Play On Backstory: Skyline Music Launches Used Musical Instrument Drive To Benefit The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Dan Vedda knows what it’s like for a kid to want to play music and be without an instrument. Now the owner of Skyline Music in Westlake, he had to wait until his high school could furnish him with a trumpet to get started. “My dad owned a business, and while we weren’t poor by any standard, music was a ‘luxury’ item to my parents. There was no way they could justify an instrument while they were still buying cheap meat and patching clothes,” he remembers. Yet Vedda went on to become a musician, composer, and band director, and eventually started his retail musical instrument store in 1987. He has watched a generation of kids grow up around his store and has seen how music has enriched their lives artistically, emotionally, and mentally. When everyone was hearing about the havoc of the hurricanes in the Gulf and wondering how to help, he thought about the band kids. “I wanted to do something that we could do best. K-Mart can easily send dollars and supplies; the Red Cross can administer them. Yes, I could write a check. But I want to feel like I’ve accomplished something specific, and we’re uniquely positioned to help the music program kids.” A phone call to NAMM, the trade association for the music products industry, pointed him to The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF). Started in 1996 by the late Michael Kamen, composer of the music for the film about a charismatic band director, the Foundation accepts used instruments and places them with schools and students in need throughout the country. Sure enough, MHOF already had relationships with Louisiana and Mississippi school districts long before Katrina hit the Gulf. Contacting the Foundation, Vedda learned that what little the affected schools owned had been wiped out, with little or no insurance or other funding to speak of for replacements. “Even once the schools are up and running,” he says, “the band programs are gone unless they get equipment.” Watching students and used instruments pass through his store over the years, it was obvious to the owner that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of instruments in the Cleveland area stashed in closets, attics, and basements, with little chance they’ll be used by their keepers. He contacted a few suppliers, ran some ideas by the MHOF, and the Play On Instrument Drive was organized. The Play On Instrument Drive begins Thanksgiving weekend on November 25, and continues until February 25, 2006 the Saturday before Mardi Gras in New Orleans. The idea is simple: donate a used instrument that you no longer need, and Skyline Music will clean and refurbish it. Once ready, the store sends the instruments directly to schools registered with MHOF. “What I love most,” Vedda says, “is that we know exactly where the donations go. We get pictures. We get to see the smiles.” Student volunteers will assist in the refurbishing, and the MHOF provides documentation of the donation for tax purposes. Skyline Music has partnered with several industry companies for repair supplies and other music items for the beneficiary schools. Local violinmaker and restorer Peter O. Horn is donating his expertise on any string instruments that are received. What if you don’t have an instrument to donate? The Foundation accepts cash donations, but Vedda suggests contacting MHOF directly through the Play On website (www.playonmusic.org). “We’re really not set up to handle credit card transactions for donations, but they can do it all,” he says. The website also has links to Play On and Skyline’s music art merchandise through CafePress, with all profits donated to the Foundation. “The most important thing is to get the word out,” Vedda emphasizes. “People who own inactive instruments don’t often come into music stores anymore, but they’re your neighbors, relatives, classmates, and coworkers. We’ve already had individuals pledge instruments the instant they hear the story. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.” 650 words Skyline Music Launches Used Musical Instrument Drive To Benefit The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation. Dan Vedda knows what it’s like for a kid to want to play music and be without an instrument. Now the owner of Skyline Music in Westlake, he had to wait until his high school could furnish him with a trumpet to get started. Yet Vedda went on to become a musician and eventually started his retail musical instrument store in 1987. He has watched a generation of kids grow up around his store and has seen how music has enriched their lives. When everyone was hearing about the havoc of the hurricanes in the Gulf and wondering how to help, he thought about the band kids. “Yes, I could write a check to the Red Cross. But I want to feel like I’ve accomplished something specific, and we’re uniquely positioned to help the music program kids.” A phone call to NAMM, the trade association for the music products industry, pointed him to The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF), which accepts used instruments and places them with schools and students in need throughout the country . They were active in the Gulf region, and Vedda learned that what little the affected schools owned had been wiped out. Watching students and used instruments pass through his store over the years, it was obvious to the owner that there are hundreds, perhaps thousands of instruments in the Cleveland area stashed in closets, attics, and basements, with little chance they’ll be used by their keepers. He ran some ideas by the MHOF, and the Play On Instrument Drive was organized. The Play On Instrument Drive begins Thanksgiving weekend on November 25, and continues until February 25. The idea is simple: donate a used instrument that you no longer need, and Skyline Music will clean and refurbish it. The store then sends the instruments directly to schools registered with the MHOF. “What I love most,” Vedda says, “is that we know exactly where the donations go. We get pictures. We get to see the smiles.” Volunteers will assist in the refurbishing, and the MHOF provides documentation of the donation for tax purposes. Skyline Music has partnered with several industry companies for repair supplies and other music items for the beneficiary schools. Local violinmaker Peter O. Horn is donating his expertise on any string instruments that are received. What if you don’t have an instrument to donate? The Foundation accepts cash donations, but Vedda suggests contacting MHOF directly through the Play On website (www.playonmusic.org). “We’re really not set up to handle credit card transactions for donations, but they can do it all,” he says. “The most important thing is to get the word out,” Vedda emphasizes. “People who own inactive instruments don’t often come into music stores anymore, but they’re your neighbors, relatives, classmates, and coworkers. We’ve already had individuals pledge instruments the instant they hear the story. Sometimes, that’s all it takes.” 478 words Contact: Dan Vedda, Jill Cornell-Seabold at 440-871-4140 playon@skylinemusic.com 27010 Center Ridge Rd Westlake, OH 44145 The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation Felice Mancini, Tricia Steel 15125 Ventura Blvd. Suite 204, Sherman Oaks, CA 91403 phone: 818.784.6787 fax: 818.784.6788 e-mail: info@mhopus.org