Mid-South Steinway Chronicle 2023-24

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THE MID-SOUTH STEINWAY

CHRONICLE I N S T I T U T I O NA L N E WS F R O M A M R O M U S I C A N D S T E I N WAY & S O N S

Dr. Jerome Reed, professor of piano at Lipscombe University, performs on the new Boston GP-178 at Freed-Hardeman University.

FREED-HARDEMAN UNIVERSITY IS HITTING NEW NOTES WITH PIANO UPGRADES The Henderson campus receives new Boston grand and practice pianos HENDERSON, TN - Music students returning to the 93-year-old Draughon Center for Musical Arts this fall received a wonderful surprise.

In 2018, the 9,700-square-foot, two-story brick building on the campus of Freed-Hardeman University was reconfigured into the school’s Musical Arts building. The Georgian exterior has remained intact, but the jaded pianos inside have been replaced.

ALSO FEATURED IN THIS ISSUE

PADUCAH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA PURCHASES NEW STEINWAY SPIRIO LONE OAK ELEMENTARY DEBUTS KEYBOARD LAB NORTHWEST MISSISSIPPI COMMUNITY COLLEGE HOSTS SPIRIOCAST

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Adam Boher, second-year Assistant Piano Professor at FHU, is part of a team helping rebuild the music program. “The pianos had been used as practice pianos for thirty or forty years. They have some wear and tear on them. It was time to upgrade.”

Upstairs in the performance space, a brandnew Boston GP-178 is on display. Designed

by Steinway & Sons, this 5’10” piano is the perfect grand for teaching and performance and has new and returning students raving.

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and public to watch guest artists perform on the Boston in a hall with wonderful acoustics.

The August 28th inaugural concert featured an esteemed member of the Steinway Hall of Fame, Dr. Jerome Reed. Opening the show was the piano’s donor, Chris Hallmark. Tupelo, Mississippi residents, Chris and his wife Holly, inspired by having two children currently enrolled in the school, have an interest in building a better music program at Freed-Hardeman.

“They love the upper register The next concert of it. In the takes place in [Performance] November as Dr. Hall it rings Alex Wasserman, out beautifully,” founder of the Boher declares.

Reinhardt Piano “It sounds great.

Festival and This gives students Academy, will host Adam Booher, piano professor at Freed-Hardeman, stands next an opportunity both a concert and to Dr. Jerome Reed, professor of piano at Lipscombe University, following the concert held on August 28, 2023. to create sounds masterclass at the that they perhaps Draughon Center. weren’t aware of before and achieve a higher level of artistry than they knew existed.”

Three practice rooms on the main floor have The piano inspires students to new heights been upgraded as well. Freed-Hardeman of performance. purchased a Boston upright and a couple of preowned Yamahas from Amro Music.

Another facet of the strategy for Adam and the music department includes establishing The Musical Arts building has seen a lot a high-quality concert series. This presents more than just new pianos in 2023. A an opportunity for the students, alumni, 26-member jazz band was assembled in 2

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one semester by incoming Director Mike Yopp; a new Roland piano lab was created; and a new recording studio is being built in the performance space.

With these new additions, the University is “trying to improve the quality of our practice facility, [and] performance facility, ultimately helping us recruit the higher-quality students as well,” stated Boher.

Southwest Tennessee. He expects to recruit in and around The Volunteer State, and also overseas.

“This gives students an opportunity to create sounds that they perhaps weren’t aware of before and achieve a higher level of artistry than they knew existed.”

-Adam Boher

Boher plans to look beyond Tennessee’s borders to recruit talented students in the coming years. Currently, a majority of the students enrolled on campus come from

And the department’s plans don’t end there.

The school has set its sights on an AllSteinway School dedication. The team is gearing up to raise funds to place a Steinway inside the Old Chapel Hall, a historic performance space located across the parking lot from the Draughon Center.

“We’re really in an exciting time at FreedHardeman.,” Boher said. “There’s a lot of energy right now.” •

BOSTON GP-178 FEATURES: • Hard Rock Maple Inner Rim • Octagrip® Pinblock Tapered Solid Sitka Spruce Soundboard • Mapes Bass Strings • All Wooden Action Parts Casters with Double Brass Wheels • Polished Brass Hardware • Slow-Fall Fallboard • Full Sostenuto • Locking Top and Fallboard • Classic Coved Top • Lower Tension String Scale for IncreasedTonal Clarity, Depth, & Sustain

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PADUCAH SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA ACADEMY TO FEATURE THE SPIRIO B

Dave and Carolyn Perry, longtime Paducah Symphony Orchestra supporters, take a tour of the Steinway factory.

Packing up the car and driving two hours from home on the weekend can be great therapy for a hard-working family. It’s a time to share stories, unwind, and spill some fast-food fries on your lap. But when a four-hour round-trip commute takes place every weekend, it has the tendency to wear you down.

But that commute is exactly what Dave and Carolyn Perry did for their daughter Emily. As Emily’s piano playing advanced in her childhood, the Perry family ran out of options for a piano teacher in their hometown of Paducah, Kentucky. They looked near and far and ultimately chose the Blair School of Music at Vanderbilt as their best option—a school that seemed 4

well-equipped to advance Emily’s playing.

Although it was a large commitment for everyone, the family made the nearly 300mile roundtrip each weekend for the next five years.

Facing this challenge, the Perrys wished they and others had greater opportunities for piano lessons in their community. So they set out to change that.

Since moving from Texas to Carolyn’s hometown of Paducah in 1992, the family had been avid supporters and season ticket holders of the Paducah Symphony Orchestra (PSO). The orchestra performs at the Carson Center for Performing Arts and also hosts an adult chorus, children’s

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chorus, and a multitude of other music education programs. Since 1979, The PSO has served as the premier musical organization in the region and is nearing completion of an extensive expansion.

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Sons Spirio and learn how this piano revolutionizes how you teach piano.

The Spirio can be played like any other Steinway but offers exclusive highresolution recording. This allows the player to not only listen but to edit their work on an iPad. The Spirio also provides a catalog of thousands of performances from current Steinway artists as well as historic performances by artists such as Duke Ellington and Leonard Bernstein.

The PSO has been part of a redevelopment effort to the former Walter C. Jetton Junior High School, a venue that once held PSO concerts. While the Carson Center will remain the main performing center, this new space will house rehearsal rooms, a recital hall, a symphony hall, and administrative offices.

While being very The former school impressed by the will also include the Spiro, Dave had his “It suddenly became very clear new PSO Academy. doubts. “I was a little Rather than spending bit skeptical of the that this was a piano that weekends on the road technology.

Would probably would last a very, like the Perrys had the Spirio electronics very long time... The Spirio done, residents in the of the piano be the Paducah region will same quality as the Model B was the right thing.” receive affordable regular performance private instruction -Dave Perry Steinway?” near home. While supporting the PSO Gabe Statom, for thirty-plus years, Amro’s Steinway Dave and Carolyn are eager to assist the Representative, wanted to reassure Dave new programs. that the Spirio was the real deal. He offered the couple a chance to tour the New York Reece King, CEO of the PSO, was seeking City factory where they are handmade. one-time financial contributions to pay for Two months later, Dave and Carolyn found the new space. Sponsorship opportunities themselves touring the Steinway factory included naming rights of various rooms (after attending a couple of Broadway and being included on the donor wall. musicals of course).

The Perrys were inspired to sponsor a new Boston grand for the academy.

“The factory totally reassured us of the Reece advised them to visit Amro Music concept of the Spirio. There’s only a very in Memphis to view the Steinway & fine modification that has to be made 5

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“It opens up a world of opportunity for aspiring young artists. It’ll be interesting to see what sort of music students they get in the academy.”

-Dave Perry of the shell to interact with accommodate her teacher the electronics. in real-time So, you’re instead of basically getting commuting to a performance Music City.

Model B. And then when you “It opens up saw how the little a world of solenoid actuates opp or tunit y the keys, it for aspiring suddenly became young artists,” very clear that Dave asserted. this was a piano “[You can] that probably take music would last a very, instruction very long time. from anybody It gave me a lot a l m o s t of confidence in anywhere. It’ll Gabe Statom, Steinway Representative for Amro Music, joins the Perrys outside of the Steinway & Sons New York City Factory. what Reece and be interesting the Symphony to see what were planning to do. The Spirio Model B sort of music students they get in the was the right thing.” academy.”

With the electronic technology of the Spirio, students are able to interact with other students and teachers from around the globe. Teachers can record tracks to the exact precision required and share them. The iPad software allows the user to add and remove notes, change the volume, and even change the length. In retrospect, the Spirio would’ve allowed Emily to 6

The Spirio B, which was handcrafted inside the New York factory that Dave and Carolyn toured, temporarily rests at the Amro Piano Gallery waiting for the Academy to open its doors in early 2024.

Students in Paducah will soon be able to ride their bikes to receive world-class piano lessons. •

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K-12 SPOTLIGHT

LONE OAK ELEMENTARY SCHOOL (PADUCAH, KY)

Third grade students listen to playback in twin mode on the new Roland RP107 digital pianos at Lone Oak Elementary School.

“Thank you, headphones,” Chad Davidson uttered.

The K-3 music teacher was referring to his classroom filled with 30 students. Without headphones, music would be bouncing off the walls at Lone Oak Elementary.

couldn’t be more excited. Fifteen pianos are for the students, and one is reserved for Mr. Davidson. “I had a low-end set of keyboards that were dying on the vine. But I couldn’t use them like these. They were not twin setup. There were no bells and whistles.”

Chad has taught music for almost 20 years and has spent the past nine at the McCracken County Public School.

Sixteen Roland RP107 digital pianos were purchased and delivered from Amro Music over the summer, and the teacher

Twin setup enables two students to play on a single keyboard. When choosing twin mode, the keyboard is split into two 44note pianos with dual-sustained pedals.

Students use headphones to listen to their notes and practice independently. Twin 7

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A handful of the K-3 students who enter Chad’s classroom have received prior piano lessons. Some have taken violin or guitar lessons, but for most of his students, this is their first time playing and recording on an instrument.

The Carson-Myre Charitable Foundation, an organization that supports the arts throughout Western Kentucky, provided funding for half of the keyboards. The school’s Parent Teacher Organization provided the other half. With their generous support, the arts in Western Kentucky will flourish.

Amro Music delivers 16 Roland’s to Chad Davidson’s music room at Lone Oak Elementary School.

mode has accelerated Chad’s ability to teach to eager students, saying, “This has allowed me to develop a curriculum that will enhance their learning and allow me to be able to teach keyboarding skills.”

While each student has full control, they get to individually experience sounds that a standard piano doesn’t produce. Modes like “Jazz Skat” and “Magic Piano” are a couple of their favorites. “They said it (Magic Piano) sounded like Cinderella’s Castle,” he beamed.

Students are also able to use the metronome to keep a steady beat while they play.

They can record as they practice and fix mistakes with the keyboard’s playback feature. These are just a few of the options that are motivating Lone Oak students.

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Chad is enjoying his time in the classroom with the new instruments and has one goal for every student. “I love for students to create music and then learn the skills necessary to at least learn a one-handed song before they leave third grade. For the students who do care a lot about it are going to learn a whole lot more.”

What these students learn about dedication and practice will inspire them. Who knows? Maybe they will change the world with their songs. •

CHAD DAVIDSON

ROLAND RP-107

FEATURES • Deep expression from Roland’s acclaimed SuperNATURAL Piano technology • Authentic acoustic grand piano touch and response with the 88-note PHA-4 Standard keyboard • Onboard stereo speaker system with rich, full sound • 256 notes of polyphony supports playing complex pieces with no compromise • Connect a smartphone or tablet via Bluetooth to play along with favorite songs and work with MIDI music apps • Control RP107 features, explore lessons, and more with the companion Roland Piano App • Dual headphones jacks and Twin Piano mode for playing along with a friend or teacher

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NORTHWEST BRINGS THE WORLD TO SENATOBIA

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readies himself, and plays his first notes – a crisp Bb Major 7 arpeggiation, with rich bass and shimmering treble ringing out across the hall.

But there’s a catch – the piano bench sits empty in front of the instrument. The keys move themselves, echoing every note and nuance of Michael’s playing. Michael Cabe is sitting in front of a piano not in Senatobia, but in Steinway Hall in New York City. And Northwest Mississippi Community College becomes the location of the first Spiriocast in all of Mississippi.

Steinway & Sons Spirio pianos grace the stage at the Heindl Center for Performing Arts at Northwest Community College in Senatobia, Mississippi.

As the crisp winter winds blow across a campus littered with students returning from their winter break, something incredible is taking place inside Northwest Mississippi Community College’s new 67,000 square-foot performing arts center.

Michael Cabe, director of customer experience with Steinway & Sons and a celebrated jazz pianist, takes to the stage to perform for a crowd of students, faculty, and local music enthusiasts on their new Steinway & Sons 7’ Model B. As Michael introduces himself, a hush falls over the crowd as last-minute attendees rush to find their seats and concertgoers check their phones to ensure they’ve been silenced. Michael adjusts the bench, 10

Spiriocast is a high resolution, live broadcast from one Spirio | R piano to another. Spirio measures 1,020 different dynamic levels over 800 times per second, as well as 256 pedal positions at over 100 times per second. Think “Zoom on steroids.” A Spirio | R piano is played by an artist in one location, and all of their data, down to the finest musical details, is recreated on your own Spirio| R in real time. Paired with a live video stream, the ability to have a private concert in your own living room is now a reality.

Any number of Spirio | R users can join in on the streaming that carries music from a single pianist’s Spirio. As a result, a concert performed in New York can be streamed to hundreds of colleges and students worldwide; a masterclass can be held in England for a school in Tennessee; and a friend, family member, or artist from anywhere in the world can play right in your living room.

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In 2023, Northwest Mississippi Community College joined the exclusive roster of only around 230 All-Steinway Schools in the world, with Amro Music providing nineteen new Steinway and Steinwaydesigned Boston pianos, including two show-stopping Spirio grands.“We had this beautiful new 67,000-square-foot building underway,” Jeff Horton, Northwest’s VP for Operations/Finance said. “So the next question was, what do we put in it? We looked at the needs of our students, our instructors, and our visiting artists and we knew we were committed to exceptional quality, from top to bottom. We wanted to invest on the highest level in order to uphold our mission of excellence in everything we do. And Steinway was definitely part of this conversation from the beginning.”

Northwest Mississippi Community College’s new Steinway B Spirio | R enables them to have live concerts from the world’s finest artists performed right in their own performing arts center, with every fine detail replicated on their instrument.

New improvements continue to come to the Spirio pianos as well, including nearly 3 new hours of music and video performed by pianists and composers, added to the ever-expanding library every month. Soon, Spirio will introduce the ability to adjust the playback speed of any pre-recorded music, allowing collaborative pianists to pre-record their accompaniment and then edit the playback speed for their instrumental and vocal counterparts for

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practice or studio classes.

Piano Professor Saundra Bishop expressed her enthusiasm for this groundbreaking technology. “The Spirio is an absolute game-changer, as are all the other new pianos,” she said. “For a pianist, having access to an excellent piano is like a chef having the finest ingredients and best equipment—it allows you to create your best work. Having unrestrained access to these instruments will have an enormous impact on our day-to-day. I believe that our students will be motivated to practice, their creativity will blossom, and the level of musicianship will be elevated throughout the department. It will certainly send a message to incoming students about the quality of our programs.”

“We wanted to invest on the highest level in order to uphold our mission of excellence in everything we do. And Steinway was definitely part of this conversation from the beginning.”

-Jeff Horton Dr. Heindl says: “We have a little phrase here at Northwest, it’s called: Only the best for Northwest.” With Spirio | R technology, Northwest Community College is able to bring the best of the whole world right to Senatobia. • 11

RESOURCES FOR

MUSIC

educators

Schools demonstrate a commitment to excellence and an unparalleled educational experience by providing their students with the rich, unrivaled sound, incomparable tone,and pristine touch of STEINWAY & SONS pianos. These pianos inspire students to realize their artistic talents, and best prepare them to compete at the highest level in the professional world.

GABE STATOM Institutional Sales Director 901.834.8300 gabestatom@amromusic.com

Whether you are interested in one piano or a hundred, Amro Music has a program to assist you. As an Institutional Sales Specialist, Gabe serves the needs of all institutions,ensuring that they are able to provide their students, faculty,visiting artists, congregations, and customers with pianos designed

by STEINWAY & SONS, enabling us to meet all requirements within all budgets. Amro Music is devoted to partnering with you and your institution to help you acquire and maintain the best instruments the world has to offer.

K-12

HIGHER EDUCATION

Amro Music and STEINWAY & SONS are devoted to partnering with you and your educational institution to help you acquire and maintain the best instruments. Our institutional sales specialist, Gabe Statom, can offer customized resources that have a proven success record for managing piano inventories in colleges, universities and conservatories of all sizes. These include:

Whether your school is a private day school or boarding institution or part of a public school district, we have a program to assist you. Amro Music and STEINWAY &SONS are devoted to partnering with you and your school to help you acquire, manage, and maintain the best instruments the world has to offer. Our Educational Services Specialist has developed unique and customized resources for managing your piano inventory:

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Inventory Analysis and Planning Tools Fundraising Programs for Donor Cultivation The All-Steinway School program Leasing-to-Own Options Technical Service Guidelines Factory Seminars for Technicians Selection Room Access at the Steinway Factory

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Inventory Analysis Fundraising Programs Lease-To-Own Program Technical Service Guidelines Technician Seminars Steinway Scholarship Program Selection Room Access Steinway Factory Tours