We’re sorry to hear that your band didn’t quite make it. We heard you got a sweet guitar/timpani set for your birthday this year, with plans to create a breakout brand of Brooklyn-based nu-jazz discocore grunge, but it didn’t work out because hey, bands are tough, or maybe you weren’t very good, or maybe just Scott was so bad at avoiding parking the van in a tow-away zone in Bushwick that you were like ahh forget it already.
Your music ambitions may be on an indefinite hiatus, but there are plenty of kids out there who are just getting a taste of their musical dreams but lack the instruments to make them happen. Luckily, there’s an easy way to connect your old instruments to those kids: WQXR, New York’s classical public radio station, is holding a big used instrument drive this week for underprivileged kids in New York and New Jersey schools. You can drop off your busted gear too: they’ll fix em up before giving them to kids, and if you go to one of the drive locations tomorrow, you can meet some of your favorite WNYC personalities. Here’s how:
To donate in person, visit one of these drop off locations around the city before the drive ends on Sunday. Brooklyn locations are the Brooklyn Music School in Fort Greene and the Sam Ash at Kings Plaza mall.
Or check out one of the donation drive events around the city this week: Tomorrow’s is a big one: bring your instruments to Lincoln Center from 9am-6pm to meet on-air personalities, including On the Media’s Brooke Gladstone, WNYC morning host Soterios Johnson, All Things Considered host Jami Floyd, our buddy Sean Rameswaram and unofficial mayor of New York Brian Lehrer (see the full schedule here).
You can also donate in person on Saturday from 1–7pm at Rosamunde Sausage Grill (285 Bedford Ave. in Williamsburg), where you can try a special one-off beer WBrewXR from Yonkers Brewing Co.; and Sunday from 10am–5pm at the Brooklyn Flea in Dumbo (under the Manhattan Bridge archway).
Before donating, make sure to fill out the online donation form, print it and put it on your case or attach it to your instrument.
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If you can’t make it in person, mail your instrument in!
WQXR Instrument Drive
Fourth Floor Instrument Unit
c/o Division of School Facilities
New York City Department of Education
4436 Vernon Boulevard, Long Island City, NY 11101
For more information, visit the WQXR instrument drive page here.