Blacksburg Community Band Musical Instrument Fund

The Blacksburg Community Band has been a part of the NRV community since 1989, in no small part because of your support. We provide playing opportunities for local musicians from high-school age into their 80s!

Beyond our normal operating expenses, our "Reserve Fund" is for the purchase of musical instruments. While most of our musicians own and maintain their own instruments, all of our percussion equipment and some of the larger and more expensive instruments are owned by the band. 

Your donations to our Reserve Fund in 2025 helped us purchase a new timpani set.  For 2026 we are exploring two instruments that would add very special and unique sounds to our ensemble: A Vibraphone and an English Horn! 

But...what is a Vibraphone and an English horn??

Vibraphone: Approximate cost, $4000+. Often just called "vibes", it is a large keyboard-percussion instrument that looks similar to a xylophone.  It is played with cord-wrapped mallets that produce a metallic mellow sound, but what distinguishes vibes is a sustain pedal similar to the right-most pedal on a piano. When pressed it allows all of the bars to ring, but when lifted a felt pad presses against the bars from underneath to dampen the sound. It is a beautiful instrument, and it would be a very special addition to the heartbeat of our band, our percussion section!

English Horn: Varies greatly, can be $7000+, but we will look for good-quality used English horns that we hope to be much less! English horns are a member of the oboe family that are larger than the oboes that you see our oboists playing. Due partly to expense, English horns are fairly rare in community bands and are not commonly owned by musicians personally. But one of our current oboists is very interested in playing English Horn for us and it would add a very distinctive sound!

We truly appreciate the support that we have always received from our local community, and we hope that you will consider helping us with these special purchases by donating during Giving Day 2026 through #GiveLocalNRV!