• California Bluegrass Association Seeks Instruments for Kids

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    Scott Tichenor
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    Published on Nov-19-2015 9:00am Views: 6589
    9 Comments Comments

    EDITOR'S NOTE: The Mandolin Cafe has long been an enthusiastic supporter of The California Bluegrass Association, and in particular, their Youth Instrument Lending Library.

    Over the years we've helped them secure new instruments by getting them in touch with people that contact us in regards to donations, and at times we've assisted with fund-raising.

    We believe in and support this program because we've built personal relationships with the organizers of the program and have strong feelings about their work and dedication to supporting young musicians.

    This, dear readers, is a fine program that deserves our collective support. I hope everyone will take a moment to read their story below and consider a donation.

    Scott Tichenor
    Mandolin Cafe

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    For many families, keeping up with childrens changing instrument needs can be a struggle. The California Bluegrass Association is here to help.

    Our Kids Instrument Lending Library has been helping families provide bluegrass instruments to fledgling musicians for over 10 years. On top of that, we supply instruments to two public school bluegrass programs in California, with more on the way.

    The instruments in the library are donated by members or purchased through cash donations. Members also donate teaching materials, strings and cases and other accessories, and even luthier services.

    Today, the library is struggling to keep mandolins in stock. There's a waiting list for good mandolins and small 1/4 to 1/2 size basses. We're watching for them on eBay and Craigslist, but can't keep up with demand. That's why we're appealing to the Mandolin Cafe membership for help.

    If you have an instrument you don’t need, or if you can spare some cash, won't you please contact our instrument librarian, Randy January? He can be reached through our website.

    We'd love to take your old mandolin or bass off your hands. Other instruments are welcome too. Or you can donate cash by clicking the Donate button on that page. We'll spend it on instruments. And all your donations, whether financial or in-kind, are tax-deductible.

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    Comments 9 Comments
    1. Darby's Avatar
      Darby - Nov-23-2015, 10:27pm
      Many thanks to Mandolin Café for the years of support and friendship. We met some of you in Bakersfield for our two years of Loar Fest West and some of you at the IBMA World of Bluegrass. So many people do not know that the California Bluegrass Association is 40+ years old and that we produce concerts, jams, campouts, music camps, festivals (in addition the BIG Father's Day Bluegrass Festival in Grass Valley in June each year.) www.cbaweb.org We have 2700+ current members (the largest bluegrass association on the planet) and we pioneered the Kids on Bluegrass concept (gathering up the young pickers, rehearsing them and putting them on a main stage during a festival), Frank Solivan II was in our first KOB event more than a quarter century ago. Our instrument lending library is a decade old and is invaluable to all the families we supported with instruments over the years. Most of those kids who borrowed instruments will always be fans of the music and some of those kids are playing music on big stages, winning awards, entertaining bluegrass, old time, jazz, "Americana", rock and roll audiences and are teaching in our camps and Academy. We so appreciate all who have donated instruments, strings, capos, luthier services. We are a 501(c)3 and everything is tax deductible.

      We are expanding our CBA Youth Program and adopting public schools where there is a bluegrass/old time program and supplying the kids with instruments and giving resources to the directors of the program. This in addition to a four day Youth Academy we offer each year, plus recreational programs and Kids on Bluegrass. We are a long distance away from the birthplace of bluegrass music and we have to work harder to introduce the music and instrumentation. We appreciate Scott and Mandolin Café for sticking with us this last decade or so.

      Happy Thanksgiving to all,

      Darby Brandli, President
      CBA Youth Program Coodinator
      California Bluegrass Association
      cbayouthprogram@gmail.com
    1. Scott Tichenor's Avatar
      Scott Tichenor - Nov-23-2015, 10:43pm
      Happy to share the very good news that David Harvey just emailed to inform us Gibson is donating an F-9 to the CBA Instrument Lending Library. Also aware there was another private donation of an F mandolin from an individual contributor so this is off to a great start.

      Kudos to our friends at Gibson!
    1. Scott Tichenor's Avatar
      Scott Tichenor - Nov-30-2015, 2:04pm
      We're close to announcing another instrument being donated. Hope to finalize that information today or tomorrow. Still like to see someone from the Cafe community step up. Surely there's a mandolin hanging around someone's house that could be getting played by a talented and deserving young player in bluegrass.
    1. Scott Tichenor's Avatar
      Scott Tichenor - Dec-03-2015, 5:56pm
      Here's another note of thanks to our friends at The Loar, specifically the Atz brothers and Greg Rich for their donation of a mandolin to the California Bluegrass Association's Youth Instrument Lending Library. More announcements coming about donations, they just aren't official yet!
    1. Scott Tichenor's Avatar
      Scott Tichenor - Dec-05-2015, 12:20pm
      Another donation, this time from a member of our community here. Our thanks to Robert Grassi who has donated a Kentucky mandolin. Keep 'em going folks. Lots of demand, not enough mandolin elves.
    1. Scott Tichenor's Avatar
      Scott Tichenor - Dec-10-2015, 10:45pm
      Things just keep rolling along.

      Our good friends at Breedlove and Collings tell us they intend to donate an instrument as soon as they can get one in the pipeline for manufacturing. Not every manufacturer has one sitting around. This is great news. There are some young musicians who will be really thrilled with the new instruments. Maybe we'll try to do a news blast on where these end up.

      Thanks to everyone that has donated and we'll keep everyone posted on the progress.
    1. Darby's Avatar
      Darby - Dec-15-2015, 10:48am
      Those of us working with the CBA Youth Program can not thank this community enough. This "campaign" continues to roll out as more people contact us. We have always survived because of the generosity of our CBA membership community but have never reached out to the builder community before. The increase in inventory has allowed us to reach beyond our CBA membership base to public school programs. Thank you.
    1. Darby's Avatar
      Darby - Dec-31-2015, 11:15am
      We are still receiving mandolins in the mail from Mandolin Café readers. We received two in the mail yesterday and one on the 28th and there is word of another donor in California. We are approaching the promise of a dozen mandolins. The Kentucky mandolin is already being played by a bluegrass band class member in Visalia CA from the Golden Grass program. We need to get these mandolins photographed and tagged prior to lending them. We anticipate many of these mandolins will be ready for loan by February 1. We are so grateful to the readers of Mandolin Café and to Scott Tichenor for spearheading this program. Darby Brandli, President, California Bluegrass Association.
    1. Darby's Avatar
      Darby - Dec-31-2015, 10:54pm
      we can be reached at cbayouthprogram@gmail.com or darbycba@gmail.com. Check out our little website at www.cbayouthprogram.com or the big CBA website at www.cbaweb.org. Happy New Year to all!