New Trombone

Hello! My name is Randall Smith. When I was 11 years old, I started playing trombone in my middle school band. Now, 15 years later, I am studying music at Brigham Young University-Idaho with an emphasis in trombone performance. A lot of people never believed I would get this far, and sometimes I didn't either, but thanks to supportive parents and great teachers, I'm still playing and loving it more than ever. 
Whe I was in high school, my parent helped me buy a used Bach 42-T (the horn in the picture). We got it on eBay, and it's seen me through two years of high school (including state solo competitioins and all state band), and four years of college. While at BYU-I, I've played in the symphony orchestra, Sound Alliance Jazz Band, Symphony Band, Jazz Combos, Salsa Band, and Chamber Brass ensembles. I've been on four performance tours with Sound Alliance and Symphony Band to New Mexico, Oregon, California, and Mexico. I've held principal/lead spots in all of these ensembles for most of my time here, and am now part of an elite brass quintet that will be participating in recording project to feature various student chamber ensembles. I have also played a full recital and participated in three solo competitions. Next week I will start playing second trombone in the Idaho Falls Symphony with my teacher, Dr. Bryce Mecham, playing first. I also teach private lessons to middle and high school students, and occasionally do clinics, masterclasses, or group lessons with band programs in the area on a volunteer basis. 
I'm in my last year of my undergrad now, and, as good as this horn has been for me up to now, it's time for an upgrade. I'm playing more demanding repertoire than before, and more of it. On top of that, I graduate later this year and will be auditioning for masters programs. It's would still be a decent horn for a lot of players, but as I've evolved as a player I've started to notice certain inconsistancies with the sound and response that other horns don't have, and the f valve is irreparably noisy.
The funds from this campaign will go toward the purchase of an S.E. Shires Chicago model trombone, which costs $4995 from Summerhays Music in Utah. The rest of the money will be used for one or more mouthpieces and possibly a double trombone case that will also allow me to carry my jazz horn (Yamaha 891-Z). I need funds for this purchase as soon as possible, preferrably within the next two weeks, as my brass quintet is set to record soon and I would like to sound the best that I can as soon as I can. (The spit valve also broke off my Strad today, which is not hard to get fixed, but still...).
I can't thank you enough for contributing! I like to be independent and I don't like asking for help, but I realized that if I don't ask, then I might not be able to meet my equipment needs, and at this point, that can be a pretty significant difference. In the future, I know I'll have a lot more people to thank than I have now, and, even if I don't remember your name, I will still alway be grateful to the help that you extended to me in my time of need. I will probably never be able to pay anyone back who contributes to this campaign, but I will try my best to pay it forward. Nobody gets anywhere without a little help. Today, it's me. Thanks to you, it wont always be.