OLATHE, KS (KCTV) -
It began with a love for music for an Olathe man and a desire to help those hurt by Hurricane Katrina seven years ago.
Mike Corrigan, also known as the Horn Doctor, knew exactly how he could help, and now he has carried that over to Kansas City.
It was seven years ago Wednesday that Hurricane Katrina ravaged New Orleans. People from all over the country didn't know how they could help residents living there.
"We have got slides that are stuck, and students can't tune their instruments," Corrigan said.
The Horn Doctor quickly discovered his talent of fixing broken instruments could help the music play on in New Orleans.
"I immediately thought, 'What impact is Katrina going to have on the musical cultural in New Orleans?'" Corrigan said.
So after Katrina, Corrigan went to New Orleans and started fixing horns for free.
"I showed up nice and early at 8 a.m., and no one showed up. I thought, 'What's going on?' And finally this musician came out and said, 'They are musicians. They are sleeping!' We had a whole mass of people come out," he said.
After years of working in New Orleans, the Horn Doctor got a call from Mayor Sly James wanting to know if he could do the same thing in Kansas City.
Kansas City Public Schools already has the instruments for their students, but a lot of them don't work.
"He said, 'Mike, what you are doing there is amazing. We could really use your help up here.' They have a pile of instruments in their classes that don't work and without a budget to fix them. These instruments are sitting unused by students, and that was sad," he said.
Tyler Osborn, the band director at Center High School, said a lot of his students own their instruments and many also use school instruments.
"The fact that they are helping us is fantastic," Osborn said.
Every year, on the anniversary of Katrina, the Horn Doctor will travel around the Kansas City area fixing old instruments for schools.
"Repairing instruments like this was inspired by that storm. And let us call attention to that storm and take a minute to remember what happened down there," Corrigan said.
Corrigan's goal is simple: More students in Kansas City have the opportunity to tune in when they didn't have that opportunity before.
For more information about the Horn Doctor and school instrument repairs or instrument donation, click here.
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