Sale of university pianos

Sale of university pianos expected to strike all the right chords

Tuning around 5000 piano strings may sound like a big job, but it’s just part of the preparation needed for the annual New Zealand School of Music’s piano sale.

As the university students complete this year’s exams and head off, so to are the pianos at the New Zealand School of Music, a joint venture of Victoria and Massey Universities.

The Kawai uprights, having helped the tertiary students hit the year’s high notes, are being sold as part of the School of Music’s annual replacement programme, ensuring its piano fleet is maintained at premium levels for performance standard playing.

Sale organiser Cameron Crawford from PianoShop is responsible for overseeing the preparation of each piano, and his piano technician team’s gearing up for a piano string tuning mission over the coming week prior to the sale.

“It’s a sizeable job, particularly when you consider that each piano string has 165 pounds of pressure, giving each piano 18 tonnes of tuning tension.”

He’s also expecting a flurry of interest in the sale from bargain-seekers throughout New Zealand, with previous sales proving music to the ears of pianists wanting a top-of-the range near new piano.

“The annual sale has been going around six years, and has already struck a chord, not only with parents whose children have already had some training and want a good instrument to continue learning on, but also from adults seeking out a rich playing experience.”

“The pianos are only 12 months old or less, so have had time to settle in and develop a lovely rich tone, each having been tuned four to five times in the year. More and more people are now appreciating this is a great little opportunity, so we’re expecting to be busy,” explained Mr Crawford.

Mr Crawford, a well known Wellington businessman and music philanthropist, is passionate about pianos, and believes they offer a rich experience for children.

“They are so easy to learn, and provide children with a foundation that they can use for classical to pop. And there is research that says that children who play music also tend to be good at learning, especially with maths and languages,” Mr Crawford pointed out.

The PianoShop showroom in Plimmerton, Wellington is hosting the sale of the top of the range Kawai Professional series pianos between November 17 to 25.

About PianoShop
PianoShop sells new and pre-loved pianos. It has a comprehensive service centre, with master craftsmen servicing, rebuilding, repolishing and moving all types of pianos, and supports the music community including symphony orchestras, universities and leading visiting artists. It also regularly provides pianos for specific shows and concerts. Being New Zealand’s largest piano centre means PianoShop commonly freights pianos to towns and cities the length of New Zealand.

ENDS

© Scoop Media