Give the Gift of Music at Chicago Music Exchange!
After years of budget cuts to music education programs nationwide, the Gift of Music Foundation was founded in 2015 to make musical instruments and music education more accessible to kids, through reduced-price rentals and rent-free instrument programs. Typically, the foundation accepts instrument donations of any kind to generate a portion of the funds they use to support rental programs for families in need. But, sometimes, they get instruments donated by musicians—like the premium instruments available for purchase in the Gift of Music Foundation Vintage and Used Collection, now at Chicago Music Exchange.
“Our mission is to find the highest value for any instrument that’s donated as it relates to those kids—they’re our entire focus,” said the Gift of Music Foundation’s Tom Gibson. “For player-grade instrument donations, like the ones now at CME, our sales department sells donations and puts the revenue towards student band instruments, in order to fund supplemental rental programs where families that can’t afford full rentals get half-rentals, or gifted instruments.”
"Every $5K raised from these sales from the Gift of Music Collection will help provide at least 25 kids with instruments, while also helping fund up to 50 school year-long music classes and putting up to 100 students in summer programs!"
So, any instrument purchased from this collection of vintage and used instruments at CME will be an investment in the future of music—not only for the buyer of each instrument but for music students, too—that puts other instruments in the hands of the next generation of music makers!"
A “Game Changer”
“It’s very rare that we get a collection of premium instruments,” Gibson said. “Sometimes we get a keyboard that’s been sitting around, lots of drum sets, old clarinets, maybe a rusty flute—then, we have a world-class in-house repair shop that can fix any instrument, so they’ll get any instrument suitable for a student player ‘up to snuff.’ But, this collection is a total game changer for us.
“So, I called my friend Coy Bowles from the Zac Brown Band—he actually happens to be a former student of mine—since he’s really into guitars and a collector, himself, to say we’ve got this collection of guitars coming in. We were looking for someone that really knew what these things were, and what the value of these instruments might really be. He got back to me, and as it happens, he was on a beach somewhere on vacation with Andrew [Yonke, Chicago Music Exchange’s CEO]. From there, it happened fast! CME was incredible about jumping right in and helping out. Now—here we are!”
STAY TUNED IN FOR EVERYTHING FROM THE GIFT OF MUSIC COLLECTION!
Stay tuned for more updates! Subscribe to our email list at the bottom of this page, give us a chat on our website, or follow us on Instagram, our YouTube, and the Soundboard Blog for more on this one-of-a-kind collection. You will not want to miss the gear coming through this collection!
Check out the Gift of Music Collection, and learn how you can donate instruments to The Gift of Music Foundation, today!
SHOP GIFT OF MUSIC COLLECTION AT CME
Related Posts
Reverend | CME Exclusive Double Agent OG Battleship Gray
Man your sonic battlestations and sail to victory with the newest CME Exclusive Reverend Guitar! The Reverend Double Agent OG in CME Exclusive Battleship Gray is a hard charging rocker that evokes the earliest days of the electric guitar revolution, all with the modern tone-bending twists that players can expect when they pick up a guitar that says “Reverend” on the headstock!
Read more
Bad Cat | Mark Sampson Mod Shop Black Cat 30
The iconic Bad Cat Black Cat returns—reimagined by legendary amp designer Mark Sampson. Hand-built in California, the new Mod Shop Black Cat 30 blends boutique tone with modern features, including EL84 power, two channels, lush reverb, and vintage tremolo. This limited-edition combo is the first release from Bad Cat’s Mod Shop series—and it's available now at Chicago Music Exchange.
Read more
Ibanez | Summer 2025 Electric Guitars
Discover the latest 2025 Ibanez guitars at Chicago Music Exchange—your destination for cutting-edge electric guitar innovation, shred-ready performance, and legendary craftsmanship. From iconic RG and AZ models to bold new designs, the 2025 Ibanez lineup delivers next-gen features, sleek finishes, and high-performance specs built for today’s players. Be among the first to shop the newest Ibanez releases, available now at Chicago Music Exchange!
Read more