Acoustic Freight Train Instrument Donation (AFT-ID) collects gently used and new musical instruments and donates them to children, schools and other organizations. We believe that music changes lives and we are committed to keeping the spirit of music alive in our communities throughout Oklahoma.
Can you tell us how and why you started your business?
In 2020 we were approached by a family who had a family member pass away. This individual was a drummer, and the family wanted to pass their drum kit along to a young person who would benefit from having this musical instrument. The drummer in our band (Acoustic Freight Train), Danny DeVore, had spoken to a woman who had a daughter who was a drummer, but they could not afford to purchase a drum kit. Danny reconnected with this woman, and we were able to set up time to award this drum kit to her daughter. When we awarded the kit, we asked this young woman to play for us… she did and she was an excellent drummer. At that point we realized that we needed to execute this sharing of unused musical instruments at scale. We formed a team, applied for our 501C3 status and Acoustic Freight Train Instrument Donation was born from a simple act of sharing the gift of music to empower youth.
What services do you provide within the music industry?
We collect gently used and new musical instruments and donate them to individuals, schools and other community organizations to empower youth through the power of music.
How has your company grown to meet the needs of Oklahoma’s music industry over the last 3-5 years?
We were established in 2020 and over the past five years we have grown to address the needs of 38 schools in Oklahoma and many other organizations. We have awarded ~$500,000 (retail value) of instruments in Oklahoma as well as other states. The key to our organization is educators who help us identify individuals with the talent and the need to match the right instrument to the right awardee. These are our Melody Matchmakers and they are critical to our organization’s success. We have also established key partnerships across Oklahoma’s rich musical landscape including Jana Jae, American Heritage Music Festival, Bob Dylan Center (Tangled up in Tunes), Woody Guthrie Center, Church Studio, Tulsa Boy’s Home, Tulsa Girl’s Home, El Centro, Oklahoma Performing Arts (OPA), Brut Hotel, American Veterans Motorcycle Club (Riverwalk Rally), The Real Heroes of Childhood Cancer Benefit, Girls Rock! Tulsa, Street School, Tulsa Peoples Orchestra, Transylvanian Symphony Foundation, Tulsa Guitar Company, The Music Store, Oklahoma Pianos and more.
What are the benefits of basing your company’s operations in Oklahoma?
Oklahoma has a rich musical history, heritage and future. AFT-ID is a key catalyst for empowering the future of music in Oklahoma. We are proud to be a part of this future and witness the talent of Oklahoma “come-alive” with the access to musical instruments to ignite creativity in Oklahoma. Music provides multifaceted benefits and is key for the economic development of Oklahoma. The music industry fuels jobs, festivals, concerts and tourism. Music also fuels education (beyond music) and when individuals are involved in music, school attendance rates rise, test scores increase as well as civic engagement. Music is a win-win for Oklahoma, and AFT-ID is proud to contribute to this critical creative ecosystem for the future of Oklahoma.
What would you consider your business’s greatest accomplishment to date?
Establishing the ecosystem of partners, Melody Matchmakers, Ambassadors and Advocates that help AFT-ID scale our reach across Oklahoma has helped us create a sustainable team that enable the collection, repair and awarding of musical instruments throughout Oklahoma. The mission is simple: AFT-ID empowers youth through the power of music by giving musical instruments a second life. AFT-ID is simply a conduit that amplifies the charity and greatness of individuals and organizations across Oklahoma. Those who donate instruments and those who help us identify deserving candidates for awards are the fuel that keeps this train a rolling!
Are there any recent successes your company would like to highlight related to work within the Oklahoma music industry?
In the fall of 2025, AFT-ID partnered with the Bob Dylan Center’s Tangled up in Tunes program to award 25 ukuleles to John Hope Franklin Elementary’s third grade class. Through a generous donation from Matt & Renee Griffin and a discount from Trey Johnson at Tulsa Guitar, AFT-ID was able to purchase 25 Ukuleles to empower this classroom of emerging musicians in partnership with the education provided via the Bob Dylan Center’s Tangled up in Tunes program. A tremendous outcome that helped empower these third graders through the efforts of donors, educators, musicians and organizational partnerships.
What are you working on now/next?
AFT-ID has established three programs that are our focus for 2026. These are our Advocates, Melody Matchmakers and Ambassadors. Each of these represent critical individuals who help scale the AFT-ID organization to award more instruments and empower more youth in Oklahoma.
Advocates: Individauls who represent AFT-ID in regions across Oklahoma. These individuals are responsible for the entire lifecycle of raising awareness of AFT-ID, collecting musical instrument donations, working with local music stores and repair facilities to complete repairs, working with schools and other community organizations and educators to identity the right students for awards (Melody Matchmakers) and most importantly awarding the instruments. AFT-ID has advocates in Tulsa, Oklahoma City and Northeastern Oklahoma. We are seeking individuals who are passoinate about music to be AFT-ID advocates in Southeast & Southwest Oklahoma. Our goal is to grow to have advocates for every school system in Oklahoma!
Melody Matchmakers: Educators who help the AFT-ID team identify awardees based on talent and needs for musical instruments. These relationships help us provide initial awards for beginner instruments but also help the AFT-ID monitor the growth of these students to “play it forward” and upgrade these initial instruments to intermediate, advanced and professional levels. Rachel Shoemaker (Melody Matchmaker) recently connected AFT-ID with a highly talented college sophomore and AFT-ID awarded a saxophone with a retail value of $24,000! Our goal is to have a Melody Matchmaker in every school in Oklahoma.
Ambassadors: Individuals in the Oklahoma music community who help to socialize and connect AFT-ID to organizations, schools, educators and potential awardees. These individuals are the evangelizers of the AFT-ID mission and are keeping the vision alive to help us scale awards to more and more deserving individuals.
What is your goal/vision for the future of your company?
By 2030, AFT-ID will be known across the state of Oklahoma and in ALL music segments as THE SOURCE for providing musical instruments to schools and underprivileged youth. In our first five years, we’ve established AFT-ID as a key resource for the Oklahoma Music Community.
In the next five years we’ll systematize our impact to improve:
- The quality of instruments awarded
- Alignment of instruments to awardees
- Our impact on the community
What advice do you have for others who are considering starting a music business in Oklahoma?
Narrow your goals, develop the partnerships required to expand your reach, focus on those you serve and enjoy the journey. Music in Oklahoma is rewarding and fun! We have a great music community in Oklahoma.
What opportunities do you believe await Oklahoma’s music industry in the future?
Each featured individual or business is given the provided questions to answer in their own voice. Other than formatting and grammar, the answers are personal to each featured voice, and are not provided by the Oklahoma Film + Music Office.
