Sound Achievement Foundation · 501(c)(3) · Virginia Beach, Virginia

Instrument Donation Request

Prepared for The Tuba Exchange · Durham, North Carolina

The Credential Case

Who We Are · Who We Serve

A Tuba Player Asking For Tubas

  • United States Marine Corps tuba player — 2nd Marine Division Band, Camp Lejeune, and 3rd Marine Aircraft Wing Band, Miramar.
  • Graduate of the Armed Forces School of Music, Little Creek, Norfolk, Virginia — Music Basic, February 20 to July 19, 2001. The Joint Services Transcript records ACE-recommended college credit in Music Theory (6 SH), Applied Performance (2 SH), Ear Training and Sight Singing (2 SH), and Jazz Theory and Improvisation Performance (1 SH).
  • Marine Corps MOS 5524 Musician and MOS 5547 Musician, Tuba — the tuba was the assigned primary instrument of record. Separated as Corporal (E-4). Transcript available on request.
  • Carried a sousaphone on parade decks, in ceremonial formations, and on the march for the United States Marine Corps — the exact instrument at the top of this request.
  • Now Chairman of the organizations asking. Every horn in this manifest goes to a scholar whose path he has already walked.

501(c)(3)

Sound Achievement Foundation

IRS determination issued 11/17/2025 · EIN 46-2223835 · exemption effective 11/2/2025 · contributions deductible

Fiscally Sponsored

NACPA

Virginia nonprofit incorporated 01/20/2026 — fiscally sponsored by the Sound Achievement Foundation, so every gift flows through SAF's 501(c)(3) and is fully deductible

240+

Scholars Served (Program Year)

Future Legends enrollment across Hampton Roads sites

18

Chartered School Programs

High school and collegiate ensembles under VB-CAF 27 charter

3

Regional Rehearsal Sites

Pretlow Maker Studio · Ocean View Beach Park · East Ocean View Community Center

VB-CAF 2027

Festival Reach

Virginia Beach Competitive Arts Festival — statewide institutional draw

Every Scholar Is Measured, Not Just Enrolled

The SPI (Standardized Performance Index) scores every scholar from recorded signal — pitch, timing, ensemble alignment — with no audience opinion in the loop. A donated sousaphone does not disappear into a closet; it appears in a scholar's measured progression that we can report back to the donor by name and by instrument.

The Triad of Student Agency

Three pillars — Performance Mindset (psychology), The Artist's Code (philosophy), The Community Contract (sociology) — developed with a VBCPS educator and backed formally by SAF. Instruments enter a curriculum, not an activity.

A Feeder-To-Premiere Pipeline

Future Legends scholars advance into chartered school ensembles, the NACPA collegiate discipline, and VSOTB — the professional ensemble that anchors the SOUND OFF VIRGINIA tour. An instrument donated today plays across every rung of that ladder.

Library-Card Access Requirement

Every library-based participant holds a valid Virginia library card, with parental signatures for minors. The program is built for scholars who would otherwise never hold a horn — the population Tuba Exchange's donation program exists to reach.

Instrument Request Manifest · 374 units

Full Thorough Estimate — Every Section

Low Brass

Priority
Sousaphone (BBb, fiberglass or brass)Highest need across all sites16
Marching Baritone / Euphonium10
Concert Tuba (BBb, 3/4 or 4/4)Indoor / pit doubling4
Concert Euphonium4

Marching Percussion — Battery

Priority
Marching Snare Drum (14") with carrier12
Tenor Drums (quads/quints) with carrier8
Marching Bass Drums (matched set, 5 sizes)Sets of 5 — 15 drums total3
Marching Cymbals (18"–20" pairs)8
Drum Carriers / Harnesses (replacement)20
Practice Pads (snare / tenor)30

Marching Percussion — Front Ensemble / Pit

Priority
Marimba (4.3 or 4.5 octave)3
Vibraphone (3 octave, motor)3
Xylophone (3.5 octave)2
Glockenspiel / Orchestra Bells2
Concert Bass Drum (36"–40") with stand2
Concert Snare Drum2
Timpani (set of 4)1
Suspended Cymbals & Gongs / Tam-Tam4
Drum Kit (5-piece, hardware included)2
Auxiliary Percussion (rack, shakers, blocks, chimes)Complete kits3
Mallets & Sticks (assorted bulk)Bulk lot1

High Brass

Trumpet (Bb)20
Mellophone (marching F)10
French Horn (double)4
Trombone (tenor)12
Bass Trombone2

Woodwinds

Flute12
Piccolo2
Clarinet (Bb)14
Bass Clarinet2
Alto Saxophone10
Tenor Saxophone6
Baritone Saxophone2
Oboe2
Bassoon2

Orchestral Strings & Rhythm

Violin (full and fractional)12
Viola4
Cello4
Double Bass (3/4)2
Electric Bass with amplifier3
Electric / Acoustic Guitar4
Digital Piano / Keyboard (88-key weighted)3

Cases, Stands & Consumables

Hard Cases (matched to donated horns)As available1
Music Stands (folding)60
Mouthpieces (brass, assorted)40
Reeds, Valve Oil, Slide Grease, Drum HeadsBulk lot1

What Tuba Exchange Receives

The Partnership Offer

Represented At VB-CAF 2027

Tuba Exchange is named as Official Instrument Partner of the Virginia Beach Competitive Arts Festival — presence on the festival floor, recognition in the printed program, on the CAEN broadcast, and in every chartered director's packet.

A Banner In The Rehearsal Facility

A permanent Tuba Exchange banner hung in the program's rehearsal facility, seen by every scholar, director, and family that walks through the door — and in every rehearsal frame CAEN captures.

Named Instrument Reporting

Each donated instrument is logged to a scholar and tracked through the SPI. Tuba Exchange receives an annual report showing exactly which horns are in whose hands and how those scholars are progressing.

Tour Visibility

Donated instruments travel with the ensembles on the SOUND OFF VIRGINIA tour across the Commonwealth — Tuba Exchange credited at every stop.

Jermal McMillan · Chairman, J M McMillan Enterprises, Inc. · USMC Veteran, 2nd Marine Division Band and 3rd MAW Band · Graduate, Armed Forces School of Music

Sound Achievement Foundation — IRS determination issued November 17, 2025 · EIN 46-2223835 · exemption effective November 2, 2025 · contributions deductible under IRC Section 170. NACPA is fiscally sponsored by SAF; all gifts are received and receipted under SAF's 501(c)(3).

Determination letter, certificates of incorporation, and military transcripts available on request.