Des Moines Rotary Supports Instruments for Students

With David Endicott of Music4Life...hand his cool rotary valve tuba!

After my bike ride on Saturday, I stopped by the blues festival in Des Moines sponsored by the Des Moines Rotary. The DMR is a great supporter of Highline schools and our students. This event was focused on raising money to purchase musical instruments for Highline students. And on top of that, there was some great blues music. I heard a band called Left Hand Smoke, a cool name for a band with very cool music.

With Representative Tina Orwall, a big supporter of schools

Many of you have heard my story of borrowing an instrument to join the school band. I ended up majoring in music education for my undergraduate degree and teaching band. Although I no longer play, the lessons I learned as a music student will benefit me for the rest of my life. And if my school didn't have loaner instruments, I would have missed this opportunity. For too many of our Highline students, financial barriers can get in the way of the great experience of studying an instrument.

The three Rotary clubs in our district - Des Moines, SeaTac, and Burien-White Center -  have backed a project called Highline Music4Life to solicit cash donations and instruments that are donated to Highline Public Schools for student use. This is a great project and anyone with an instrument in the closet should put it to use making a difference in the life of a student.

Here are some ways you can get involved:

• Go to the Highline Music4Life website
• Donate money or drop off an instrument at a participating location
• Drop off an instrument at the Music4Life booth at the Des Moines Farmer's Market on Saturday, Sept. 17, between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Lastly, kudos to district staff who worked the event for the Des Moines Rotary, including long-time DMR member Catherine Carbone Rogers, our communications director, and Scott Logan, our transportation director.

With school district staff Catherine Carbone Rogers and Scott Logan