By Byron Reed, KUSA 9 Denver | A Colorado nonprofit’s instrument drive delivered more than 50 refurbished instruments to a small Denver arts school last fall, reinvigorating a music program that had struggled for years with aging equipment, dwindling interest and tight budgets — and giving students the tools to discover their own sound.
Kunsmiller Creative Arts Academy, a Title I school in Denver, received the instruments through Bringing Music to Life, a Colorado nonprofit that has distributed over 9,500 instruments to more than 360 schools statewide since its founding in 2009, impacting an estimated 25,000 young musicians.
The arts integration school received 25 acoustic guitars, 2 electric guitars, 2 bass guitars, 15 ukuleles and 10 keyboards. Rachel Davis, the school’s music director, said the delivery was unlike anything she had seen in four years at the school.
“It was a mountain. It was a mountain of instruments. It was so overwhelming,” Davis said. “It was like Christmas morning in September. They’re opening the cases like, ‘Whoa,’ and having them feel it and hold it.”
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Bringing Music to Life, which was founded in 2009 by Steve Blatt while he was hosting a classical music program for Colorado Public Radio, accepts donated instruments, refurbishes them and distributes them to under-resourced school programs. Holley emphasized that a playable instrument is not just a convenience — it is a prerequisite for learning.
“One of the biggest things, in addition to having an instrument, is having a refurbished, having a playable instrument, so the student isn’t fighting against the instrument,” Holley said. “The instrument isn’t becoming an impediment to the learning process.”
The organization’s annual spring instrument drive runs March 23 through April 5, 2026, with 18 drop-off locations across Colorado. Donors can find the full list of locations at the Bring Music to Life’s website. Several sites also accept donations year-round.
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Bringing Music to Life accepts donations of gently used band and orchestra instruments, including woodwinds, brass, strings, percussion, guitars and electronic keyboards. For drop-off locations or to make a financial contribution to the instrument repair fund, visit https://www.bringingmusictolife.org.
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This is such an inspirational story. Go here to read the rest – and donate that unused instrument:
https://www.msn.com/en-us/entertainment/news/instrument-drive-transforms-denver-school-s-music-program-and-sparks-student-passion/