Gasparilla Music Fest supports recycled instrument program for Bay Area students

TAMPA, Fla. - There's no doubt Gasparilla Music Festival is a great place to sing and dance to your favorite tunes, but it's also the non-profit Gasparilla Music Foundation's biggest fundraiser of the year, as every ticket purchased supports youth education.

"We have a year-round mission where we're doing things for music education, and where a lot of public funding kinda ends is where we kinda begin," Board Member Brett Morgan explained.

Among other charitable acts, more than a decade ago, they started the "recycled tunes program" with a goal to give the gift of music to underserved children across Tampa Bay, by collecting and repairing unused musical instruments, and donating them.

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"We work with schools, particularly lower income, Title I schools," Tad Denham, Recycled Tunes Ambassador, explained. "We work with music teachers to put instruments in these kids' hands, and we try to fill the gap and get everything they need, so we buy new instruments we fix broken instruments, but we also collect instruments in the community, and that's where people can participate."

Denham told FOX 13, that their mission is to make sure music matters in our school systems, while inspiring some future performers along the way.

"That's one of the things we really hope to do - is inspire kids to take up an instrument, so it can really impact their life," Denham added. Whether they're just a casual musician, or they take it to a level where they become a professional musician, songwriter, it doesn't matter, they get that instrument in their hand and inspires them to do something great." 

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