U N D R A I S I N G S P O T L I G H T NORTHEAST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE KICKS OFF 88 KEYS CAMPAIGN

BOONEVILLE, MS (August 26, 2022) - Northeast Mississippi Community College recently launched a fundraising campaign to purchase a new Steinway & Sons Spirio | r piano infused with state-of-the-art technology. The 88 Keys campaign, named for the number of keys on a standard piano, was launched by the Northeast Development Foundation in July It has raised more than $12,000 thus far with an end goal to raise $180,000 to cover the full cost of the piano.

The Steinway grand piano is the gold standard of musical instruments, NEMCC said, and the Spirio | r model has added features that will allow students to record and hear themselves play, along with allowing faculty to record accompaniments for other singers and instrumentalists. That capability will allow students multiple opportunities to rehearse before recitals, whereas normally they would only be allowed one or two run-throughs because of the sheer number of music majors at Northeast, according to Dr Ray Harris, head of the Division of Fine Arts at NEMCC.

NEMCC is currently home to a couple of Steinway & Sons pianos, which are housed in the Hines Hall music building, but none are like the Spirio | r model. But as Harris puts it, "The rest of our pianos are just pianos This has all of that additional technology," he said "It's a piano plus " With the Spirio | r, students can listen and play along with thousands of musical pieces performed by legendary pianists which are stored in a cloud library via an iPad attached to the piano. Students can also view live performances through the piano and video projection system as they are streamed.

If someone is playing a Steinway Spirio in a recital in Seattle, Northeast's piano can mirror exactly what that musician is playing in real time, Harris added

The plan is to store the Spirio in Hines Hall, in a room that will allow daily access for students, and where it can easily be moved to the auditorium stage Patrick Eaton, Vice President of Institutional Advancement and Executive Director of the Foundation and Alumni Association, said that college leaders visited Oxford High School to check out a Steinway Spirio | r in use there before launching the fundraiser They decided having one of their own would be a game changer for their music students.

"We're always trying to be the best we possibly can be on campus here at Northeast Mississippi Community College," Eaton said. NEMCC was designated an Apple Distinguished School in 2020. After universally implementing iPads for students, the college set itself apart in the realm of technology. Eaton said he'd like to see Northeast become an All-Steinway School, which is a title reserved for schools that "demonstrate a full commitment to excellence by providing their students and faculties with the best instruments possible for the study of music," according to Steinway's website.

"For years to come, as students come through Northeast, I'd like for them to be able to be exposed to the very best, whether that comes to technology or to musical instruments," Eaton explained

The campaign offers a variety of giving levels, including:

52- Key Pianist @ $1,000

20- Key Prodigies @ $2,500

16- Key Maestros @ $5,000

Supporters can pledge any of these giving opportunities over a two-year period. Individuals interested in contributing to the campaign can visit nemcc edu/88keys for more information

Courtesy:TheoriginalarticlewaswrittenbyBlakeAlsupof theDailyJournalonAug26,2022 Availableat wwwdjournalcom