Someone has been playing musical theft at Missouri Southern.

On the morning of April 1, members of the music department noticed several instruments and other equipment had been taken. Now the department is wanting to take further measures to prevent something like this from happening again.

Stephen Miller, junior music major, realized his alto and tenor saxophones were missing from the music lounge, located on the bottom floor of Taylor Hall, when he arrived at the College at 8:15 a.m. April 1.

The Parisian alto was his own, and the tenor belonged to the College. He normally placed the saxophones in the space between his locker and the refrigerator in the lounge.

“I always kept them right there together, and I never had a problem,” Miller said. “We’ve never had problems like this.”

Dr. Phillip Wise, head of the department of music, said problems like this have never occurred before.

“Students feel kind of comfortable with doing that (not locking up their instruments),” he said. “But I think since that time, everyone’s decided to heighten their awareness and lock things up.”

Miller said he usually uses his locker for books and sheet music, so he does not have room for his instruments.

“You never really think about it until something like this happens,” he said. “Then you start wondering what could have been done to prevent it.”

At first, he thought someone was playing an April Fool’s Day prank. But after searching the entire music department, Miller realized it wasn’t the case. He said he was upset and worried. The alto saxophone once belonged to his mother.

“Obviously, that’s a keepsake,” he said.

The saxophone was valued at $3,000 but is covered by his parents’ homeowners insurance.

Robert Terry, sophomore music major, went through a similar experience April 1. He discovered at noon that day his Dean five-string bass guitar and his Hartkey Kickback 15 amplifier were missing from the music lounge. His missing equipment is valued at just more than $1,000, but homeowners insurance also covers those belongings.

He, too, thought it was a joke, but later realized otherwise.

“I was hacked off,” he said. “I’m sorry for whomever took it. He’ll get what’s coming to him.”

The bass was his only guitar of that kind.

“I miss it terribly,” he said.

Terry said his equipment was not locked up because it would not fit in his locker.

“I don’t have a locker big enough,” he said. “It won’t come close to fitting. But I know I won’t leave my stuff down there anymore.”

Miller, Terry and Wise all agree someone outside the music department must have stolen the instruments and equipment.

“Musicians usually don’t steal other musicians’ instruments,” Wise said. “They’re sort of sacred cows, if you will.”

A set of drums was taken but was found at the top of the stairs in the art department. Miller thinks whomever was taking the instruments must have been using the elevator in that department, got scared by something or someone and left the drums. He thinks more than one person must have been involved in the thefts.

“It seems hard for one person to pull that off,” Miller said.

The three suspect someone stole the instruments to pawn them for money. Reports about the thefts were filed with the Joplin Police Department, and the police are investigating.

“They’re just keeping an eye open to see if they might be able to find out where these things could show up,” Wise said.

In the meantime, Wise wants something to be done to prevent this from occurring again. He sent a mass e-mail to all the music department faculty, asking them to always make sure all rooms and offices are locked when they leave.

In addition, he plans to one day buy new lockers for the music lounge.

“The lockers we have are quite old, and a number of those don’t lock, and it would be easy to break into those,” Wise said. “We’re looking and hoping to replace those with something that might be a little more secure.”

Miller said many students do not shut their lockers because they are so hard to re-open. Wise wants better lockers, but said the money situation is a problem.

“Those things are very expensive to purchase, so it would be very, very difficult to purchase those without eating up a good portion of the department’s budget,” he said.

Without their instruments, Miller and Terry have had to make some adjustments.

Miller is finishing the semester’s saxophone lessons by borrowing a fellow band member’s alto saxophone. Next year, he will have to use one from the College or be placed in another position in marching band.

Terry is playing guitar and plays the music department’s standup bass in the jazz orchestra.

Miller said he still has a little hope his saxophones will be found, but Terry believes the police will not find his bass and amplifier.

“I doubt they’ll find it,” he said. “It’s probably long gone. If I get some insurance money or some gigs, I’ll probably get another one.”