Skip to main content

4544 N Lincoln Ave Chicago, IL | (773) 751-3398 | End of Summer price drops! | Instrument rentals are easy at Old Town:

Rent here!
Menu
(773) 751-3398

Donations

The Old Town School of Folk Music is a true non-profit community school of the arts, and 100% of every donation through the Old Town School Music Store supports our life-shaping group and private lessons, community outreach, and Wiggleworms children's classes. Donating your playable used instruments at the Old Town School Music Store is the most direct and simple way to turn your old gear into the future of the arts in Chicago, with all proceeds directly funding the Old Town School of Folk Music—exactly the same as a monetary donation, and just as genuinely appreciated.

Donate to the Old Town School!

Make a one-time donation to The Old Town School of Folk Music here. From our crew to yours, thank you.
Donate Here

How to Donate Instruments

You can drop off your donation at our Lincoln Square Location anytime during store hours, 7 days a week! We'll fill out a brief digital donation form, and email you a receipt—the whole process takes about 5 minutes. Condition: Your instrument and/or gear definitely needs to be in functional condition. If you have questions about the condition of your stuff, you can stop into our 4544 N. Lincoln Ave. location and we can help you evaluate it. In some instances, usually based on an item's condition, we may not be able to take your donation in, but we'll do the best we can.

What can I donate?

We are primarily a stringed instrument shop, but love all types of used & vintage instruments and gear from all over the world: acoustic guitars and electric guitars and basses, banjos, mandolins, percussion, horns, pedals, dulcimers, flutes, harps, sitars, and more. What about my piano or organ? We are not taking donations of pianos or organs at this time. If you have a large item (other than a piano or organ), or a number of items we ask that you first contact us by phone at (773) 751-3398. Why and how do I value my own gear for tax purposes? The Old Town School of Folk Music is a registered 501c3 non-profit. If you want to use your in-kind donation as a deduction for your taxes, you will set the value of the donated item yourself. You can easily find ballpark fair market values on numerous used music gear websites online, like Reverb. Thanks for your support!

Donate your banjo to the Black Banjo Reclamation Project!

Music Moves Chicago and the Black Banjo Reclamation Project are accepting banjo donations to help build our inventory for community programming and to potentially distribute banjos to Black folks in need at reduced rates and in some cases, free of charge as part of our training and granting programs.

Through this work, we aim to increase access to the instrument, support cultural connection, and uplift Black musicians, craftspeople and luthiers through training and community engagement.

We are doing this to repair, reconnect, heal and learn from our own traditions of the banjo, an instrument with its origins on the African continent.

How it works

Step One Pack up your new, used, broken banjo, or individual parts and materials.

Step Two Drop off your donation off at one of the two locations!

Old Town School’s Lincoln Square Music Store

4544 N Lincoln Ave, Chicago, IL 60625

Anytime during store hours, 7 days a week!

Monday-Thursday 11am-8pm

Friday & Saturday 11am-5pm

Sunday 11am-4pm

or

Chicago Art Department

1926 S Halsted St, Chicago, IL 60608

Every 3rd Sunday from 1pm- 3pm

Step Three Fill out a brief digital donation form and we will email you a receipt—the whole process takes about 5 minutes.

questions? email musicmoves@oldtownschool.org

for more oldtownschool.store/donations and @musicmoveschi on instagram

Donating is simple!