Sarasota County School District music teachers need your instruments

SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) - Band Practices look a lot different this year due to COVID-19 concerns with spaced out chairs and masks but the music sounds the same.

When school started on Monday in Sarasota County, music teachers and band directors realized they will need more musical instruments since not every student can afford to have their family buy one of their own.

Venice High School Band Director David Wing says students also can’t share their instruments with other students anymore for safety reasons.

“We can’t share any instruments this year. It’s just not possible and there’s some instruments that we usually could ... use mouthpieces, different mouthpieces we can’t do that,” says Wing.

Now band teachers are asking for the community’s help to donate any used music instruments.

Riverview High School Band Director Andrew Dubbart says they will take any instrument.

“Now if people have an instrument, if they want to donate and they can I want to take it to one of those schools. We’re going to get it to schools that need it, we’re kind of collaborating in the area”, says Dubbart.

Sarasota Middle School Band teacher Tamara Lewis says they want to get the instruments to as many music students they can within the Sarasota County school district.

“We want to put an instrument in each child’s hand. And we understand that everybody doesn’t have a tuba sitting in the closet of their house. So any instrument is better than no instrument,” says Lewis.

If you wish to donate an instrument, email Andrew Dubbart at Andrew.Dubbert@sarasotacountyschools.net or David Wing at David.Wing@sarasotacountyschools.net.

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