Zebulon — The locks were broken on the doors to the music lockers and some doors were without their hinges. Dented tubas and other band instruments the school provides are worn and ragged, leftovers from when Zebulon Magnet Middle School was Zebulon High, back in 1989.

But it doesn’t stop the music from the top-notch program. The band and strings won superior and excellent ratings at last year’s competition with school musicians from across the state at the Carowinds amusement complex.

And a group of dedicated parents — the Band and String Boosters — is helping change the ragtag conditions, raising money and their voices.

“We plan to attend a school board meeting and invite the members to come out to our spring concert so we can talk to them about getting a strings’ program at a high school in eastern Wake County,” said Joe Caughlan, treasurer of the Zebulon Middle School Band String Boosters Club.

Strings instructor Calla Wright has already lobbied Wake County School Board member Lori Millberg and school official Danny Barnes. Students at the magnet school can apply to Enloe High School, their assigned magnet alternative for high school, and continue their instruction in strings. But they have to travel to Raleigh to do so.

“I don’t want my child’s friends to be that far away,” said parent Patty Ducher. “It’s very unfair to provide this opportunity from the third through the eighth grade, then expect students to travel to Raleigh, or pick up another instrument, not play at all or take private lessons.”

Private lessons for many students at a school where 50 percent of them receive free and reduced lunches would be out of the question.

“We’ve had this program in existence for several years and we would like to see students continue their strings and not have to travel,” said Wright.

At a time when in some pockets of the county, parents are trying to keep lower income students out of their schools, these parents are advocates for all the school’s students.

They are raising money so that no one is left behind like last year because they couldn’t afford the $80 trip to the competition at Carowinds.

The boosters will pay all transportation cost this year, plus offer a stipend for breakfast, said Michael Vereen, vice president of the 3-year-old organization.

Already, the boosters have purchased 20 music stands and installed new cabinet doors with work and donations of member George Skinner, who owns Right Angles Millwork of Knightdale. Skinner also has made a kiosk that is used before school and at lunch to sell student supplies as a way to make money. Wright and band director Ryan Robinson work the kiosk every morning.

Organization president Diane Blackley leaves her job at Active Health Care in Raleigh early one day a week to come and sell snacks and drinks after school. And group members make money from working East Wake High School’s allotted concession stand at the Alltel Pavilion during concert season.

Last fall, the Band String Boosters raised $3,200 by selling coupons for car washes at Auto Bell in Knightdale. The company gave the group 50 percent of the proceeds.

The advocates aren’t only concerned about the string program not having a high school home in eastern Wake County, but about the difficulty of continuing band at East Wake High School.

Booster secretary and former teacher at East Wake High Laura Watkins said it’s difficult to cross over from one school to the other because sometimes class schedules at the separate schools don’t correlate. East Wake High School is divided into four schools, each with a different curriculum.

Many times students have to choose between rigorous science and math classes and a class in the arts, said Watkins.

Ducher said her daughter is a good math and science student and loves the arts, but would sacrifice her music class if she had to choose because of the competitiveness of getting into a college of her choice.

“That’s just a tragedy,” she said. “They’re forcing children to have to make choices they shouldn’t have to make.”

Club treasurer Caughlan said studies have shown that participation in music class helps students learn math better. And Wright said being in a performance group helps build self-confidence and self-esteem, “which is so critical in adolescence.”

“We wouldn’t be here if we didn’t think the arts is a strong and important part of our curriculum.” said Caughlan.