Instruments donated to LynnArts after break-in

LYNN – A week after burglars made off with thousands of dollars worth of musical instruments and accessories, music once again filled the LynnArts building as kids unwrapped guitars donated by a local pawn shop.”It’s amazing, just the outpouring of kindness and concern shown from our community and outside the community,” said Doreen Murray, music director of Building Bridges Through Music. “I’m trying to hold back tears, but they just come on their own.”Police said initial reports suggest that burglars broke into the LynnArts building at 25 Exchange St. sometime overnight Jan. 5 and vandalized and ransacked multiple artist studios, storage areas and performance spaces in the building.Thieves also made off with eight of Building Bridges’ 12 guitars, more than five laptops, a keyboard, amplifiers and other equipment. The equipment and musical instruments had been donated to the after-school program, which uses music to help kids improve academic skills, creativity and social-skill development.Michael Goldstein, the CEO of Empire Loan, said he saw the story of the break-in and knew he had to do something.”I had heard about the organization before … and when we found out they got robbed, I said we have to be very active in getting stuff to them,” Goldstein said.Pooling resources from the Empire Loan Charitable Foundation, the Lynn branch of the pawn shop, and a vintage guitar store that the company owns in Rhode Island, Goldstein presented the children with seven guitars (two bass guitars, one electric, two kid’s-size and two adult-size acoustic guitars), a laptop, an amplifier and a check for $500.”I love when kids are enthusiastic about a guitar,” Goldstein, an amateur pianist, said Wednesday. “I would love for one or two of the kids to have the guitar, no pun intended, resonate with them. Not all are going to be interested or probably become guitarists, but if they never hold a guitar, it will guarantee that will never happen. The only shot they have of getting into arts and music is getting exposure to it.”Certainly the guitars were embraced by the children.”How do you turn it up?” asked Jayveon, 7, as he adjusted the tuning pegs on an acoustic guitar. “I usually like drums because they make a loud crashing sound!”Music teacher Kellan Thomas said that the donation was actually an upgrade in equipment, noting that one of the donated bass guitars was the same model he uses when performing with his band.”I like to think these kids will go the same route and become working professional musicians like me, or better than me, hopefully,” Thomas said.Meanwhile, attendees at a Monday night meeting vowed better communication among the artist and downtown communities and Lynn Police after the break-in and two other recent incidents affecting artists’ property downtown.”I don’t believe the arts community is being persecuted or being singled out or targeted in any way,” said Emily Ruddock, director of the Downtown Lynn Cultural District and organizer of the meeting. “But this is a moment where we can really come together, hear from Lynn Police and talk about what we can do to take care of it and what to do when/if something happens.”Three events in recent months – a break-in at the Blood Building, vandalism of a Raw Art Works mural, and the break-in at LynnArts – prompted the community meeting Monday for downtown residents and local artists to speak with police about public safety concerns.Officers noted that crime in the downtown, and robberies in general, have decreased over the past few years. Lynn Police Sgt. Larry Wentzell said that even if there was just a perception that downtown was not safe, the issue should be addressed, according to notes of the meeting.”We know that (crime has gone down), but that doesn’t change the reality of someone who doesn’t feel safe walking downtown,” Ruddock said.One of the recommendations Ruddock said she found most helpful was that residents, artists, and businesses become more aware of their neighb