Donations for the Keep the Beat Instrument Drive are being accepted on Fridays at the Santa Barbara Education Foundation’s offices, 1330 State St. You can also donate instruments at Nick Rail Music, 2801 De la Vina St.
The Santa Barbara Education Foundation and Santa Barbara radio station KTYD, FM-99.9, are devoting all of February to the Keep the Beat Instrument Drive.
The on-air event is part of the foundation’s efforts to promote music education in the Santa Barbara Unified School District.
During last year’s drive, the foundation raised $30,000 in funding and received 60 donated instruments, including Indian string instruments, accordions, cellos and a piccolo. The instruments were donated for use by students in Santa Barbara Unified’s music programs.
This year’s month-long radio event will feature Santa Barbara Unified music teachers and local professional musicians taking to the airwaves to promote music education. Guests include George Pendergast of Dishwalla, Santa Barbara High School music and band director Dylan Aguilera, and Rick Boller from the Santa Barbara Bowl Foundation.
SBEF will also host a contactless instrument donation site every Friday in February from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the foundation’s offices at 1330 State St. Instrument donations are also accepted at Nick Rail Music at 2801 De la Vina St.
“We are always stunned by the way our community comes together to support students with the gift of music,” SBEF Executive Director Margie Yahyavi said in a news release. “It’s such a huge win for our students! In addition to the problem-solving and cooperative learning skills learned through playing music, having a creative outlet can be such a huge benefit for a child, especially during this challenging time.”
Since 2003, SBEF has kept the beat going for school music programs by raising funds to pay for instruction and collecting instruments. The foundation said the efforts have ensured that every elementary school student in Santa Barbara Unified learns to play an instrument as part of their curriculum, which the foundation noted is a rarity for California school districts.
For more information on the Keep the Beat Instrument Drive, visit keepthebeatsb.org or call 805-284-9125.
— Dave Mason
