"Play it Again" Gets an Encore

Louis Armstrong’s first instrument was a ten dollar cornet he purchased in a New Orleans pawnshop as a teenager. He described it as “all bent up,” with “holes knocked in the bell.” The fact that the instrument was secondhand and in poor shape clearly didn’t deter Armstrong from eventually becoming one of New Orleans’ greatest early jazz musicians. 

The fact is, humble beginnings are far better than no beginnings at all. Even if talent shows no bias toward one class group over another, accessibility frequently does—particularly when it comes to music education, with instruments bearing steep price tags. 

That’s where the Acadiana Center for the Arts’ “Play it Again” Instrument Recycling Program comes into, well, play.

The ACA, with the help of sponsors Lafayette Music Company, Associated Travel, the Martial F. Billeaud, Sr. Foundation, and Phi Mu Alpha Sinfonia Fraternity, requests donations of any musical instruments in decent condition—from trumpets, to flutes, to guitars, and beyond—that one might have in their home collecting more dust than use. After making necessary repairs, the ACA then distributes those instruments directly to children whose families otherwise wouldn’t be able to afford them. 

Since its beginnings in 2013, the “Play it Again” program has put more than eight hundred donated instruments into the hands of public school kids throughout Acadiana. “We hope this will over-come the significant cost barrier for young people who will benefit from the fun, rigor, and challenge of learning a musical instrument,” said Executive Director of the ACA Sam Oliver. Even if a kid doesn’t necessarily become the next Satchmo, learning an instrument is proven to have numerous benefits on individual development: children who study a musical instrument are more likely to excel in their other studies, to have enhanced critical thinking skills, and are even more likely to pursue higher education. Now in its ninth year, the program is currently accepting donations until December 31—so if you think it’s likely the termites will get to that old violin before you do, consider dropping it off at one of the donation sites. Who knows: you could be jumpstarting the career of a future virtuoso. 

Instrument donations can be made to Lafayette Music Company and Acadiana Center for the Arts until December 31. All donations are tax deductible and donors will receive written documentation of their gifts. acadianacenterforthearts.org.