Nonprofit provides instrumental help for music in Minnesota schools

Caitlin Marlotte is determined to keep music education in schools across Minnesota — even if she has to do it one instrument at a time.

Marlotte is executive director of Vega Productions, a nonprofit that helps facilitate instrument donations to schools that need instruments to create and maintain successful bands or music education programs.

"I've experienced how powerful music is in education," said Marlotte, who has been playing violin since age 3. "It's a wonderful escape for students when things get tough."

Vega Productions was started 10 years ago as a way to support music and art education in Minnesota. The group hosted events and benefits to raise money for educational programs, as well as drives where people could bring old musical instruments to donate to local schools.

Eventually Vega needed a more central and streamlined way for people to donate instruments, which led to last year's creation of Instruments in the Cloud, an online database of schools that need instruments. Schools can create a wish list of instruments they need, and donors can search by instrument or school.

"We wanted to remove barriers and uncertainty for donors," Marlotte said. "We used to get calls from all over the state from people who wanted to donate, but they didn't know where to go or what to do."

Marlotte and Vega recently helped the Hmong College Prep Academy create a school band. The St. Paul school had no instruments before the 2014-15 school year, and it needed more than the grant it received could provide.

"It was our favorite day of work ever, to see those students getting the instruments and knowing there's no way they could have participated without them," Marlotte said.

The school's music program has expanded since then. The band, which had 33 members the first year, is up to 80 students. Each has an instrument on loan from the school.

"Forty-six beginner sixth-graders have been able to be in band, only because of the donation from Vega," said Roy Pienaar, the band's founder and director.

The band's winter concert featured a wide range of music, from the "Star Wars" theme to a well-known Hmong cultural anthem.

"It was amazing to be in the audience and see parents, grandparents, staff and people that are part of this culture hear an anthem that they know," Marlotte said. "It was wonderful to hear them play it."

"There are several ways to use the platform," she said. "And we see a lot of people wanting to donate."

For information on donating, go to vegaisinstrumental.wordpress.com.