Re-Tune charity aims to collect instruments, donate them to children

A new charitable effort in Central Florida aims to place musical instruments in new loving homes with school children who need them.

Re-Tune is what Orlando realtor Marc George calls his project, which has its first benefit event Oct. 13 at the Iron Cow in Orlando's Milk District.

“I've always had a huge passion for music; it's been my safe place. I've been to hundreds or thousands of concerts in my life,” he said. “The emotion that I see that it invokes in people and myself is so powerful, it's like nothing else.”

George, who once ran a record label and plays instruments sometimes, previously helped to run toy drives before channeling his passion into this new organization.

“There's a lot of kids who are in these programs who have no ability to bring their instrument home, certainly not for an extended period of time,” he said. “We'll get some instruments, but we're primarily working on fundraising and awareness. If people are at a garage sale or something and you see an instrument in good working order, pick it up.”

While Re-Tune is just getting off the ground, George has already worked to make connections with local band directors and the

Orlando Philharmonic.

“The guitar director at Howard Middle School said, ‘Hey, you can have all these guitars over here,'” he said. “Already within the school system, there's a surplus of instruments in one school, so we're trying to figure out how to distribute those.”

After the group's initial fundraising event on Friday, which will feature Central Florida bands and DJs, George hopes to start getting instruments in the hands of students as soon as possible.

“There are instruments laying around houses and garages, and we can get people aware of how important a role music plays in kids' lives,” he said.

“In kids' lives, particularly today, in a social setting, they're not talking to each other. They're on their iPad or buried in a screen. Music is a social connection today that is getting lost in a virtual world.”

IF YOU GO

The Re-Tune contribution event opens at 6 p.m. Oct. 13 at 2438 E. Robinson St. in Orlando. Make a donation or contribute a musical instrument in working order for entry. The lineup includes

DJ BMF, Control This, Gerry Williams Trio, Atnarko, Lola B and St8ofkind. For more visit eventbrite.com.

MARC GEORGE Marc George, founder of Re-Tune, stands with Kennedy Rodeffer outside of Howard Middle School. Rodeffer, as well as her mom, were “instrumental” in connecting George with the band director to see which other schools might be in need of instruments.