Wanted: Your old instruments

There is a need within Coeur d’Alene School District for band and string instruments. Coeur d’Alene High School Instrumental Music director Jim Phillips is asking for community members to check their storage units, basements, and closets for unused instruments and consider donating them for student use. He suspects there may be an untapped supply of forgotten instruments in people’s homes, most likely from former students who may have grown up and left unneeded instruments at mom and dad’s house.

With the cost of a tuba starting at $5,500, the available funding through grants can only go so far, and the hope is that donated instruments can be given to students rather than have them rent them.

“Some of the instruments we have here are 80 to 90 years old,” Phillips said. “While instruments don’t necessarily ‘go bad’ with time, there is high demand for good condition, usable instruments.”

Those with a donation can contact Mr. Phillips via email at [email protected]. Please be sure to contact him to make arrangements, rather than just dropping them off at the school.

He will be able to provide paperwork for a tax deduction on the market value of the instruments.