An Instrumental Impact
January 30, 2025
As Gaston Malloy can tell you, every instrument has a story. In his case, he’s made sure the story is passed on with each donated instrument, over three decades, that he has personally refurbished and given to a child who would otherwise not be able to afford it. As he explains, “For all of the instruments that come to my house, I leave a note in the case that says, ‘If you receive this instrument freely, please send a letter to the person who donated it to say thanks.’” There are many people to thank in Mr. Malloy’s story about instruments–but none more so than Mr. Malloy himself. That is why we are delighted to share that he will be this year’s recipient of the Wheeler Community Spirit Award.
“All of this that has come about is somewhat of a surprise for me, because when I started to do this, I wasn’t looking for recognition,” he says. “I think if you’re in a position to do it–in my case pass on an instrument to someone else–you do it to the best of your ability because that’s going to be one child whose life you can impact.”
When he was a child, Mr. Malloy grew up in a small, segregated town in North Carolina, where, as this Providence Journal profile shares, he picked cotton alongside his parents and four siblings. “He joined his middle school’s band in sixth grade, hoping to learn to play the trumpet. But there weren’t enough to go around, so he wound up borrowing a taped-together trombone,” reporter Antonia Noori Farzan writes. “Against the odds, Malloy went on to have a successful, decades-long career playing and teaching music. And he’s lost count of how many instruments he’s fixed up and given to students who otherwise couldn’t afford them.”
“Music teaches you to use your own intellect to do better things, not only for your community, but for yourself,” Mr. Malloy reflects. “Music allows me to surprise myself. Sometimes I wonder how I got to this point where I can just pick up an instrument and play pretty much whatever I desire.”
To be able to pass along that love and appreciation of playing music–that’s the thing he appreciates more than anything else. ” One of the things that moved me was once, when we were having an instrument night, there was a lady who was sitting in front of me. She had three kids, her husband had walked out on her, and she didn’t have the funds to supply her child with an instrument. That’s where I was able to step in. I wanted to make sure that the child had an instrument and didn’t need to pay for it. It’s such an important role that you play, certainly with music, but also in people’s lives. I’m hoping that it made a difference.”
Wheeler’s director of equity, community, and belonging, Princess Bomba P’16, P’18, says he clearly made a difference to many people. “Mr. Malloy not only embodies the essence of the Community Spirit Award, he lives it!” she says.
Each year, the award recognizes a person in the Providence community who advocates for those with fewer opportunities. They are selected based on their efforts in four key areas: passion for equity and social justice, both locally and globally; appreciation for and promotion of the benefits of education; commitment to creating opportunities in the community for those who otherwise might not have a voice or an advocate; and resilience in the face of challenge and adversity.
“His entire life has been dedicated to educating, advocating for, and providing opportunity to those for whom access to music education would not have become a reality,” Ms. Bomba adds. “Our Wheeler community is honored to welcome a man who learned his powers and committed to being answerable for their use.”
Gaston Malloy will receive the Wheeler Community Spirit award in a Feb. 21 ceremony on our Providence campus. “I feel honored to receive the award because it means people are paying attention to those folks who are doing things within the community,” he says. And now, the community will gather, with great fanfare, in his honor.
The special ceremony will take place on Friday, Feb. 21 at 6pm in Isenberg Auditorium. The ceremony will be followed by the annual SICA (Students Involved in Cultural Awareness) Potluck in Madden Gym. Those who would like to attend should fill out this RSVP form. The event is sponsored by SICA, the Office of Equity, Community, & Belonging, and the Wheeler School Family Association.
