DETROIT – On a crisp October day, musicians, parents, and longtime Detroit residents lined up outside Detroit Harmony on Cass Avenue to drop off trumpets, saxophones, guitars, drum kits, and other instruments bound for local students.
The Detroit Symphony Orchestra hosts an annual instrument drive in support of Detroit Harmony, collecting new and gently used instruments throughout the month.
Donors arrived with stories and memories — and the hope that their instruments will spark a love of music in a new generation.
Volunteers greeted each donor as instruments were unloaded and catalogued.
“We’ve got a trumpet,” one volunteer announced as a case was opened. Others chimed in: “What did you bring us today?” — “I’ve got a tenor sax.”
413 instruments were donated on Wednesday. Collected instruments are inspected and refurbished by partner organizations before being distributed to students who have expressed interest in music.
“If the instruments don’t work, it’s like having a house with a bad foundation,” said Lucas Liska of McCourts, describing why careful repair matters before instruments reach their new players.
Many donors said they were motivated by personal connections to music.
Shawntane Williams summed it up simply, “I wanted to give back, because why not, it’s a good thing to do. So another kid can have this and they can carry on the tradition.”
Some donations carried heavy personal meaning. Isabell Raymore brought her late daughter’s drum set.
“I’ve been wondering what to do with them, you know, because they were hers and, um, it’s hard to give them up,” she cried.
Linda Merritt donated her late husband’s guitars, echoing his wish that the instruments go to someone who couldn’t afford them.
“He wanted them to go to somebody that couldn’t afford them. So, I needed to find a place. It wasn’t very easy. So, I saw this on Facebook and said I had to do it,” Merritt explained.
Detroit Harmony’s goal is more than handing out instruments. The organization pairs instruments with music education, training, and programs so students can develop skills and stay engaged.
“Having something like this, where the instruments are donated and refurbished and then flushed back out into the community, yeah, you can’t put a dollar amount on that,” said Thomas Butler, who donated a xylophone.
Staff with Detroit Harmony said their goal is to collect 2,000 instruments during the month-long donation drive.
Each October, the Detroit Harmony instrument drive becomes a small citywide celebration of music and generosity.
From professional musicians to everyday Detroiters clearing out attics, people show up with instruments and donations, motivated by a shared belief: music is worth passing on.