During our Teacher Resource Center “shopping” days, we have been fortunate to place hundreds of musical instruments into the hands of teachers at our partner schools. From recorders to cellos, these donations have done something simple but powerful. They have removed the single greatest barrier standing between students and music education. The cost of an instrument should never be the reason a child doesn’t get to play one.
We have watched school programs grow because of this work. Propel Schools Montour is one of those stories. In its early years, the school’s music program faced significant funding challenges, forcing leaders to consider whether music education could continue at all. Through The Education Partnership’s instrument distribution, made possible by the Farina Foundation, Propel was able to start small and start moving. Over time, the program gained momentum, earned dedicated funding, and has since become a cherished part of student life at the school.
Stories like this exist because of two extraordinary partners, Farina Foundation and Brighton Music Center.
Recently, TEP had the chance to sit down with Frank Farina of Farina Foundation and Brad Wittmer of Brighton Music Center for a behind-the-scenes look at their operations and to discuss the impact of their partnership on students and teachers across our programs.
Humble Beginnings and a Desire for Change
The Farina Foundation and Brighton Music did not come together through a formal pitch or a planned meeting. It started, as Frank puts it, over a beer. In 2014, Frank was in the early stages of establishing the Farina Foundation in honor of his late father, whose legacy as a music teacher was rooted in helping children who could not afford to access music. Instruments had begun piling up in Frank’s storage facility, with nowhere to go and no infrastructure to move them. Brad, meanwhile, was watching families walk away from music education every day simply because the cost felt insurmountable. The two crossed paths at a community event in Westview, found themselves sitting at neighboring tables, and started talking. One conversation turned into a collaboration.
From there, the partnership grew piece by piece. Frank began reaching out directly to schools, seeking homes for the accumulating instruments. The response, however, was slow. Bureaucratic red tape made it difficult for schools to accept donated instruments, and liability concerns created additional hesitation. The breakthrough came when a Pittsburgh Public Schools music teacher mentioned The Education Partnership to Frank. A meeting with TEP leadership followed, and the fit was immediately clear. As Frank recalls, TEP told them they were “the missing link” for fine arts support across their network of schools.
What followed was years of steady, deliberate growth. The partnership expanded its supply chain, eventually negotiating directly with Goodwill to access higher-quality donated instruments. Milestone events, including a remarkable community initiative around Holocaust violins called Violins for Hope, brought surges of donations and visibility that accelerated the program significantly. Today, the Play It Forward program has grown to serve schools across Western Pennsylvania, with Frank and Brad both quick to credit the people around them.
“There’s a difference between making money and enriching lives. I like the enriching lives part.” — Brad Wittmer
From Donation to Classroom
The path an instrument travels before it reaches a student’s hands is more involved than most people might expect. Donations come in from a wide range of sources, including individuals, Goodwill, and community events like the annual Make Music Day Pittsburgh instrument drive. When an instrument arrives at Brighton Music, Brad’s team evaluates it, refurbishes it, and sources any missing parts from an in-house parts library that the shop has built over the years of collecting older instruments. That library has become one of the program’s quiet superpowers, allowing the team to restore instruments that most repair shops would consider beyond saving.
At Brighton Music, very little goes to waste. Even instruments that cannot be fully repaired still have value. Brass instruments that are beyond saving are recycled, and the proceeds help support future repairs and program costs. A trumpet missing its valves, a clarinet with broken keys, or an instrument that has been sitting unused since the 1980s might look like junk to most people. To Brad and his team, it is an opportunity. They carefully assess each donation, repair what they can, and bring instruments back to life whenever possible. Before an instrument is distributed, it is thoroughly cleaned and sanitized, fitted with a mouthpiece, and supplied with any reeds, straps, or accessories needed to play. The goal is simple: when a teacher or student opens the case, they have everything they need to start making music right away.
From there, TEP’s Teacher Resource Center serves as the distribution point, connecting instruments with teachers from across the partner school network. Brad and Frank also work directly with schools outside of TEP, and the Play It Forward program includes an application process for individuals who need an instrument and cannot access one through their school. In most cases, the instrument is a gift, not a loan.
“We get an instrument, Brighton Music will evaluate it, refurbish it, sanitize it, and then put it in our inventory. That person who donated it is playing it forward to another child or underserved music department. It’s really a simple concept.” — Frank Farina
The A in STEAM
For many students in the communities we serve, basic school supplies are already a stretch. Musical instruments, which can run hundreds or even thousands of dollars, are simply out of reach for most families. By making these instruments available at no cost, the Farina Foundation and Brighton Music have given something that goes far beyond equipment. They have given students a creative outlet, a sense of belonging, and in many cases, a passion that will stay with them for life.
“You don’t want families to have to make a choice. Billy or Susie, they want to play a clarinet or a trumpet, but they also want to be on the baseball team or in gymnastics. We don’t want to see that happen. We want them to have the opportunity to know, we don’t have to choose one or the other.” – Brad Wittmer
Our partnership is still growing, and we could not be more grateful. On behalf of every student who picked up an instrument for the first time and every teacher whose classroom came alive with music, thank you to Frank Farina and Brad Wittmer for believing that every child deserves that chance.
Author: The TEP Team
