Your Hub: BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE AWARDS 770 INSTRUMENTS

August 28, 2023

By STEVE BLATT

Bringing Music to Life, a Denver nonprofit, gave away hundreds of musical instruments to teachers from 52 Colorado schools (including 9 Denver Public Schools pictured above) on Aug. 12 at the Robert & Judi Newman Center at the University of Denver.

It was the thirteenth year the nonprofit has awarded instruments donated during its annual Instrument Drive. Assistant executive director Christine Andresen and board chairman Michael Frank welcomed the teachers, some of whom had driven eight hours to attend.

“Our theme this year was With a lot of help from our friends’, Andresen said, “because we wanted to recognize all the partners who make this possible.”

See the full story here.

NPR Morning Edition: SHAPING A NEW SOUND FOR THE NSO THROUGH OLD INSTRUMENTS

April 14, 2023

Gianandrea Noseda directs the National Symphony Orchestra at a rehearsal at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C.
Keren Carrión/NPR

By OLIVIA HAMPTON, BARRY GORDEMER

Crisp, warm, responsive. The National Symphony Orchestra (NSO) is on a journey to meet these benchmarks under the baton of music director Gianandrea Noseda. One of the ways in which he’s shaping a new sound is through some very old instruments. The oldest is a violin made in 1686 in Cremona, Italy. 

Since 2019, Noseda has been quietly loaning 17th – 19th century Italian string instruments from his private collection to the NSO. The musicians playing them had no idea that they came from their conductor — until now.

“I’m not saying that good instruments make the orchestra; the orchestra is made by great musicians. But if you give a good driver a good Ferrari, the driver also will drive faster,” Noseda told NPR’s Leila Fadel in an interview at his office in Washington, D.C.

There are lots of parallels between this story and the story of Bringing Music to Life. Read or listen to the story here.

9News: BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE GOT MORE THAN 1,000 DONATED INSTRUMENTS AND NOW HAS ONE MORE HURDLE

March 28, 2023

The organization that provides instruments to students in struggling music programs needs more schools to apply.

By KATIE EASTMAN, 9News

 At Rocky Mountain Music Repair in Broomfield, owner Brian Stevenson is no stranger to cleaning old student instruments.

“Get all the chocolate chip cookies, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and things out of ’em and kind of get ’em all refreshed that way,” he said while scrubbing a tuba.

Stevenson has become an expert in cleaning donated instruments that have sat in closets for decades. He can handle that. It’s the next step of the process he needs help with.

“We don’t yet have enough applications from schools,” said Steve Blatt, the program’s executive director. “We just want to give these away to schools that need them.”

As of Tuesday afternoon, 28 schools have applied.

Last year, they donated 684 instruments to 45 schools.

For the full story and to learn more click here.

9News: BRINGING MUSIC TO LIFE NEEDS MORE THAN DONATED INSTRUMENTS

March 17, 2023

The nonprofit drive asks the public for money to pay to repair instruments that are donated for students in struggling music programs across Colorado.

By NELSON GARCIA, 9News

The sounds of school have a different meaning in the band room for sophomore Sam Riggleman, who plays the trombone and the double bass in orchestra at George Washington High School.

“I feel like almost all of my friends are from band or orchestra,” Sam said, who added that music dominates her life. “… Thinking about, you know, what we’re gonna play next in concert band. What key should we learn next?”

Band director Rick Grassler wants to grow his music program to impact more students like Sam. He turns to nonprofits like Bringing Music to Life to provide curious musicians with donated instruments like Sam’s trombone.

9NEWS partners with the nonprofit Bringing Music to Life every year to ask people to donate used instruments to help students in struggling music programs across Colorado.

View or listen to the entire feature story and hear the George Washington High School orchestra here.