My name is Stephon. I’m a 21-year-old student at Boston Conservatory working towards a B.M. in Percussion Performance. Covid-19 has taken my studies remote, and the instruments I used to practice on are behind locked doors. I have gotten a bitter taste of what my life would look like without access to my instrument. My work in marimba performance is a huge, missing part of my identity. It has become clear that I need to purchase my own instrument. Owning a marimba would allow me to work harder at my goal of creating music that celebrates Black and Queer identity. I feel that I have something to contribute to the representation of these communities in my field, and can not do that without an instrument. 
Please support this greatly needed representation in contemporary classical music.