October 14, 2016
A new trumpet and an instruction book was just donated! Thank you so much to the anonymous donor.
August 25, 2016
I presented about Band Together 4 Music to a crowd of fifth graders and their parents at the annual band information night.
April 28, 2016
I attended the the awards banquet for the award I received from the University of Illinois Department of Engineering for my work on BT4M. I had a great time and enjoyed meeting other students with self-started projects such as mine.
April 14, 2016
Band Together 4 Music has been recognized with an award from the University of Illinois Department of Engineering! I'm honored and excited to be named one of the most innovative high school students in Illinois for 2016 for my work on BT4M.
March 5, 2016
Thanks to the article in the News Gazette, six new instruments have been donated! These two are the most recent. The trombone was in great condition, only needed to be cleaned, and is ready to be used by a student. This is the second trombone to be donated in the history of BT4M, so we are really excited for another student to have the opportunity to learn to play the trombone!
February 21, 2016
Three vintage instruments were recently donated to BT4M by a Mahomet family. We took them to UIUC Sousa Museum for evaluation. All of them were made by J.W. York company in the early 1900’s. The instruments are a french horn, an alto saxophone and a soprano saxophone. While they won’t be used by school children, they will be of great value to a museum.
February 10, 2016
A bell kit was donated yesterday. The donor learned about Band Together 4 Music because of the article in the Mahomet Citizen. Thank you so much. This will be put to good use!
January 30, 2016
Annie from The Music Shoppe checks out our latest donation, a flute, and decides that it is in good condition!
January 20, 2016
A classmate just donated a beautiful french horn in great condition!
Here it is being checked out by the instrument repair folks at The Music Shoppe.
January 18, 2016
Today I had an interview with the Mahomet Citizen about BT4M. An article will be in the paper in a few weeks.
January 15, 2016
We just received a french horn that's in great condition!
January 4, 2016
In order to see who may be interested in donating instruments in our area, we created a quick five question survey . If you could take a moment to fill it out that would be really appreciated.
January 4, 2016
We have another drop off location now. Instruments can be donated at the Harding Band Building on the U of I campus.
September 6, 2015
I’m hanging up posters around town!
August 16, 2015
Be sure to find us on Facebook
March 3, 2015
Uni High's school newspaper, The Gargoyle, highlighted Band Together 4 Music in a recent article.
February 1, 2015
Guess what? Another flute (a really popular instrument) was just donated.
December 4, 2014
A Flute was donated at the Mahomet Public Library. This is awesome! We hope to have both the flute and the clarinet ready to go for the start of next school year.
October 29, 2014
A clarinet was donated by a mahomet family. Thank you so much!
October 17, 2014
Dropping off a cornet, I bet the student who'll play it will be committed to excellence.
September 2, 1014
Check out Mrs. Knight and me with this newly donated trumpet!
August 30, 2014
The fifth graders try out an assortment of instruments and pick the best one for them. They start band class next week. I’m sitting at the booth talking to the parents about BT4M and taking pictures. See “photo album” for the complete photo gallery.
August 26, 2014
There was a feeling of excitement in the air at the fifth grade band information night. Everyone was eager to learn about the band program. At the end of the meeting I talked about Band Together 4 Music. There were about 200 parents and students in attendance, a fabulous turnout. To top it all off, I donated a trombone to the school. Here I am with Mrs. Knight, assistant band director, and the trombone.
August 23, 2014
The Mahomet Seymour Marching Band kicks off the parade at the Sangamon River Music Festival, and boy do they sound amazing. These students started in the band in the fifth grade and before they knew it they were marching in a parade. Oh and BTW next winter they’re going to be marching in the Fiesta Bowl in Arizona.
August 12, 2014
Keeping with the trend, here I am with Mahomet-Seymour band director Mr. Stevens. Donating a clarinet!
August 11, 2014
It was a great day for BT4M. I picked up a clarinet from the Music Shoppe today just in time for the start of a new school year. Here I'm with the clarinet and the guys who work at The Music Shoppe and repair the instruments. Check out all those shiny horns behind us! While I was there I dropped off a trombone to be cleaned that will be ready to go by the time school starts. (Can you believe it's August already?!?)
July 22, 2014
The summer is coming to an end but Band Together 4 Music is heating up. A keyboard that was donated to BT4M was given to Mr. Stevens today. Luckily, I had some help carrying it in.
Thanks for your help!
July 19, 2014
This summer has been a successful one for Band Together 4 Music. A Yamaha keyboard, a trumpet and a cornet have all been generously donated. Along with these instruments, enough money has been raised to clean and repair a clarinet which is currently being worked on at The Music Shoppe!
This summer has been a successful one for Band Together 4 Music. A Yamaha keyboard, a trumpet and a cornet have all been generously donated. Along with these instruments, enough money has been raised to clean and repair a clarinet which is currently being worked on at The Music Shoppe!
May 8, 2014
A Yamaha keyboard was just donated to BT4M! It is in excellent condition and will be used tomorrow at the band's concert in Monticello's Allerton park . This is a wonderful addition to the band department to have such a portable keyboard.
April 2, 2014
Big News. Great News. In the fall I reported that I made a presentation to the Mahomet Seymour Music Boosters Club. I just heard from them and they are making a donation to BT4M. Several instruments that have been waiting for repair will now be sent off for repairs and will be ready for the start of the next school year. For more information about the M-S Music Boosters, click here.
February 2, 2014
It's a great day today, and not just because it is Super Bowl Sunday. Today a FLUTE was donated to Band Together 4 Music.
December 28, 2013
A french horn that was donated to BT4M finds it’s home in the National Music Museum at the University of South Dakota. A Mahomet family donated it to Band Together 4 Music earlier this fall. They felt it would not be usable, but we encouraged them to donate it and felt compelled to use it or find a good home for it. The Band Directors took a look and knew it was not appropriate for student use. Although it could not be of use to a student, they felt it would be appealing to a museum or private collector. Interesting to note, it had parts that are no longer part of French horns. The University of Illinois Sousa Museum was kind enough to research the French horn for us. The French horn was made by the Martin Band Instrument Company of Elkhart, Indiana, 1920-1930. It had no serial number, as it was probably built before serial numbers on instruments were commonplace. The University of Illinois Sousa Museum helped us find it’s home at the National Music Museum in South Dakota. It is now one of two Martin French horns in their collection, providing them with an opportunity to compare and contrast the two instruments. The instrument is currently in a temporary quarantine to kill any active mold spores. The museum has said they will photograph it for us to post after it comes out of quarantine.
October 17, 2013
My orthodontist, Dr. Chladny, donated to Band Together 4 Music . Thank you Dr. Chladny. Below are two pictures taken at Dr. Chladny's office. Good news! The braces come off in a month.
August 26, 2013
A Bell Kit donated to Band Together 4 Music was delivered to Mr. Stevens in the Band Room. Look at all those trophies behind him! This brings the total of usable instruments donated to Band Together 4 Music to 19.
September 9, 2013
Tonight I presented the Band Together 4 Music program to the Mahomet-Seymour Band Boosters Parent Group. In addition to presenting information about the program, I asked them to consider making a financial donation to BT4M. Raising money to repair the instruments donated has been slow lately. BT4M has several instruments awaiting repair, and I would like repair them and donate them in the very near future. I hope to hear back from the Band Boosters after their next monthly meeting.
August 30, 2013
Pictured above is an Alto Saxophone, an Olds Cornet and a Bundy Clarinet. Unfortunately the repair cost on each of these instruments exceeded the value of the instrument. This rarely happens, as most of the time instruments donated are repaired and then used by students in the band. These three will be sent off to Minnesota State College South East Technical. SE Technical offers students an educational degree in musical instrument repair. I know they will be thrilled to receive these instruments for their college students to learn on.
August 30, 2013
A 5th grade parent brought in and donated the 4 instruments pictured below. He did not think they would be usable, but I encouraged him to make the donation and told him we'd see what happens. The big black case in the back is the most interesting of the bunch. It is a French Horn from the 1920's or 1930's! It has different parts, or I should say additional parts, than French Horn's today. We took this over to the U of I Sousa Museum for evaluation and possible donation to the museum, as it could not be used by a current student with it's unusual parts. The Director of the Museum provided us with some very detailed information about the Horn which I will include. The bottom line is, the French Horn was made before instruments were given serial numbers, and as a result, finding 100% accurate information about it is not possible. The U of I is assisting us in finding a college or museum to donate this French Horn to.
Here is the information provided from the Sousa Museum:
The Martin Band Instrument Company manufactured woodwind and brass instruments between 1910 and sometime past 1950. The idea behind the founding of this company came from John Henry Martin (1835-1910) who was a horn maker who successfully worked from 1855-1865 in New York, Chicago between 1865-1875, and the Conn Music Instrument Company in Elkhart, IN from 1876-1910. After his death his son, Charles Henry Martin (1865-1927) formed the Martin company in Elkhart, IN with his brothers. Shortly after 1917 and Martin Band Instrument Company merged with the Elkhart Musical Instrument Company, and in 1930 the Pedler Music Company was bought out and became the branch that manufactured the woodwind instruments for Martin. Sometime after 1942 this branch became the Indiana Band Instrument Company.
While this is a pretty good summary of the company, I have found almost no information on the French horn that was dropped off. It has no serial number which suggests this may have been manufactured sometime during the 1920s when the company was still young. However this is largely a conjecture on my part given how many companies started numbering their products. So the best date range I would suggest for this horn is sometime between 1920 and 1930.
Here is the information provided from the Sousa Museum:
The Martin Band Instrument Company manufactured woodwind and brass instruments between 1910 and sometime past 1950. The idea behind the founding of this company came from John Henry Martin (1835-1910) who was a horn maker who successfully worked from 1855-1865 in New York, Chicago between 1865-1875, and the Conn Music Instrument Company in Elkhart, IN from 1876-1910. After his death his son, Charles Henry Martin (1865-1927) formed the Martin company in Elkhart, IN with his brothers. Shortly after 1917 and Martin Band Instrument Company merged with the Elkhart Musical Instrument Company, and in 1930 the Pedler Music Company was bought out and became the branch that manufactured the woodwind instruments for Martin. Sometime after 1942 this branch became the Indiana Band Instrument Company.
While this is a pretty good summary of the company, I have found almost no information on the French horn that was dropped off. It has no serial number which suggests this may have been manufactured sometime during the 1920s when the company was still young. However this is largely a conjecture on my part given how many companies started numbering their products. So the best date range I would suggest for this horn is sometime between 1920 and 1930.
August 29, 30 & 31, 2013
It is once again that time of the year. The 5th grade students were given their first opportunity to join the school band and I presented information about Band Together 4 Music at the parent information night on Thursday. I set up a booth on Friday and Saturday while the families came in to select student instruments, providing information about the project, serving up treats and asking for donations. I was joined by good friends at the booth both Friday and Saturday. Thank you very much for helping me! Here are some of the highlights from the three days: Some families found out that instruments were available if their child wanted to join the band but they could not afford to buy or rent one. I would say that makes the time I spent a huge success. Two families told me they had instruments to donate and together they are donating a total of six instruments, and we raised a little money. Below are two pictures from the event. For a full photo gallery check out the Photo Album tab on the menu bar.
August 23, 2013
A few weeks ago I was interviewed by the MahometDaily.com about Band Together 4 Music. The article was issued today and you can read it here: MahometDaily.com article
August 15, 2013
BT4M made an instrument donation to Minnesota State College South East Technical. SE Technical offers students an educational degree in musical instrument repair. I found out about this college today when I took a donated clarinet into the Music Shoppe for a repair estimate. The cost of the repair was more than the value of the instrument, and the Music Shoppe advised us not to spend the money to have it repaired. We asked what to do with the instrument and the Music Shoppe told us about SE Technical, and that they are always looking for instruments for their students in the Band Instrument Repair school. I am glad we could help with musical education at SE Technical!
August 13, 2013
There are 5 pictures below, but only 2 instruments. They were donated to BT4M by a former Uni High student. I am giving them to Mr. Stevens, Band Director at Mahomet-Seymour schools. The instruments are a Yamaha tenor saxophone and a Yamaha clarinet.
August 12, 2013
I am standing in front of Lincoln Trail Elementary School with 4th grade teacher Miss Swartzendruber. She donated a clarinet to Band Together 4 Music today. Thank you Miss S. Your clarinet donation is greatly appreciated!
August 1, 2013
Today I stopped by the High School and donated 2 new instruments, a cornet and a bell kit. The picture was taken at the HIgh School Band room. When we stopped by to drop off the instruments, marching band camp was just wrapping up. You might not be able to tell by the picture, but it was very busy! On August 29 I will be speaking about Band Together 4 Music at the Band Orientation/Information night for incoming 5th graders and their parents.
July 26, 2013
Thank you to Señora Ericson for donating a drum kit today.
July 23, 2013
Thank you to a Uni graduate for donating a saxophone and a clarinet. I hope to have these ready for the incoming fifth graders.
July 17, 2013
I was interviewed by the MahometDaily.com. I will provide a link to the article once the story is published. The article is set to run the first week of school.
May 18, 2013
Stopped over to the High School yesterday to drop off a trombone and a clarinet. That's me in front of the school, and with Ms. Parks in the Band Director's office and in the band room at the High School.
May 13, 2013
At a school awards assembly today I was surprised and delighted to win the school's 2012 Prudential Spirit of Community award for Band Together 4 Music. I will try to attach the award certificate below.
April 13, 2013
Mahomet Happy Helpers 4-H club held a fundraiser for Band Together 4 Music today. Members of the 4-H club set up a table at the Mahomet IGA and told shoppers at the IGA about Band Together. In just two hours $91.85 was raised. Thank you to my friends at Mahomet Happy Helpers 4-H for supporting Band Together and to the IGA for allowing us to set up on a busy Saturday. I joined the 4-H club for the second hour. Here are two pictures.
April 9, 2013
Today was exciting. I presented information about Band Together 4 Music to a large portion of the University of Illinois Band. These students are amazing musicians. What an accomplishment to make it to the Big 10 college band level! Thank you to Professor Houser and the Band for letting me stop in during your practice this evening!
University of Illinois Band (a portion of the band).
February 23, 2013
While enjoying all of the exhibits at the SIT Conference, I was interviewed by the Pantagraph newspaper. Here is a link to the article.http://www.pantagraph.com/news/local/education/students-learn-about-science-and-technology-at-hands-on-conference/article_ad8b28dc-7e1e-11e2-84e6-0019bb2963f4.html
February 23, 2013
I was a presenter at the SIT (Students Involved In Technology) Conference in Normal, Illinois today. I talked to participants about BT4M as well as showing them how they can create their own free website using Weebly. Here is the link to the SIT Conference website:http://www.sitconference.org
February 6, 2013
My school wide e-mail has already proved successful. I just received a cornet that was generously donated to BT4M. Thank You so much!
January 22, 2013
It’s been a while since I last posted an update. I’ve been busy getting adjusted to a new school, an increased workload and joining the basketball team (for the first time!). Everything is going great at school, and there are lots of exciting things to report on my work at BT4M.
Information about BT4M is being sent out to the entire student body of my new school, and to their parents too. It’s going out via email to over 600 people. I am hopeful this will help get the word out.
My friend who is in 4-H told me that her 4-H group is interested in helping BT4M. They do community service as part of their mission, and they are considering making BT4M their community service project for this year. I sent them a write up about BT4M, and offered 3 areas they could assist; increasing awareness about BT4M in the community, encouraging instrument and financial donations.
Lastly, I will be a presenter in the Students Involved with Technology Conference (SIT Conference) next month. It is held at Heartland Community College in Normal, IL. I will be talking about BT4M and how and why I created this website.
Information about BT4M is being sent out to the entire student body of my new school, and to their parents too. It’s going out via email to over 600 people. I am hopeful this will help get the word out.
My friend who is in 4-H told me that her 4-H group is interested in helping BT4M. They do community service as part of their mission, and they are considering making BT4M their community service project for this year. I sent them a write up about BT4M, and offered 3 areas they could assist; increasing awareness about BT4M in the community, encouraging instrument and financial donations.
Lastly, I will be a presenter in the Students Involved with Technology Conference (SIT Conference) next month. It is held at Heartland Community College in Normal, IL. I will be talking about BT4M and how and why I created this website.
August 29, 2012
A Yamaha Bell kit is donated to BT4M!
In case you are wondering what a Bell Kit is, here is a picture. It is a percussion instrument. Also donated was a bag of mallets.
August 25, 2012
Band Together 4 Music sets up a booth at the 5th Grade Band Selection day. To see all the pictures taken go to the Photo Album section of the website.
The 5th grade parents were very generous, donating $104.85 to BT4M on Thursday night and today. Thank you to all the parents who donated and are considering donating instruments and money in the future.
The 5th grade parents were very generous, donating $104.85 to BT4M on Thursday night and today. Thank you to all the parents who donated and are considering donating instruments and money in the future.
August 23, 2012
It's back to school and Back to the Band for the 2012-2013 school year.
Thursday evening, August 23 was the Band information meeting for incoming 5th graders and their parents. Over 200 people attended the meeting. Mr. Stevens, Mahomet-Seymour Band Director, and Ms. Parks, Assistant Band Director talked about being in the band, a representative from the Music Shoppe talked about renting musical instruments and I talked about Band Together 4 Music.
Thursday evening, August 23 was the Band information meeting for incoming 5th graders and their parents. Over 200 people attended the meeting. Mr. Stevens, Mahomet-Seymour Band Director, and Ms. Parks, Assistant Band Director talked about being in the band, a representative from the Music Shoppe talked about renting musical instruments and I talked about Band Together 4 Music.
June 15, 2012
Thank you to several people for making donations to Band Together! In April, family friends from Normal, IL donated a trumpet, a trombone and a drum kit. A few days ago I sold my old golf clubs for $40 and I donated the money to Band Together. Then just yesterday, a good friend in Bloomington donated 2 clarinets. I now have 7 instruments that I need to raise the money to repair. My goal is to have all 7 instruments ready for the 2012-2013 school year. Thank you to everyone for helping to bring music to our school!
April 11, 2012 It's a great day for Band Together 4 Music and the Mahomet Seymour Band Program as 4 instruments are presented to the Band Directors Mr. Stevens and Mr. Barnish today. As you can see from the picture, our hands are FULL with 3 flutes and an oboe that are now ready for student use. Thank you to all who donated the instruments and all who gave money. The money was used to clean and repair the instruments over at the Music Shoppe.
February 27, 2012 - A music stand was donated to Band Together. This is great because each student needs a music stand in addition to an instrument. THANK YOU!
January 8, 2012 - An oboe was dropped off at the Mahomet Public Library for Band Together! Thank you so much for the donation.
December 30, 2011 - We would like to thank Commerce Bank for their generous donation to Band Together. This is the second corporate donation in December. It has been a great month and a great year for Band Together 4 Music. 4 Instruments were donated, repaired and given to the school in 2011. We now have enough money to repair 5 more instruments and have them ready for students to use in 2012.
December 16, 2011 - It has been a great week. We received 1 corporate donation this week and a commitment for another. This week's donation came from First Mid-Illinois Bank & Trust in Mahomet. I will report on the second corporate donation when the check arrives. In addition, one of my classmates made a donation.
Donations for instruments from our community have been amazing. The money donations are just as important because instruments cannot be used until they are repaired.
Donations for instruments from our community have been amazing. The money donations are just as important because instruments cannot be used until they are repaired.
November 13, 2011 - Filled out a grant for $500 at DoSomething.org. We will in 2 - 3 months if we are awarded the money. Check out DoSomething.org for all kinds of great projects being done by kids.
October 12, 2011 - A cornet is donated. THANK YOU for the donation! I am also in the process of applying for a $500 grant. This money will be used to repair instruments.
October 3, 2011 - Present Mr. Stevens with a saxophone.
September 22, 2011 - This weekend is the Mahomet wide garage sale. I'm selling some of my things to raise money for Band Together 4 Music. I hope to raise enough to repair a saxophone. My Mom will be working the sale, over at a neighbor's house (Thank you Mrs. Miller!) while I am at school tomorrow.
September 9, 2011 - Presenting Mr. Stevens, Band Director, Mr. Barnish, Assistant Band Director and Mr. Knilands, Student Teacher, with a trombone and a clarinet. Clarinet is hidden from view as I am standing in front of it. Bummer!
August 28, 2011 - BT4M raises $141.21 from the 5th grade parents over the weekend. Thanks for all your donations parents!
August 22, 2011- Presented Mr. Stevens, band director of Mahomet-Seymour school band, the clarinet.
August 20, 2011- We pick up our very first clarinet from The Music Shoppe.
August 1, 2011 - Thank you to Illini Computing for a generous donation!!!
The Band Together 4 Music (BT4M) program kicks off the first week in June, 2011. (Thank you Ms. Hawk for teaching me how to build a website).
June 3, 2011 - Check out the new photo album! If you are in a school band and would like to have your picture posted on this website just send us an email with your picture attached. The email address is [email protected].
June 14, 2011 - I am interviewed by the local newspaper, the Mahomet Citizen.
June 16, 2011 - BT4M receives its first financial donation from the family of a fellow bandmate. THANKS!
June 22, 2011 - Article about BT4M appears in the Mahomet Citizen newspaper.
June 24, 2011 - The first instrument is donated and it is a clarinet. THANK YOU for the donation! The Mahomet Public Library called and the clarinet has been picked up.
June 25, 2011 - BT4M has received $50 in monetary donations so far. This money will be used to clean and ready the clarinet for a student to use. THANK YOU!
June 27, 2011 - The Mahomet Citizen newspaper features a story on Band Together 4 Music. Check it out at this link: http://www.mcitizen.com/news/education/2011-06-27/students-project-shares-joy-music.html
June 3, 2011 - Check out the new photo album! If you are in a school band and would like to have your picture posted on this website just send us an email with your picture attached. The email address is [email protected].
June 14, 2011 - I am interviewed by the local newspaper, the Mahomet Citizen.
June 16, 2011 - BT4M receives its first financial donation from the family of a fellow bandmate. THANKS!
June 22, 2011 - Article about BT4M appears in the Mahomet Citizen newspaper.
June 24, 2011 - The first instrument is donated and it is a clarinet. THANK YOU for the donation! The Mahomet Public Library called and the clarinet has been picked up.
June 25, 2011 - BT4M has received $50 in monetary donations so far. This money will be used to clean and ready the clarinet for a student to use. THANK YOU!
June 27, 2011 - The Mahomet Citizen newspaper features a story on Band Together 4 Music. Check it out at this link: http://www.mcitizen.com/news/education/2011-06-27/students-project-shares-joy-music.html