Instrument donations help bands

HOPE – Hope Public Schools Bands Director Julie Gladden doesn’t realistically expect anyone to donate a tuba to the program’s drive for used instruments, and, Gladden is happy to have received some additional clarinets and flutes; but, she wouldn’t mind a trombone or trumpet… or two.
“Yeah, a tuba is unrealistic; they are tremendously expensive, even a cheap one is four or five thousand dollars,” Gladden quipped.
But, the program has received six clarinets and five flutes, to date, this summer.
“No, we haven’t had any big instruments donated, yet,” Gladden said. “But, we did receive a cash donation from Mike and Debbie Malek, who are very involved in the arts and music.”
The program is in need of used instruments in good condition because the Hope Bands have grown dramatically from 50 students across all grades in Gladden’s first year to 360 musicians across all grades in the 2019-2020 school year.
The goal is to provide every student with an instrument without the financial burden of purchase or commercial rental costs. Donated instruments should be in usable condition, although instruments in need of cleaning or minor repair will be accepted, Gladden said.
Instruments of any kind, including but not limited to flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, French horns, trombones, euphoniums, tubas, electric and acoustic guitars, electric bass guitars for jazz band, electric amplifiers, electric keyboards; and, one trap set of drums for jazz band will be accepted.
Gladden may be contacted at 870-898-0785, or by text message at julie.gladden@hpsdistrict.org online with questions.
Hope High School Bobcat Marching Band musicians were involved in leadership camps the week of July 15, and the full HHS band will begin building its 2019 performance show, “Machine,” during a week-long camp at the Camp Preston Hunt facility near Texarkana July 29 – Aug. 3, according to Gladden.
Competition performance dates for the band this fall include: Sept. 28 – Pleasant Grove Marching Invitational; Oct. 5 – Four States Marching Contest; Oct. 12 – Hope Marching Invitational Contest; Oct. 22 – South Zone Region II Marching Assessment (hosted by Hope High School); and, Nov. 5 – State Marching Contest (determined by qualification).