There are many ways to make music more earth-friendly, but when the idea of recycling and music come together, most often the result is a collage of children’s art projects all still resembling their previous components, but this is just not the case. In the instance of recycled instruments there is a new wave hitting the shore, including refurbished and reused instruments that, instead of being junked, are being given new life.
There has been many times for me, when walking through mazes of antique booths, that I’ve come across a small, string-less guitar, or battered flute, and wondered if it might be worth the purchase to repair. Well there are companies out there who will do just that. Like many electronics donation centers, Leisure Time Musical Instruments, will take donated instruments and then repair and re-sell them at a reduced rate, but with the assurance of quality.
The crafting of a musical instrument is one of monumental skill and technique, therefore a good quality instrument can cost upwards of hundreds of dollars, but many school programs lack this kind of funding, making school instrument charity drives a great way to recycle your own old instrument in a way that’s sure to give it some use and do some good.
Of course we should not completely overlook the trash-to-treasure route when it comes to homemade instruments. At Bash the Trash.com there are a wealth of ideas for making unique and playable works of art from the trash you throw out everyday. In fact, Bash the Trash does a variety of school programs and performances in order to spread the word about recycled instruments as well as music in general. The more these programs cater to a young audience, the more ideas like this will continue to grow in the future.
The best part about it all though? Actually playing. I went through violin, piano, and flute before finally setting on my choice instrument, the guitar, and it was thanks to public school programs with instrument donation programs that I was able to do this. Music is an integral part of all culture and a proven way to open key parts of the brain involved in cognitive function. All instruments, whether the standard guitar or some homemade tin-can drum, can produce the same effect. When this is combined with the benefits or recycling, what can be a better plan?
So next time you find an old woodwind in the back closet, don’t throw it out, recycle or donate it and give it a new voice.
