Performance SmArts Gear Exchange
Hello friends!
It's that time of the year again where we ask everyone to look for dusty musical instruments in your home that don't currently get any love, donate them to Performance SmArts Studios, and then we clean and get them in working order, and give them to kids for free.
We call it the Performance SmArts Gear Exchange, and this is the second year that we have done an instrument drive. Music and the arts should not be available only to those with the financial privilege to be able to afford the tools, and music gear is very expensive to purchase and maintain.
In 2023, we were able to give out a total of 71 instruments/gear items, and 10 donated instruments are currently in use weekly by kids at the studio, thanks to your generosity!
So, 81 items repaired and repurposed, 3 used for studio decor, and 7 had to be recycled for parts, but will eventually live on in other instruments, making 91 items donated last year! We would love to get that number up to 100 this year in 2024!
Here is a list of instruments that we are looking for:
Orchestra Instruments:
- Trumpet/cornet
- Trombone/baritone
- Tuba/euphonium
- Flute/piccolo
- Clarinet/oboe
- Saxophone
- Drums/percussion instruments
- Violin/viola
- Cello/Bass
Band Instruments:
- Acoustic guitar/bass
- Electric guitar/bass
- Ukulele/world instruments
- Banjo/mandolin
- Digital pianos/keyboards/synths
- Drum kit (acoustic or electric)
Gear:
- XLR microphone & 1/4" amp cables
- Guitar straps/string packs/pics/capos
- Instrument accessories (mutes, bows, straps, mouthpieces, unused reeds, etc.)
- Microphones
- Cases/cabinets
- Amps/speakers
- Recording/Pro Audio gear/interfaces/mixers
- Midi controller/pads
- Quality cameras for streaming
- Quality over-ear headphones
- Audio dampening materials/foam
- Live sound/lighting equipment
- HD computer monitors/small (32" or less) HD TVs
- Macbook/Mac Mini/iMac/iPad
- Studio monitor speakers
- Instrument/microphone/music/camera/speaker stands
I will not be accepting any acoustic pianos this year.
If you or your child were given an instrument/gear in the last year by our studio, and it just isn't tickling your fancy anymore, bring it back and see what else we have! If you attempted to give us an instrument last year but it didn’t happen, please reach out again!
The studio is now open to the public M-F from 10 am - 2pm, and will be open most Saturdays as well, so if you are able to drop off the instrument/gear in person, we would love to give you a tour of what we are working on up above Kissner's Restaurant!
If you live locally to Defiance (within 20 miles) and need someone to come get the instrument/gear, or if you are considering shipping an item to the studio, or if you repair instruments and would like to volunteer with the next batch of in-house repairs, please email us at GearExchange@performancesmarts.com and we'll get right back to you!
If you don't have an instrument but would like to donate towards the cost of instrument repairs, we would love gift certificates to Sweetwater Sound (in Ft. Wayne, Indiana; we love the Chophouse in Defiance, but they don't fix guitars! lol!) or to Rettig Music, Inc. in Defiance. Or, you can donate to @RobsMusicStudio on Venmo or Paypal (please put "Gear Exchange" in the subject, so that the funds go to the right place!) Our Sweetwater wish list can be found here. Our Amazon wish list can be found here.
Performance SmArts Studios is on a mission to help empower the next generation of humanity, one instrument at a time. Your dusty unloved gear could very well be the spark that changes the entire trajectory of a child's life, but not if it is kept in the basement, garage, or closet.
Thank you for your support!
✌️❤️🎶