Charlotte Symphony raises $300,000 for CMS instruments after Ledger article
Band and orchestra programs across the school district will benefit from money raised for instrument replacement and repair; donations are still welcome through the CMS Foundation
The following article appeared in the February 14, 2025 edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with smart and original local news for Charlotte. We offer free and paid subscription plans. More info here.
After a Ledger article exposed the need for more funding for CMS instrument replacement and repair, the Charlotte Symphony’s ‘call to action’ raised $300,000
East Mecklenburg High’s band closet (left photo) is filled with school-owned instruments that students use for school band or concert band, and many are in need of replacement or repair. (Photos courtesy of East Mecklenburg High band director Chris Moreau)
by Cristina Bolling
Last September, The Ledger wrote about a problem that was facing Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools band and orchestra programs countywide — music directors were saying they lacked enough funds to repair or replace instruments to keep their programs running properly.
As The Ledger reported, the amount of money in the school district’s instrument replacement and repair fund works out to approximately $700 per school per year, which directors said wasn’t nearly enough to service and maintain their stock of instruments.
As a result of The Ledger’s reporting, the Charlotte Symphony put out a “call to action,” which so far has raised $300,000 for the repair and replacement of instruments, symphony officials told The Ledger.
The donations raised in coordination and collaboration with the symphony include $255,000 in financial contributions as well as $50,000 in instruments, CMS officials told The Ledger in a statement this week.
That amount includes a “generous donation” from the Spangler Foundation, symphony officials told The Ledger.
Symphony officials invited the public to continue to donate, and said future donations can be made to the CMS Foundation, which is now managing the donations. (Potential donors can email info@cms-foundation.org)
CMS’s statement said that with the help of the symphony and the CMS Foundation, the district is “efficiently directing these resources to make vital updates and provide essential support for our band and orchestra students this school year. We are currently evaluating the district's needs to identify instruments in need of replacement or repair.”
In their statement, symphony leaders expressed gratitude: “We have been so encouraged by the outpouring of support and heartened to see how many in our community believe, as we do, that music plays a vital role in the education and lives of our young people.”
Related Ledger articles:
“Charlotte Symphony rallies support for CMS instrument needs” (Sept. 27, 2024)
“CMS music programs battle failing instruments” (Sept. 25, 2024)
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