Instrument Donations & Student Programs

The staff and supporters of Collage are devoted to helping students acquire and keep music in their lives, and we accomplish this in multiple ways. We support school music programs with donations of instruments and audio equipment, which we also make available to individual graduating students with teacher recommendation. We have given away over 150 instruments, and some images of those donations are below.  

We also encourage adults to discover or rediscover the joy of making music, and have given instruments to Altadena fire survivors and others who lost theirs due to catastrophe. We offer small group music lessons, multiple free jam sessions per month, and are always looking for ways to invigorate the local and regional music community. 

Are you interested in helping us with this mission, either with your financial support or by volunteering to help? We’d love to hear from you - please send an email to richard@collageartculture.org if you’d like to join in, or donate at THIS LINK

Collage presented thirty guitars to POLA High School for their beginning guitar summer school class. Richard Foss of Collage is behind the students with teacher Wagner Trindade. 

Wolf Foss of Collage with Stella High teacher Chloe Resler and students showing nineteen brass and woodwind instruments donated on August 25th, 2025. This allows the school’s music program to start a concert band.

On September 30th, 2025, Collage donated ten guitars, two electric basses, a viola, trumpet, accordion, and seven amplifiers to the music department at Banning High School in Wilmington. In this picture, Mary Saunders and Richard Foss of Collage, center, pose with teachers Javier Ortiz and Ashley Sanchez and Banning students.

  • Instruments donations

    Richard Foss of Collage with Banning High School students on November 19th, wen the school received an upright bass, trumpet, cornet, viola, electric guitar, French horn, guitar stands, and instrument cables. 

  • San Pedro High teacher JJ Turner McMullen and Pirates Theater Booster Club leader Ilan Davidson receive three guitars from Collage’s Richard Foss on November 10th, 2025

  • Teacher De Monta Rab of Dominguez High School receives five keyboards and two stands on October 12th, 2025

  • San Pedro High student Isabella Trigas receives a guitar from Collage on October 11, 2025.


  • Mary Osuji receives a Yamaha violin from Richard Foss of Collage alongside her teacher, Chloe Resler, June 2025

  • Richard Foss with student Manuel Magana, who received an alto saxophone from Collage on May 28th, 2025.

  • Jon Poli of Collage with students Evangeline Year and Imanol Curiel, who received drum kits from Collage on May 28th, 2025.

  • Teacher Chloe Resler of Stella High Charter Academy receives an accordion for her school’s Mexican Music class

  • In this video, music teacher Mark Groner receives a 1918 Gibson mandolin on the sidelines of the Topanga Banjo & Fiddle contest.

  • Gail Kass, who lost a keyboard in the Altadena fires, receives one from Richard Foss at Collage on April 13th, 2025

  • Zara Manly receives a digital piano at Collage on 24 October 2024.

  • High school students Bella Guerrero and Abigail Marino receive guitars from Richard Foss of Collage on August 3rd, 2024

  • POLA High School student Adn Mosilhy receives a guitar from Richard Foss on July 22, 2024

    POLA High School student Adn Mosilhy receives a guitar from Richard Foss on July 22, 2024

  • Eric Guzman receives a guitar from Richard Foss on July 14

    Eric Guzman receives a guitar from Richard Foss on July 14, 2024

  • Juan Negrete Garcia receives a saxophone from Sara Kocher of Collage accompanied by teacher Carvell Holloway.

  • Andy Moreira Chavez receives a trumpet from Richard Foss of Collage.

  • Executive Director Richard Foss presents a set of PDP drums to Wilmington student Ricardo Agredano on 20 April 2024

  • CLICK HERE TO DONATE

  • Jesse Lowe receives a bass on January 9, 2024

  • Michelle Ortiz receives a guitar on December 27, 2023

  • The San Pedro High Garage Band Club receives a drum set on December 9, 2023

  • Receiving a violin was a family affair for Kami Sandoval

  • Cassidy Craig receives a guitar from Collage’s Communications Manager Sara Kocher

  • San Pedro High students, accompanied by teacher Mark Warnholz, receive seven guitars as Collage’s Executive Director Richard Foss looks on. 

  • Above: Rocko Garzon, who received a trumpet, plays a solo when sitting in with Bobby “Hurricane” Spencer and his band at Collage. 

  • San Pedro High students receive instruments from Collage’s Executive Director Richard Foss on November 16, 2023.

Above: Bryce Jeter, recipient of a tenor sax from Collage’s instrument donation program, with Richard Foss of Collage.

Watch our Giving Tuesday message from Collage’s Executive Director, Richard Foss

At the jazz jam on July 20th, Collage’s Executive Director Richard Foss presented instruments to two students - a violin to Leo Holler and a guitar to Addison Souza.

At the jazz jam on July 20th, Collage’s Executive Director Richard Foss presented instruments to two students - a violin to Leo Holler and a guitar to Addison Souza.

Instrument Donors and Sponsors

Collage is indebted to the generosity of John and Christine Campbell, who memorialized their son Josh Meyers by requesting donations to Collage in his memory. Below from left, George Woytovich of Collage, John and Christine, and Richard Foss of Collage with a saxophone that we purchased for a student.

To make a financial donation specifically in support of our instrument program, please click HERE. If you’d like to help in person with instrument sorting, evaluation, and organizing, join our volunteer list HERE.

 If you would be interested in partnering with us on this program, have questions, or would like to offer an instrument or monetary donation, please contact richard@collageartculture.org . Collage: A Place for Art & Culture is a California 501c3 Nonprofit, and all donations are tax deductible.