students with musical instrument cases

Friends of Music has given Martinsburg South Middle School a $400 grant for two new instrument cases for band students—one for trombones and the other for saxophones.

The grant was requested by band director Heather Nowell. She said the new cases mean students "will have a much easier time getting to and from school with their instruments—and no duct tape or bungee cords needed!"

The accompanying photo shows two of the school's students—Caeden Shaut, left, and Teyla Dempster, right—with the new cases and the tattered old ones they replace.

This donation is part of a Friends' grant program to support music education in Berkeley and Jefferson schools. The grants typically involve instruments and music supplies not covered by regular school budgets. The grants are awarded annually based on applications submitted by music teachers. Friends of Music appreciates Ecolab's generous support for this grant program.

The Friends of Music organization is a Shepherdstown-based, non-profit group founded in 1999 to support and promote musical excellence. It supports the Two Rivers Chamber Orchestra, the only professional classical music orchestra in the Eastern Panhandle of West Virginia, and one of only three such orchestras in the state. Full information about the Friends is available at www.friendswv.org.