Horace Mann Elementary S Marching Mustangs Don T Need 76 Trombones Just Three Trumpets And A Few Other Instruments Too

Giving Tuesday is over, but if you’ve still got a few dollars to spend, you could do worse than donating them to the kids at Horace Mann Elementary School in the South Chicago neighborhood. They’re trying to raise money for more instruments and supplies for their school band, the Marching Mustangs.

CPS band programs typically don’t start till high school, but Horace Mann students can join the Marching Mustangs as early as fourth grade. Brown starts them on wind instruments, but starting in fifth grade they can opt for drums. If they pick up one instrument quickly, Brown says, there’s nothing to stop them from learning another—except lack of equipment. He’s made adjustments to the band’s arrangements, including the substitution of trombones for tubas.

Updated: The Horace Mann Marching Mustangs’ fund-raising campaign at DonorsChoose.org has met its goal. Further donations will be diverted to other projects in the DonorsChoose.org network.