Stealing music is a crime as perplexing as it is devastating for all the people in Trail who are, and will continue to be, impacted by the crime.
“It’s two very well-loved community music programs that are affected here,” began Nicole Cameron, a mentor in the Trail After School Band Program. “If it was just my stuff, that would be bad, but this is impacting other people, and I am just devastated by it.”
A brass saxophone, weighing about 30 pounds and stored in a beat-up black case, was stolen from the trunk of Cameron’s car, sometime after 10 p.m. Sunday night in West Trail.
“I’m usually so careful about bringing everything in because we’ve had theft around here,” said Cameron, mentioning her house is above Daniel Street. “But it was that one time I got home, it was around 10 at night and I thought it’s secure in the trunk, I’ll get it in the morning.”
Her vehicle was parked in the family’s driveway, and she is certain the doors were locked.
“I’ve got keyless entry and the car locks itself when you walk away if you forget to lock it, so there is no way my car was unlocked,” explained Cameron.
“The only thing that even alerted me that the car had been broken into was they left my glove compartment open. Somehow they got in there without damaging the car.”
Adding to the loss of the baritone sax, which was on-borrow from the kids music program run in the Trail Alliance Church, were pages and pages of old music that is not replaceable.
“There are over 400 sheets of music from the SwingSationS band program that I can’t replace, because a lot of it is from the early 1900’s and just not made anymore,” said Cameron.
“I’m worried that once the thief saw it was just music, they might have chucked it. I’ve been out walking and looking all morning to see if I can find it.”
The music was held in a hand-quilted Harry Potter bag, as was a blue leather Rossland Secondary School band folder, and two paper folders full of jazz music.
“I had my personal Grade 12 musicianship band award in there,” Cameron said. “You know, stuff like that is just sentimental and I kept it all together because it was special to me.”
The baritone sax is a large brass instrument that was held in a black case, worn with one side showing its wood frame.
“It’s huge, so somebody had to have seen something,” said Cameron. “But the biggest thing is that we want the recovery of the music. So the more eyes we can put on this, the more likely we might get it back.”
The music is so important to SwingSationS, that the big-band musicians are offering a $100 reward for its safe return.
Additionally, Cameron says she’s called all the music stores she could track down, some as far as Vancouver, to keep an eye out for the instrument.
Band programs are shrinking, so there isn’t a high demand for a baritone sax these days, she added.
“As far as I understand, it is rare to see, so if someone sees one, please report it.”
Cameron has reported the theft to police and anyone with information is urged to call the Trail RCMP at 250.364.2566.
