Music Teacher Melanie Hawthorne Long has a new sound in her bandroom this year. A tuba! Long won a drawing for a tuba at last year's Bringing Music to Life Instrument Giveaway, and now she has three students playing what's often described as the "sub-woofer" of the brass section, with more students on the waiting list. "It’s wonderful to be put at ease knowing that I don’t have to have as much pressure moving forward in my program, having to say 'no' to as many students who are interested in...

Bringing Music to Life (BMTL) repairs and donates instruments to Colorado schools, helping students access music programs. After years of entering the tuba drawing, Horizon Middle School won a tuba, while Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy received 49 instruments to strengthen their modern band program.

Every year, the Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive holds a drawing for the few tubas they have to give away.