donate it to Hungry for Music. They’re scheduling December instrument pickups now, and my old flute is on its way to teaching some other child about art, discipline, responsibility, and how great it feels when they’re applauding for you.
This post appeared in its original form at DC Metblogs
Tiffany Baxendell Bridge is an Internet enthusiast and an incurable smartass. When not heckling the neighborhood political scene on Twitter, she can be found goofing off with her ukulele, Bollywood dancing, or obsessing about cult TV. She is That Woman With the Baby In the Bar.
Tiffany lives in Brookland with her husband Tom, son Charlie, and two high-maintenance cats. Read why Tiffany loves DC.
