In the 26 years we've been in business, West Colfax Academy and Golden Music have collected some interesting instruments and curiosities. Let's take a look at all the cool, unique, and unusual items at our school and store.
Full-Size Robot Devil from Futurama
You may have noticed this awesome, 6-foot tall sculpture greeting you at the corner entrance of the building. This recreation of the Robot Devil (aka Beelzebot) from Futurama was gifted to us by artist Jeramy Ewers from Albuquerque. The Robot Devil is known to be quite the fiddler! FYI, the fiddle Beelzebot holds here is NOT made of solid gold, but it's still a pretty faithful likeness. Check out Beelzebot the next time you visit West Colfax Academy or Golden Music!
Vintage Organs and Keys
Tucked away in our lesson and ensemble rooms are vintage Hammond organs, Wurlitzers, Magic Genies, and more. Owner Alex Qualtire is a lover and collector of instruments of all shapes and sizes.
These iconic organs and synths may have seen better days but they still produce beautiful and unique sounds. Students get to experiment with different tones and textures on this Hammond organ during their piano lessons with teacher Meaghan Lillis.
A HUGE Library of Sheet Music
The second floor of our school boasts an impressive library of sheet music. There are arrangements for band, orchestra, strings, woodwinds, jazz ensemble, chamber music, vocal ensembles, piano music of all styles, harp, and more. Many of these scores are early additions printed decades ago.
These scores are available for students and teachers to check out - feel free to ask the front desk about our lending library the next time you visit us.
Rare and Special Violins
Have you seen the violin vault at Golden Music? We have string instruments for every skill level and price range, including some truly stand-out collectors items.
In the display above is violin made by master luthier Thomas Hummel. Hummel, who lives in Stuttgart, Germany, trained our luthiers here at Golden Music. His dedication to his craft is evident in the quality of his instruments. One of the violins pictured above was made specially for our founder, Mary Brainerd.
Another collectors item is the center violin in the display case above. This violin was crafted by luthier Adriano Spadoni from Cremona, Italy.
Spadoni graduated from the Antonio Stradivari School of Violin Making in Cremona. He studied with Maestro Giorgio Cè, one of the most renowned violin makers in the world. This violin is a true work of art and a special addition to our collection.
We hope you enjoyed this tour of all the cool and unique items at our store and school. Keep an eye out for these special curiosities the next time you stop in West Colfax Academy and Golden Music!