About 30 band instruments that are more than 40 years old need replacement in the Bigfork School District.

“My analogy is, would you send out a player in a uniform that’s 40-years-old?” asked district band teacher Randi Tunnell.

She said the instruments, which have been repaired repeatedly, were inspected and deemed beyond repair. Often metal parts become too soft and repairs could possibly damage the instrument further, for example.

“So if you have an instrument lying in the basement and you feel like donating to a good cause, we would really appreciate it,” Tunnell said.

Currently, students are not required to purchase or rent instruments to play in band.

“We hope we never have to,” Tunnell said. “We are trying to build the program up and we don’t ever want to deny a person to be in band just because they can’t afford it.”

The instruments go through a lot of use during the school year.

Most instruments are used by more than one student and are played for a few hours daily. Tunnell estimates up to 50 fifth- through 12-grade students each day use district-owned instruments.

“It really hit home this spring when an adjudicator at District Music Festival in Kalispell told one group that there was no way they would sound good playing on the instruments in their hands,” Tunnell said. “Three of the four instruments were BHS-owned. Right there I knew something had to be done.”

So the search for instruments and donations began.

“We won’t turn anything away,” Tunnell said.

At the end of the 2012-13 school year, a drum set was donated by local business owner Dan Peterson. The program also received a $1,300 grant from Friends of Bigfork Community Schools.

The music program also will accept monetary donations for future purchases or repairs.

Saxophones and large, costlier instruments such as the tuba and euphonium are at the top of the priority list for the band program.

For more information email rtunnell@bigfork.k12.mt.us. Donations may be mailed to Bigfork High School, P.O. Box 188, Bigfork, MT 59911. Checks may be made out to BHS Band.  

Reporter Hilary Matheson may be reached at 758-4431 or by email at hmatheson@dailyinterlake.com.