Rooting For Music

I love New Orleans. It's the only city I would consider leaving Minneapolis for. It was pretty much love at first sight. And smell. It is music. Living, breathing, laughing, dancing... music. I have never seen a city so alive. We are lucky enough to attend The Satchmo Summerfest every year. We donated a Satchmo Trumpet two years ago to be auctioned off with the proceeds going to French Quarter Festivals. And, Jason is building a NEW one of a kind Satchmo Trumpet again this year to be auctioned. I am very excited to see what a beautiful instrument that will be.

But that's not what I want to talk about today. It's just how we came to return each year to a city we love so much. Last year we learned of an organization called The Roots of Music. They are working hard to keep music alive for the children of the city. And now, we are going to help. We're calling on our network of musicians and friends to help us fill a wish list for instrument donations. And I know we can do this and more...

"The Roots of Music fills a void in music education programs in New Orleans schools. Marching bands were once an integral part of New Orleans middle schools, but many schools discontinued their music programs for this age group after Katrina. Today, The Roots of Music serves over 100 students, making up a full marching band that has successfully paraded the city since Mardi Gras 2009.

Our program provides music history and theory as well as instrumental instruction and ensemble performance preparation. We also provide academic tutoring, mentoring and homework assistance. We serve kids ages 9-14 from low-income households — and to reduce common barriers to participation for this population, we also provide our students with round-trip transportation and a hot meal 5 days a week, 12 months a year.

Participation in The Roots of Music is free for all students. Program hours are Monday through Thursday 4-7pm and Saturdays 10am-2pm. The program is located in the heart of the French Quarter at The Cabildo, a Louisiana State Museum property in Jackson Square."

We'd like to call on our network of brass players to help put instruments in the hands of the people that really need them. We all know someone that has an instrument sitting in their closet collecting dust. We hope that by creating enough momentum in our network of teachers, players and music lovers we can fill the needs of this organization. Their current wish list is as follows:

40 Trumpets
15 Mellophones
10 Marching Baritones
10 Euphoniums
10 Trombones
6 Tenor Saxophones
10 Alto Saxophones
10 Clarinets
4 Piccolo Flutes
10 Sousaphones
All brass and woodwind mouthpieces

We will personally collect and service these instruments at the Harrelson Shops in Minneapolis and Denver and hand deliver them at Satchmo Summerfest this August in New Orleans. To learn more about this amazing organization you can visit their website here: http://therootsofmusic.org/

If you don't have an instrument to donate but still would like to help out... you can do so by making a donation directly to them on their website here: http://therootsofmusic.org/donate/

Please pass this on to your network of band directors, musician friends and teacher... together I know we can exceed their goal... one instrument at a time. If you have any questions about donating or logistics please feel free to contact us at harrelsontrumpets@gmail.com or 651-330-7774. The deadline for donations is mid July. Satchmo Summerfest is July 31-August 3 and it's a fantastic event! For more information on attending the festival... visit their website: http://fqfi.org/satchmosummerfest
And because New Orleans is a magical musical city... this event is always FREE and open to the public.