ARVADA - When her music room is also the lunch room, Amy Woodley will tell you music programs can use some support.
"It's not ideal," Woodley said. "We kind of get what we get."
At the Arvada K-8 School, Woodley teaches band class in the cafeteria because there are no other spaces available in the building. But, that's just part of the issue.
"Daily, I go to three or four schools a day," Woodley said. "I see nine schools total."
She is the Instrumental Music Teacher for nine schools in Arvada. She visits each school twice-a-week just to keep these programs alive at each school.
"The situation exists because there's just not the funding to hire a full-time band teacher at every school," Woodley said.
The situation exists at schools around Colorado.
"Unfortunately, programs like this are being lost all over the state," Woodley said.
But, there is a way for the public to help. 9NEWS is a sponsor of the Bringing Music to Life Instrument Drive. People with used musical instruments can bring them to drop-off locations around the state from March 16 to 28. The instruments will be restored and repaired so they can be distributed to students.
"My program would not exist if it weren't for some of those instrument drives," Woodley said.
Woodley says drives like Bringing Music to Life can put instruments in the hands of students from lower income families.
"The perception was if don't have enough money, you can't play an instrument," Woodley said.
The drive is collecting monetary donations, too, for restoration. The Colorado Institute of Musical Instrument Technology will repair the old instruments, if needed.
"The funding thing is real and these instruments that are donated don't get repaired without the necessary funds," Woodley said.
If you want to find out how you can donate and the locations of the 17 drop-off sites, visit http://bringmusic.org/#sthash.xbGO9gum.dpbs
"I really believe that music can make kids better citizens," Woodley said. "That instrument can touch the lives of hundreds of kids."
(KUSA-TV © 2015 Multimedia Holdings Corporation)
