ELKHART — The young musicians in Kingston, Jamaica, had instruments, a band director and a place to practice. The only thing missing was uniforms.

In 2004, Kenneth Dye, director of University of Notre Dame bands, sent instruments to the band in the impoverished city of Kingston, to help the young musicians stay focused and not fall prey to the crime and drugs surrounding the area.

The band’s story is posted on Notre Dame’s band Web site, which caught the eye of Alan Troyer, a longtime Concord High School band parent.

"One day I was surfing the Net and the Notre Dame band Web site and saw that this Jamaica Band needed new uniforms," Troyer said.

Knowing that Concord recently received new uniforms and was having difficulty disposing of their old ones, Troyer contacted Concord High School and then Dye, and the rest is history.

About 200 fairly clean white and green uniforms were shipped to Jamaica for the band’s 60 members.

"We were really trying to find someone who could use them," said Concord Band Director Gay Burton. "We were just thrilled. That’s a nice way for them (the uniforms) to live on."

Since Dye first went to Jamaica in 2004, the band there has become more established, he said. They have new instruments, he said, and now they have new uniforms they can dress up.

"The kids down there have so many things that can lead them astray as far as gangs and drugs," Dye said. "(The band) gets them into the community center where they learn other skills, like reading, writing and hotel management skills."

Several attempts to reach Fabian Brown, director of the band in Kingston, were unsuccessful.

Courtesy of The South Bend Tribune