October 1, 2003
Instrument sale strikes a chord
Drum sets, horns, even a xylophone up for grabs at Music Booster benefit
By Carol South
Herald contributing writer
Drum sets, trumpets, violins, and even a xylophone were up for grabs Saturday at the 12th Annual Used Instrument Sale.
Sponsored by the Music Boosters, the event drew budget-savvy parents and aspiring musicians to the Oleson Center, where they sampled sounds, peered at instrument innards and sought guidance from area music teachers.
Fifteen percent of every instrument sold went to the Music Booster Scholarship fund, raising a total of $1,750 this year from the 45 instruments sold. Scholarship recipients may use the money for private lessons or music camps.
"We give scholarships of $350 so that will fund about five," said Tom Dayton, treasurer of the Music Boosters.
Many of the future musicians at the sale were sixth graders, the age where Traverse City Area Public Schools students begin band and orchestra instruction. Shoppers with early elementary age children also stopped by, including one mom looking for a violin the right size for her almost-six-year-old son.
The sale featured instruments that have been ignored or outgrown, replaced by an upgrade or abandoned after high school graduation. Owners dropped the instruments off at the Oleson Center in the morning, where professional appraisers checked out their sound and soundness before affixing a price tag.
Music Booster volunteers then sorted them by type on tables, where the instruments gleamed invitingly: trombones, French horns, cellos, flutes, piccolos, guitars and an accordion.
After lunch, the line up began, snaking out the doors of the Oleson Center. The sale opened ten minutes before the stated 1 p.m. to accommodate the crowd of bargain hunters.
Sammy Swartzmiller, 10, a sixth grader at Eastern Elementary School, enjoyed test driving a cello. Already an experienced piano player, she was drawn to the cello because of its sound, plus a few more practical reasons.
"I like it because I can set it down and I don't have to hold it on my chin," she noted.
The Fulton family turned out en masse to help Stevie, 11, evaluate and choose an instrument. Drawn to the saxophone, the Courtade Elementary School student's decision rested on some mundane issues rather than musical considerations.
"The saxophone is a solo instrument and it is more guyish," said his mother, Kimberly Fulton. "He wants one with the smaller case because he has to haul it back and forth to school."
Music teachers from the Traverse City Area Public Schools donate their time every year during the sale to help parents and students. Student volunteers involved in the high school music programs also helped during the sale. Situated by their area of specialty, the teachers and students demonstrated instruments, guided students through a dry run and evaluated each instrument's quality.
Ellen Boyer, orchestra director at East Junior High and Central High Schools, said teachers are eager to help out.
"It's just a worthy way to spend a day because you want to help kids and parents get instruments in kids' hands," she noted. {{{{adding the sale benefits everyone involved. "This sale is worth it all around, for both the sellers and buyers."
To Boyer, music is the spark that makes school interesting and music students use a different set of senses in their classes. After a day of sitting and learning more passively, they get to move in music class and create something, both individually and with a group.
"They learn how to break down problems, which boosts their confidence," Boyer said. "Even if they do it for just one year, they've learned an appreciation that will last a lifetime."