Can we talk about the musical elephant in the room?
You know, that 500-plus pound upright piano that silently claims a chunk of the family room.
Time was, it was a part of our daily life. But once the childhood musicians grew up, it was virtually abandoned, downgraded to being a stand for family photos.
Anyone who has tried to sell or even give away a piano knows my struggle. I assumed one of my girls would continue to make music well into adulthood. But, like a lot of young soccer players and gymnasts, their passions changed.
Long before COVID lockdown, with both of them having flown the coop, I started putting out feelers. I called local school districts and posted to social media. Surely, someone out there had a child who would appreciate a piano.
But the only people I heard back from were other adults trying to unload their pianos.
I began to wonder if the piano was going the way of the accordion or the organ. Google seemed to confirm a decline in piano sales.
But local music experts say interest in piano music is stronger than ever, but the way kids play has changed dramatically.
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“Interest is not dying away but the element in which it’s being presented is morphing into the times. We’re seeing a huge surge in interest in digital music,” said Brian Hillhouse, associate director of bands at Carl Sandburg High School in Orland Park.
“In the 10 years that I’ve been at (District 230), we’ve built up two different digital music classes — music business and music technology,” Hillhouse said.
Other schools are doing the same. State Music Educators Associations bear this out, he said. “All of them are seeing a huge rise interest in digital classes,” he said.
“It’s not that acoustical music is dying,” he said. Musicians are just exploring a new avenue.
You don’t need a big piano to make digital music, he said. Kids are opting for affordable, digital friendly keyboards as opposed to their cumbersome, expensive upright predecessors.
Keyboards, he said, have so many more capabilities through the software. “Kids are asking for them for Christmas gifts,” he said.
Also popular are piano apps, enabling kids to make music on their phones, he said.
An added benefit to digital music is that even students who miss the typical fifth-grade launch into band or other music program can jump in at any point in time, he said.
“You can come into a music tech class and create some pretty cool work by the end of a semester,” he said.
Another challenge to selling or giving away a piano, Hillhouse said, is upkeep.
Acoustic pianos require a regimen of maintenance. “A lot of them aren’t kept up. If it became a piece of furniture and no one was playing it, renovations could be costly,” he said.
“I have a 1911 piano in my house right now that takes a lot of upkeep but that’s my pride and joy. I understand it needs to be tuned three times a year,” he said.
“It’s hard to find takers, with schools especially. We were offered three different pianos just this school year,” he said. “If staff can’t access and evaluate the many parts to make sure they can stand up to the kind of pounding school kids can deliver, or if expensive repairs are needed, that’s a deterrent.”
Alyssa Blomberg, manager and events coordinator at House of Music in Orland Park, said, “Piano is one of our music school’s most popular lessons, aside from guitar.”
But a lot of those students, she said, are learning on an electric keyboard that takes up less space at home.
“Keyboards nowadays typically have more effects that kids want to use as well as headphone inputs,” Blomberg said. “Families at our shop aren’t typically looking for upright pianos.”
Still, she said, the shop will let piano owners post a note about the sale or give away.
We bought our Artist Spinet upright decades ago, when our oldest was in first grade. She was desperate to learn how to play. Our youngest followed her lead and began playing in kindergarten. For many years our house was filled with music.
But when they moved on to college, they moved on to other interests.
Then came careers and marriages and babies. Meanwhile, the piano sat silent. As time passed, it noiselessly receded into the corner. We figured the day was coming when we’d have to kick it to the curb.
But just recently, our youngest announced she wants it. She plans to paint it a fun color and teach her young son the basics.
I can’t think of a better encore.
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Donna Vickroy is an award-winning reporter, editor and columnist who worked for the Daily Southtown for 38 years.