WWII Veteran's French Horn Donated to Colorado School Band

A family heirloom finds new life inspiring the next generation of student musicians.

Apr. 14, 2026 at 12:52am

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A hazy, impressionistic photograph showing the shadowy outline of a French horn against a blurred, dreamlike background, evoking a sense of history and the passing of time.A donated French horn once played by a WWII veteran now inspires the next generation of student musicians.Broomfield Today

A World War II Navy veteran's French horn has found a new home with the band program at Jefferson Academy Secondary School in Broomfield, Colorado, after being donated by his daughter Janice Shannon. The horn, which the veteran played throughout his life, is now being used by seventh-grade students, including 12-year-old Ethan Glenn, who says it has inspired him to pursue playing the more advanced double horn.

Why it matters

Donations of musical instruments are critical for school band programs like the one at Jefferson Academy, which added band as a new classroom subject this year but lacks sufficient instruments for all interested students to try. The donation of the veteran's French horn not only provides an instrument for students to use, but also connects them to the rich history and legacy of the horn's previous owner.

The details

Janice Shannon decided to donate her late father's French horn after seeing a news segment about Rocky Mountain Music Repair's instrument donation drive. Her father, a WWII Navy veteran, had played the horn throughout his life, first learning on a loaned instrument in high school and later purchasing his own horn at age 58. Shannon had kept the horn displayed in her home after her father's passing, but felt it was time to let it go and give it a new life inspiring the next generation of musicians.

  • Janice Shannon saw the news segment about the instrument donation drive in December 2025.
  • Shannon's father played the French horn throughout his life, from high school until shortly before his death at age 89.

The players

Janice Shannon

The daughter of the World War II Navy veteran who donated her father's French horn to the Jefferson Academy band program.

Ethan Glenn

A 12-year-old seventh-grade student at Jefferson Academy who is now playing the donated French horn, which has inspired him to pursue playing the more advanced double horn.

Laura Wiarda

The director of instrumental music at Jefferson Academy, who won the donated French horn during a competition and was moved by the letter Shannon included with the instrument detailing its history.

Rocky Mountain Music Repair

The music shop that organized the instrument donation drive that led to the French horn being placed with the Jefferson Academy band program.

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What they’re saying

“God tugged on my heart strings, and I knew it was time for me to let it go, and it was going to go to such a good place.”

— Janice Shannon

“I read it to the class, and I cried, of course. So every time I bring it up, I'm like, 'Hey, remember that letter I read and I cried to you?'”

— Laura Wiarda, Director of Instrumental Music, Jefferson Academy

“I played this for a little bit, and it inspired me to get my own because I felt that I was ready to move on with like, another step and playing French horn from going to a single to a double. It's changed my life in a lot of ways.”

— Ethan Glenn, 7th Grade Student, Jefferson Academy

What’s next

Janice Shannon plans to visit the Jefferson Academy band class to share more about her father's history with the French horn and inspire the students to carry on its legacy.

The takeaway

This heartwarming story highlights the power of musical instrument donations to not only provide resources for school programs, but also to bridge generational divides and connect students to the rich histories and personal legacies behind the instruments they play.