Instrument Repair & Lending Program

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Inspired by the musings of a couple of OCCS board members about how to help music students in the area, the OCCS Musical Instrument Lending and Repair Program was born. 

In 2024, The Parksville Qualicum Foundation awarded OCCS a grant of $14,500 for this program. The grant will cover storage rental, instrument repair and refurbishing and media advertising cost for three years. 

We are also very grateful for an anonymous donation of $2000, to the Hamber Foundation that kindly donated $2,000 for instrument repair and to the City of Parksville that provided a $500 Grant-in-Aid to the program. The following local luthiers and instrument repair shops have stepped up to donate their time for repairs:

• Rufus’ Island Guitar Shop
• Arbutus Music
• SJ Guitars and Luthiery Training (formerly Summit School of Guitar Building and Repair)
• High Note Musical Services
• Fine Tuning Nanaimo

To date 120 instruments have been donated. All have been evaluated, 85% of them repaired, and 35 have been loaned to deserving Oceanside music students in 13 elementary and high schools.  OCCS instrument inventory includes: flutes, clarinets, saxophones, trumpets, trombones, guitars, violins, cello, drum sets and keyboards.

Local teachers will identify children in need of instruments in their music programs and OCCS will lend the instruments out as long as they are needed.