Standard practice here is not to editorialize about news stories. In this particular case, however, I did want to make a couple of things clear:

• We are not as a rule going to be carrying theft stories in ITG News in the future. We have too few resources and there is too much theft. Please don't take this one story as indicating a precedent for others: it does not. In general please don't submit these stories, as we probably cannot help.
• I wanted to carry this one because the particularly sad circumstances, with Herr Balzer having no insurance cover. However it came about, this is a truly catastrophic situation for a young student to find himself in.
• I am hoping that publishing the story will act as a cautionary tale and that readers who are not currently carrying appropriate insurance will rectify the situation. I won't be happy to carry a similarly tragic story again, so please use this one as a reminder to get your insurance sorted out now.
• We cannot offer advice here on insurance but your colleagues, teachers, local music shop and musicians' unions and organizations may well be able to. Many countries seem to have companies offering specialized musical instrument policies, sometimes through musicians' organizations and sometimes separately.
• Of course it would also be very nice if someone reading the story were able to help recover the equipment! You'll find contact information in the story.
• If it comes to my attention that there are good lists or systems online where stolen trumpets may be registered, I will certainly put up a page explaining this. I have not yet found them, but if you know of such facilities please email me.
• For the time being the only other thing I can suggest is that it may be worth trying various of the online forums and lists and leaving messages detailing the theft. This approach has the advantage that you post your own message, though you may need to join a bulletin board or list in order to do so. These might include inter alia:
  • Trumpet Players' International Network at www.tpin.org
  • The Trumpet Herald at www.trumpetherald.com
  • Trumpet Player Online at www.trumpetplayeronline.com
  • Newsgroup: rec.music.makers.trumpet via your newsreader, or at http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=en&safe=off&group=rec.music.makers.trumpet

UPDATE - 1st January 2005 - you will have seen in the main story that there's a happier ending to this than you'd have thought likely. I would still take the story as an indication that you need to sort out your instrument insurance, rather than thinking that you might be as lucky as Florian!

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Neville Young
ITG News Editor