Bringing Music to Life returns for 13th year

BY CLARKE READER

Anyone who has seen a child fall in love with music knows the lasting impact the art can have on a life. But if children never have access to those instruments, all the love of music in the world won’t do any good.

For the last 13 years, Steve Blatt, executive director of the Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive, has been working to ensure that students all over the state have instruments to play. And his passion for the cause is just as strong as ever.

“In some ways, we’re just trying to do a better job of what we’ve always done — reach more schools and get more instruments out,” he said. “ is is the kind of thing that takes the help of a lot of people to make happen and we’ve always had very generous partners all over the state.”

And while this year’s drive will be Blatt’s last year as the nonpro t’s executive director, he’s remaining on the board. e newly appointed assistant executive director, Christine Andresen, will be taking over and can match Blatt’s dedication to providing the lifelong gift of music.

“ ere are so many children struggling and people may not know what to do or how to help,” Blatt said.

“What’s great about this is it’s a concrete way to have a positive impact on a child’s life.” their work, how their work ts in with media currently o ered at ASLD, and the clarity of their plans for both community engagement and personal growth as an artist throughout the residency, Crisman said.

“Natalia was chosen for her mastery of dance and photography, as well as her excitement around building artistic community as a new Denverite,” Crisman added.

Roberts moved to Denver in early 2022. She divides her time several ways, including having open studio events, teen and adult photographing workshops, and preparing an exhibi-

Music

FROM PAGE 14 e 2023 Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive is running from March 6 through March 19. Participants who have gently-used band and orchestra instruments they no longer play can be taken to any one of 16 donation locations across the state. tion scheduled for this summer. It is slated to open mid-June and run through the end of July, when the residency ends. roughout her work, Roberts tells the stories of people often overlooked, and lets “these overlooked subjects know that their beauty, physicality and potential are seen,” ASLD said in a news release. e teen workshop Roberts instructed including her teaching the students the basics of photography, such as lighting and how to direct models during photo shoots. It showed Roberts that “there’s a learning curve for me in teaching teenagers photography,” she said. “By the end of the last couple of classes, I let them make choices for themselves. ey did some really amazing

Since the drives began, more than 7,500 instruments have been awarded and the organization estimates that more than 18,000 students have bene ted from the years of donations.

All types of band and orchestra instruments are welcome, but tubas, baritones, tenor saxophones, string basses, cellos and violas are all especially needed.

How To Participate

For donations: Visit bringingmusictolife.org. There is a map with all the statewide locations, with the Denver locations being:

• Kolacny Music, 1900 S. Broadway (Platt Park/Overland)

• Twist & Shout Records, 2508 E. Colfax Ave. (Congress Park/City Park)

• Luther Strings, 2018 S. Pontiac Way (Virginia Village) e organization understands that donating what was once an important part of a life can be di cult.

“It can take a bit of time for people to get ready to give up an instrument,” Blatt said. “You remember all the pieces played and the concerts you performed. It’s more than just a piece of wood or metal — it’s a meaningful things.” e residency is twofold, giving Roberts her own studio space where she can photograph models for projects.

Roberts also has a duty to promote community engagement.

“She’s been o ering tours of the studio to her audience,” Crisman said. “ ey can ask about her creative process.”

Roberts will conduct a master class in photography for adults titled “Photography Abstraction, Surrealism and Storytelling with the Human Form.” It’s scheduled for March 11-12.

Roberts said the best thing about the residency is getting her own, dedicated workspace.

“It’s all pretty amazing,” she said. “In photography, you are constantly having to rent space and manipulate it, or set up a space in your kitchen, or bathroom or backyard. It’s always a hurried situation. ere’s a lot of negotiating with other people.”

She cited another bene t: “You don’t have to worry about breaking it down and setting it up for the next shoot. You have more energy to spend on the craft of photography.” is experience has given Roberts the freedom to work on and develop her own style more deeply, she said.

“So much of art-making now, you have to make it quick, (and) you have to make it cheap in order to make a living,” Roberts said. “Perhaps more than anything else, it enables us to play and make bad art, (and) learn how to make it good art. Without getting to experiment, you can’t grow.” instrument to them.” ose who want to support the organization but don’t have an instrument can contribute by donating to the repair fund. All this money goes to the expensive process of repairing and refurbishing donated instruments so they’ll be ready to go for the students who will use them.

The website also has information on how to donate to the repair fund.

For Schools: Schools that have a majority of students receiving free or reduced cost lunches should apply for instruments through March 31 using the online application form. The organization will match qualifying schools with donated instruments.

Bringing Music to Life works with Rocky Mountain Music Repair, Luther Strings, Denver Percussion and Monkton Guitars for repairs. e 2022 drive provided 684 donated instruments to 45 music programs across the state and there are stories connected with so many of the instruments - stories that can be seen on the cases the instruments are donated in. ere are stickers from travels around the country and some people include notes for the new musician that the organization ensures to pass along.

“I am not a musician, but I have experienced the fun, pride in accomplishment and sense of belonging to a creative community which their notes describe,” Andresen said, quoted on the Bringing Music to Life website. “ ere is not a downside to participating in this.”