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Be “Instrumental” to the Arts in the North Country

The Ticonderoga Festival Guild’s We Are instrumental program is hosting a summer-long instrument drive for North Country students!

Created in 2020 by Evan Mack, senior teaching professor of music at Skidmore College, the We Are Instrumental program aims to provide quality musical instruments to school children across the North Country who would otherwise be unable to afford rental instruments, and who’s school’s do not have the budgets to properly maintain or purchase new ones.

Originally inspired by his 10-year old son’s description of bruised, battered, and duct tape bandaged instruments at his school, Mack spearheaded a drive at Skidmore College collecting 70 instruments which were then fully restored and donated to students in Ticonderoga!

Teaming up with the Ticonderoga Festival Guild, the program now looks to expand, benefiting children in North Warren, Crown Point, and Boquet schools, with all surplus instruments to be distributed to additional area schools. Furthering the sustainability of this initiative, Mack hopes to advance band directors’ instrument-repair skills through sponsored intensive training. These instructors will then be able to teach students how to fix their instruments while learning to play them.

“Learning to play on a quality, working instrument is so important. When you give children a functional instrument, what you’re really giving them is the opportunity to explore what they’re capable of and to fall in love with music,” says Mack.

Get involved and donate today!

From Memorial Day Weekend to Labor Day Weekend, drop off your gently used band and string instruments at the following locations:

For more information contact Evan Mack at WeAreInstrumental@gmail.com and visit www.evanmack.com/weareinstrumental.