Is a Steinway D Concert Grand too good for HS?

A piano of this calibur will be a fine asset not only to the school, but for the person charged with playing it and those that act with it. The sound this piano puts out will be the benchmark that all involved will ever want to be associated with. There is nothing like listening to such a quality instrument Vs the same music being played on a piano of far lesser quality. Hopefuly 'throwing the piano keys to a 16 year old' would be appreciated, but not before they get use to playing it AND spend a few hours on a piano that costs $10K less.

 

Sorry, I had Yamaha on the brain!

 

growing up i played the piano for many years and competing also, eventually giving up competing and regular practicing as i entered the university...

some of the MOST impressive pianists i have seen were actually ppl 18 yrs old and less, but in general i would have to say to truly appreciate the beauty and potential of a Steinway D, one probably needs to be very serious about it...

with this in mind, i will say the majority of ppl passing through high school will probably not be accomplished pianists or even very serious about practicing...


in essence though it would be great to practice and perform on a Steinway D, would the individual truly be able to appreciate it's beauty? or would it just be merely a piano?

unfortunatly its most likely going to be the latter


for what its worth, my parents bought a yamaha upright for me to practice on at home back in 1984, and it still plays quite nicely

concerts and recitals I usually played on a grand piano, and there was a noticeable difference in the touch of the keys, and the overall richness of sound

 

A piano of that calibre will be appreciated by professional musicians, and by the audience:- perhaps some budding talent will grow from exposure to that level of instrument. Apart from that, the only justification for it could be as an investment- those pianos are like Rolex Daytonas, to make a crass analogy. Also, Steinways are pretty bulletproof, compared at least to esoteric, vintage stuff. (Our big Bosendorfer is far sillier, almost impossible to get anybody to work on, but when it is tuned and prepared, the voice of the treble is like palpable light).

 

I have a Steinway D, built in the 1920s and given completely new action by Steinway in the 70s. While I agree it would be a revelation for the serious, budding artist, I cringe when I think about the environment it will live in backstage in a HS auditorium. For an instrument like this (and its lifespan), relative humidity and temperature control are important - my recollection of HS is that the AC gets turned off in the summer. Then there is the vandalism aspect - from the gravely serious to merely a place to stick your old gum. If you're taking care of it correctly, you'll have additional maintenance costs; you don't have Bob the Tuner work on this beast. You'll need to get a Steinway certified technician to maintain it - I'm sure there's a warranty aspect to this, too, with a new piano.

 

Just an observation, but the school could have purchased a used Steinway of equal or better quality for pennies on the dollar. Makes no sense for a school to pay that kind of money for a new instrument - unless perhaps the music director is receiving a kickback???

 

A Steinway model D would be an unwarranted expense if its primary use is for choral accompaniment. If the school has genuine piano prodigies and the Steinway would be a big part of their scholastic use and showcase, then it would be justified...but we are talking about High School.

A brand new model D would be very expensive but the school doesn't have to buy it new; in fact, used Steinways are considered to be new Steinways' main competition. Many enthusiasts will actually prefer rebuilt specimens decades old.

The build quality of Steinway and other top European brands as well as Yamaha are top notch. Very few things go wrong with instruments in this league. Bosendorfer is an extremely fine piano and earned its reputation as the first piano that reknowned pianist Franz Liszt could not destroy in performance!

I think any quality piano would be nice for a school to have, as long as it isn't taxing to its budget, but I would not consider one a necessity to try to justify.

I give you my opinion as a piano afficionado as well as one who attended college on a piano scholarship.

Good luck

 

If it is in a cinder block high school auditorium with bad acoustics, I think it is a boon-doggle and a ego-stroking for the director of music.

 

Sounds like the Steinway is being purchased to please the adults--not the kids.
15 years ago, we bought a new piano--a 6' Kawai, for my wife. I think it cost $12k new. Looked at several Steinways closely (new and used), and she couldn't justify the cost difference.
This event is like the boosters claiming that the school's driver training instructor needed a Rolls to train the kids to drive better.
Send the Steinway back, and deduct the shipping, set-up, tuning, etc. from somebody's salary. That'll learn 'em!

 

Sounds like a waste of money to me. I think it is clearly for the benefit of the teacher. Is this a private school? It was nice that they made the decision and then put their hand out. I hope other, more important issues, are funded......

 

I've been playing piano for 10 years, and have played on just about every type of piano out there, including the best of the best Steinways.

And you know what, my favorite piano is a Yamaha!

Steinberg keys tend to be waay to soft for my tastes. Yamaha keys are nice and meaty, you can really dig into them.

A friend of mine had a vintage Steinway that they baid BIG bucks for....it also happens to be the single worst piano I've ever played on.

 

Steinway makes a great piano. For the setting you've described, however, it is an unwarranted expense.

 

That piano will be a great target for vandals.

 

I'd HAVE to chime in concerning environment and vandaliam........that's the stupidest application for a fine instrument I've ever seen!

Also agree the lack of constant temperature control AND lack of USER control will make a recipe for disaster!

If there are controls in place on it's surroundings on both those items......maybe!

I've just finished a High School and they are tearing it up faster than we could build it!

 

Crazy to sped that much on a wonderful instrument to be torn up in a high school. It's great the parents care enough to raise that kind of money but think what good it could do being spent rationally.

Another thing to consider is (My ex was a pro player) moving it to and from the class to the hall with the temp and humidity changes isn't the best life either.




Whart. Bosendorfer....OOOH WAAA. Nice piece, even with my lousy ear, those are like being at a concert in heaven.

 

I wouldn't let them buy that nice of a piano until all the kids in school had an Audi, Lexus or Jeep Grand Cherokee. Where are their priorities?

 

Actually, the interesting thing about the Steinway is how they do not sell for pennies on the dollar used. A used Steinway typically sells for 60-85% of a new unit depending on its age and condition. The norm is 75%+ for recent pianos (10 years old or less)

Since Steinway regularly raises the prices of their pianos, the used units consistently rise. So in 10 years a Steinway D will cost $175k new and a 2005 model will be worth about $125k or so. It isnt a great investment, but it is better than buying a lot of other things there.

If the school was hurting for money for textbooks and other things, then I think it was a bad move. But if the priorities are straight, then it is a nice addition for the school. Comparing the note of a Steinway grand is like comparing an economy car to an Enzo. If you put both pianos side by side and just bang some keys you will find the sound is totally different; it is like a different instrument.

 

Dang, what do they use for the school's driver's ed? A Bentley Continental GT?!

 

There is no reason for a high school to have a Steinway. If somehow the school acquired $100k and is looking for ways to educate music to students, then they should buy 5 Yamahas so more students can benefit.

The school teacher/administrator who supported the purchase should be fired or voted out.

 

I'm probably going to swap out the Bosie for a slightly more modern piano. Mine is vintage 1873, i think, right after the old man died, and the son took over. The piano has a Viennese action, which is not a problem, but it won't tune to A440, uses an obscure tuning peg, and is largely original. It came out of an Eastern bloc country a few years ago, and is in amazing, largely original, condition. It has been difficult to stablize, partly because of the differences in heating here in the States.
The old, big Steinways are great pianos, I've also looked at WWI vintage Mason-Hamlins- their big piano from that era will give the Steinway concert grand a run for the money and is half the price, restored.
I have been offered a fully restored Erard full sized grand in place of the Bosie. I'll let you know what I do.