We Believe Music Is for Everyone.
Not just those who can afford it.
It Starts at Age Five.
Carmine DiCesare was five years old when he first sat down at a piano. He doesn't remember deciding to love it — it just happened. For the next 30 years, that piano was always there. Through school, through life, through everything.
He was lucky, and he knew it. Lessons cost money. Pianos cost money. Space to practice costs money. Most families can't say yes to all three.
Years later, Carmine found an old guitar buried in a closet. A childhood relic — battered, untuned, the bridge nearly gone. He brought it to Guitar Center, hoping to get it fixed. “Not worth repairing,” they said. “Sell it. Someone can use it.”
So he listed it on Facebook Marketplace for $50.
A man came to pick it up. He didn't hand over cash. Instead, he explained: he ran a small organization. They collected instruments — the ones people had given up on — and gave them to students who needed them. “I can offer you a tax write-off,” he said, “and I'll promise you this: a kid gets a guitar.”
Carmine took the write-off.
And he drove home thinking about all the pianos in the world that nobody wanted anymore — and all the kids who would give anything to have one.
“Financial barriers should never silence a future musician.”
That conviction became 88 Again. Named for the 88 keys of a standard piano — because every key matters, and no note should go unplayed.
88 Again rescues pianos and instruments, restores them, and places them — free of charge — with students and families who've never been able to say yes to music before. Not because music is a privilege. Because music is a right.
Three Commitments. Every Instrument. Every Time.
ACCESS
Music education should never depend on a family's zip code or bank account. We remove the financial barrier — completely.
RESPECT
Every instrument we receive is treated with care. Every student we serve is treated with dignity.
COMMUNITY
This only works because people show up for each other. The volunteer who tunes. The donor who gives. The student who plays. We are all 88 Again.
We'll Take Almost Anything That Makes a Sound.
Our primary focus is pianos — upright, grand, digital — but we welcome all instruments in need of a new home.
Pianos
- Upright pianos
- Baby grand pianos
- Digital pianos
- Electronic keyboards
- Player pianos (non-functional)
Other Instruments
- Acoustic & electric guitars
- Bass guitars
- Violins & strings
- Brass & woodwinds
- Drums & percussion
- Ukuleles & banjos
Not sure if we can take yours? Just ask. We'd rather say yes than see an instrument go to waste.
This Mission Moves Because People Like You Show Up.
Volunteer your time. Donate an instrument. Give what you can. Every action counts.