Beginning in March and continuing through 2007, the Wilson Area Arts Council (WAAC) is asking people in our community to “clean out their closets” of used musical instruments and put them to good use by donating them for use in Wilson cluster schools. We are also seeking cash donations and grants with which to purchase new instruments. WAAC volunteers are working closely with Paul Jolstead of Wilson High School and other music teachers in the Wilson High School Cluster to identify the instruments and other music equipment our schools need to meet the needs of our schools and students.

Portland Public Schools has a program for renting/loaning instruments to students who need them. However, PPS has not purchased any new instruments since the early 1980's. The existing inventory is kept in good repair as much as possible, but a school instrument does not have an infinite life span. It is becoming difficult for schools in the district to run quality band and orchestra programs relying on district-owned instruments, and the cost of renting or buying for many students from an outside source is cost-prohibitive.

Any instrument normally used in a school band or orchestra is welcome. So are guitars and electric keyboards. If you have something unusual, please call Karin Chesnutt at (503) 977-0247 to discuss your options.

There are some needs, particularly in the high school band program, that are not likely to be met through instrument donations. Quality tubas, euphoniums and concert crash cymbals are not as likely to be found in a closet as are flutes and trombones. There is also a need for state-of-the-art technology, such as computers for a music lab, MIDI keyboards and synthesizers. All cash donations to the instrument drive will be combined with whatever grants we can obtain and used for purchasing instruments and music-making technology.

We have been setting up a table Hillsdale Farmer’s Market but as of June 2007, we will not be there to collect instrument and cash donations. To donate an instrument, you can either go to the Wilson High School office and drop off your instrument. Or to arrange a pick-up, please contact Karin Chesnutt at (503) 977-0247 or email chesnutt@spiritone.com. We very much need cash donations as an alternative to instrument donations too! Checks to Wilson Area Arts Council can be mailed to PO Box 80263, Portland 97219.

Yes. WAAC is a fully qualified 501(c)3 non-profit corporation, so any donation to WAAC qualifies as a charitable contribution. A donated instrument would be reported by you on your IRS form 8283. Generally, the value is what you determine to be the "Fair Market Value" (FMV) of the instrument at the time of donation.  You may want to document the instrument (e.g., take photos and/or note any distinguishing labels, numbers, or markings) and then contact a musical instrument store or look on the Internet at such web sites as Craig's List (http://portland.craigslist.org/msg/) or eBay for comparative values. If your instrument (or "group of donated instruments") is valued in excess of $5,000 it must be formally appraised (See Form 8283 Section B. Part III).

WAAC will mail you a receipt that documents your donation. But keep in mind that for tax deductions it is your responsibility to establish its value. All we can do is acknowledge the receipt of your instrument donation and provide you with our tax ID.

For PDF Form 8253 Click Here

For PDF Form 8253 Instruments Click Here

Each instrument will be assessed, repaired, tuned up and put into working condition by a qualified technician. It will then be added to the PPS inventory and assigned to a school in the Wilson cluster. The WAAC board, in consultation with Wilson Band Director Paul Jolstead and other music teachers and administrators in the cluster, will ultimately determine where each instrument is assigned.