Students at Cullman Middle School who may be unable to afford a musical instrument have a chance to learn how to play thanks to a donation Wednesday from Ray and Benton Buchmann.

The Buchmanns have been donating instruments to the school since 2014. This year’s donation was a new trumpet that will hopefully enable a student to learn how to play the instrument who otherwise wouldn’t be able to, Benton said. 

Assistant Band Director Doug Teuscher said he and Band Director Linda Bean are happy to receive the instruments every year, and they get put to good use by band members.

“We’re really grateful for the donation,” he said to the Buchmanns. “What y’all have done in the past has helped us out a lot, so we appreciate it.”

He said the donated instruments are mainly used by students who want to learn how to play but may not be able to afford to buy or lease one at the time.

“It helps us build an inventory in the band room of stuff that we can have students play,” Teuscher said. “Most of the students get their own instruments, but sometimes that’s not possible, so we have stuff like this so we can teach them and get them learning so they can save up for one later.”

Music runs in the family for Ray, as his father had an orchestra that played at events all around Cullman, and his mother met his father after she was hired as a piano player.

After the instruments were no longer in use, the Buchmanns sold them and turned that money around to buy instruments that they donate to CMS every year, Benton said. 

“All those instruments were just sitting there and no one ever played them,” she said.

Since starting their donations in 2014, the Buchmanns have continued donating an instrument every year, and they don’t plan on stopping their donations any time soon.

“We’re going to give as long as we’re here,” Benton said.