The timing addresses a real gap. Several instruments at Legacy High School haven’t been replaced since the school first opened its doors in 2006.
From Jennifer Eggleston at CoyoteCountryLV.com:
A donation from the Morgan Wallen Foundation’s 2026 Tour Give Back Program is giving Legacy High School’s music students a fresh start this fall. The Clark County School District says the gift is worth $38,761 in instruments and equipment, with more than 30 students in the band, orchestra and mariachi programs set to benefit.
Among the items headed to Legacy in North Las Vegas: violins, trombones, clarinets, new brass instruments, saxophones and mariachi staples including trumpets and violas. Mouthpieces are also part of the package, a detail that matters because students previously had to share equipment, raising hygiene concerns the foundation’s gift is expected to resolve.
The timing addresses a real gap. Several instruments at Legacy hadn’t been swapped out since the school first opened its doors in 2006, and the shortage had gotten bad enough that some students couldn’t play at all for lack of available gear. Mariachi and orchestra teacher Tara Ogden Skousen said the upgrade will do more than fill equipment gaps – it’s expected to re-energize her classroom.
“Anything new to us is a huge boost, not only physically with the instruments but also to the morale,” Skousen said. “New instruments mean more opportunities to play diverse music, to fatten the sound and to stop playing on, frankly, old instruments that have been broken down and are in need of repair.”
Senior band student Natalia Agredano echoed that enthusiasm, saying the added instruments open doors for students eager to branch out. “I think it makes us feel really grateful,” Agredano said. “The bigger the band, the better. It gives everybody opportunities for more instruments if they want to try a new one.”
Legacy holds a unique spot in North Las Vegas as the only high school offering a complete performing arts slate – dance, theater, guitar, choir, mariachi, orchestra and band. Skousen said she’s optimistic that the gesture will ripple beyond this year’s students.
“I have high hopes for Legacy’s promising future in music,” Skousen said. “This gift is going to translate down to the kids. They are going to know that we are loved by our community.”
Legacy joins Cimarron-Memorial High School and Desert Pines High School, which each received more than $30,000 in instruments through the same foundation initiative in May. District officials expressed gratitude to the Morgan Wallen Foundation and the broader community for their continued backing of arts programs in Clark County schools.
