Was Sohmer now Piano Industry

[Delwin D Fandrich]

This is a multi-part message in MIME format.

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment

  ----- Original Message -----=20
  From: Mitch Ruth=20
  To: pianotech@ptg.org=20
  Sent: October 26, 2000 5:47 AM
  Subject: Re: Was Sohmer now Piano Industry






  Tony, Lynn and list...=20
  Some good points about the place of pianos in the family entertainment =
world. Lynn wrote something like "Who wants to spend $7,000 on a 12 year =
old who doesn't know how to play?" Since I spend my evenings teaching =
piano and recruiting for a private music studio, I can tell you...not =
very many folks are willing to do that. Tony wrote that the industry =
needs to change all the way down to the teachers. This is what I tell a =
prospective customer when they ask me if they have to buy a piano to =
take lessons from us. "Well Mrs.. Smith...if you can get a working =
piano, that is great. But an electronic keyboard from Wal-Mart will suit =
a beginner student nicely." Flame if you wish...but the reality of the =
thing is that most people won't encourage their child into piano due to =
the cost and the size of a piano. In our studio, we use digital pianos =
(with unweighted and weighted keys) for our lessons. We have a couple of =
studio consoles for the very advanced students and we lease a parlo! r =
grand for recitals and group demonstrations.=20


-------------------------------------------------------------------------=
-----


I agree.  I'd much rather see them doing that -- well, perhaps they =
could look someplace other than Wal-Mart -- than purchasing a poorly =
designed and poorly built spinet of any manufacture, or some imported =
piece of junk destined to fall apart within just a few years.  Or some =
imported piece of junk that isn't going to play or sound any better than =
those old Aeolian pieces of junk no matter how carefully and =
conscientiously it is serviced. Or some clapped out 100 year old upright =
with three notes that don't work -- "but you fix those when you tune it, =
don't you?" -- that isn't going to sound or play decently short of a $6K =
to $12K rebuild that it isn't going to get.=20

The time will come for a piano if the teaching is done creatively, the =
parenting is done consistently and the practicing is done as kids do it =
with good teachers and parents.  And then, perhaps, the purchase can be =
a good one.

Regards,

Del


---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: https://www.moypiano.com/ptg/pianotech.php/attachments/e2/e1/29/9d/attachment.htm

---------------------- multipart/alternative attachment--