Help Anai Buy a Bassoon for University
Donation protected
Hello Everyone,
I am Anai Roca, an incoming sophomore who attends college in Fort Myers, Florida. Unfortunately, I do not want to disclose of the school name in this general post for privacy reasons, but I will be more than happy to provide better information in a private message! I’ve been playing bassoon for about 3 years now, and I’ve been hit with an unexpected and unfortunate situation with my college. Just as a backstory of who I am… I am a First Generation student. My parents emigrated here from Peru and Guatemala! I contribute my musical talent to my father’s side where my whole family plays an instrument or sings! Among my family, I am the first to play proficiently every instrument in a Concert Band ensemble. This positively benefits me and my future goal of becoming a Music Professor. Unfortunately, my parents are still iffy about the idea of me studying music as they say it’s rather unstable… So I’ve managed to acquire music scholarships and a working position at my school so that I can graduate debt free! Yet with that, there was a loophole. My scholarship is only covered in the Fall and Spring. This semester, I have to pay out of pocket for my tuition. On top of that, I just received news that I am not able to rent out my instrument over the summer. No exceptions.
This would really set me back as I’d go the whole summer without practicing. It’s been about 3 weeks, and I fear that I have already lost a lot my chops. The answer I got from the school was that “most students buy their own instruments.” I feel as if this is unfair as I play a professional model Fox bassoon that costs $13,000. That is not as attainable as another professional model instrument. No exceptions can be made. I’m supposed to come into the Fall 2025 Semester being better than last semester, yet without the instrument. In the Spring, I took on a big challenge to play the Allegro from the “Mozart Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major” for my recital, and the Andante Me Adagio from the same concerto for my Jury. I received A’s across the board in both my performance and on my jury. I play first chair in my concert band. This last concert season, I have had the privilege of playing the very popular orchestral bassoon repertoires solo from Modest Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Il Vecchio Castello. I’ve also dabbled in trombone for my jazz ensemble… And sang in both choirs my school offers, including an advanced one! I’ve played with my home county’s Concert Band, the Charlotte County Concert Band. I was the only high schooler who played with them for a couple of their programs.
As I previously stated, I am working a lot at my school to make some money, but it’s not enough to buy a bassoon and pay for my tuition. I actually felt rather rude coming on here to ask for help, but this is just simply not something that I can do. This whole schooling process I am doing by myself. It’s a lot to navigate sometimes, but I am still able to receive amongst the highest test grades in my music classes.
I don’t want my fellow community to pay for my instrument entirely, so with the spare money that I get from my job… It will be going towards my savings and for buying the bassoon. I have worked really hard these last two semesters and I am really discouraged that my faculty at my school has decided on something that makes all that hard work irrelevant. I am afraid I will lose my progress. This is the instrument that will get me through undergraduate school, and as I am super careful with my instruments… Hopefully it can serve me in Postgraduate school as well.
I would really appreciate any donations of any amount. ANYTHING helps. Absolutely anything would help me in my situation right now. If not donations, then a simple sharing of the link would mean the world to me as well!
I would like to thank those individuals ahead of time who will feel so inclined to help me out. I really appreciate your contribution to a young musician. I truly love my musician and bassoonists community. We’re all in in this together!
Thank you so much for your time,
Muchisimas Gracias por tú tiempo,
Anai
I am Anai Roca, an incoming sophomore who attends college in Fort Myers, Florida. Unfortunately, I do not want to disclose of the school name in this general post for privacy reasons, but I will be more than happy to provide better information in a private message! I’ve been playing bassoon for about 3 years now, and I’ve been hit with an unexpected and unfortunate situation with my college. Just as a backstory of who I am… I am a First Generation student. My parents emigrated here from Peru and Guatemala! I contribute my musical talent to my father’s side where my whole family plays an instrument or sings! Among my family, I am the first to play proficiently every instrument in a Concert Band ensemble. This positively benefits me and my future goal of becoming a Music Professor. Unfortunately, my parents are still iffy about the idea of me studying music as they say it’s rather unstable… So I’ve managed to acquire music scholarships and a working position at my school so that I can graduate debt free! Yet with that, there was a loophole. My scholarship is only covered in the Fall and Spring. This semester, I have to pay out of pocket for my tuition. On top of that, I just received news that I am not able to rent out my instrument over the summer. No exceptions.
This would really set me back as I’d go the whole summer without practicing. It’s been about 3 weeks, and I fear that I have already lost a lot my chops. The answer I got from the school was that “most students buy their own instruments.” I feel as if this is unfair as I play a professional model Fox bassoon that costs $13,000. That is not as attainable as another professional model instrument. No exceptions can be made. I’m supposed to come into the Fall 2025 Semester being better than last semester, yet without the instrument. In the Spring, I took on a big challenge to play the Allegro from the “Mozart Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major” for my recital, and the Andante Me Adagio from the same concerto for my Jury. I received A’s across the board in both my performance and on my jury. I play first chair in my concert band. This last concert season, I have had the privilege of playing the very popular orchestral bassoon repertoires solo from Modest Mussorgsky “Pictures at an Exhibition,” Il Vecchio Castello. I’ve also dabbled in trombone for my jazz ensemble… And sang in both choirs my school offers, including an advanced one! I’ve played with my home county’s Concert Band, the Charlotte County Concert Band. I was the only high schooler who played with them for a couple of their programs.
As I previously stated, I am working a lot at my school to make some money, but it’s not enough to buy a bassoon and pay for my tuition. I actually felt rather rude coming on here to ask for help, but this is just simply not something that I can do. This whole schooling process I am doing by myself. It’s a lot to navigate sometimes, but I am still able to receive amongst the highest test grades in my music classes.
I don’t want my fellow community to pay for my instrument entirely, so with the spare money that I get from my job… It will be going towards my savings and for buying the bassoon. I have worked really hard these last two semesters and I am really discouraged that my faculty at my school has decided on something that makes all that hard work irrelevant. I am afraid I will lose my progress. This is the instrument that will get me through undergraduate school, and as I am super careful with my instruments… Hopefully it can serve me in Postgraduate school as well.
I would really appreciate any donations of any amount. ANYTHING helps. Absolutely anything would help me in my situation right now. If not donations, then a simple sharing of the link would mean the world to me as well!
I would like to thank those individuals ahead of time who will feel so inclined to help me out. I really appreciate your contribution to a young musician. I truly love my musician and bassoonists community. We’re all in in this together!
Thank you so much for your time,
Muchisimas Gracias por tú tiempo,
Anai
Organizer
Anai Roca
Organizer
Fort Myers, FL