Founded in 1976, our mission is to support the professionalism of music teachers and to advance the value of music study and music making to our local community.
Kara Patterson's Words of Art column: Music teachers rally to get grand piano at Appleton library
Post Crescent January 13th, 2012
Maggie Hendrick, who teaches piano lessons to music students ages 5
to adult, holds recitals for her studio’s students at the Neenah Public
Library.Later this year, the Appleton
Public Library will join the ranks of Fox Valley libraries that offer a
permanent venue for piano recitals, concerts and related programs.
The
Fox Valley Music Teachers Association (FVMTA) and Heid Music are
collaborating to place a grand piano at the Appleton library in fall.
It is an ideal site for studio recitals as well as concerts by professional performers, Hendrick said.
“I
just think it would be a great opportunity and venue for youth to be
empowered and use their talents to have a meaningful concert,” said
Hendrick, who co-leads the piano project committee. “One objective that
FVMTA members share is we like to provide our students with performance
opportunities. Luckily the Fox Valley has a very active arts community,
but this can also create some difficulties if you are trying to secure a
venue because the demand is so high. (The Appleton library) will be a
place to perform … not just for our members and students but, say,
library-sponsored events or speakers who need a piano for demos, local
community groups, whoever needs a piano. It’s exciting to consider how
far-reaching it can be.”
DeDe Heid, director of marketing at Heid Music, said the project is in line with Heid Music’s cornerstone objectives.
“We
find the more ways we can get people access to music education and keep
them enthralled with music is really important,” she said.
Organizers
have set a fundraising goal of $40,000 for the project. FVMTA has
committed to providing at least $5,000 of that amount in seed money. The
fundraising deadline is June 30. Hendrick said the funds are
earmarked for the purchase of the piano, a duet bench, a lock for
safekeeping, a dolly for transportation, and donor recognition plaques.
Heid
said Heid Music is working closely with FVMTA on several facets of the
project, including instrument selection and financial matters. “With this opportunity we are working to help them to get the piano
at a better rate,” Heid said. “They have to decide what piano makes the
most sense for them and we’re helping them to look at all the options.
We’re helping with fundraising efforts through community outreach and
helping them to raise awareness about their campaign to be able to get
funding resources.”
The library will own the piano and will be in charge of handling venue booking and maintenance, Hendrick said.
“If
we are extremely fortunate and achieve more money than we’re going
after, we’d like to reserve the right to upgrade the piano model and
start a fund for the maintenance that the library will be taking care
of, like tuning,” she said.
Once it’s in place, the piano
will stand in a lower-level meeting room of the library that can be
closed off with dividers for a more intimate environment or expanded to
create a larger venue.
FVMTA is planning a guest artist concert for the project’s major donors to introduce the piano in fall, Hendrick said.
The
addition of the instrument will enrich the programming the library is
able to offer, said Appleton library director Colleen Rortvedt.
“We’re
a big draw for meetings but if you can’t offer something like a piano,
that leaves out those cultural and arts-related programs,” Rortvedt
said. “We have a little electronic keyboard that mostly our children’s
staff uses at storytime, and it’s not something we can really provide as
a component of the meeting room. You can’t ask experienced musicians to
come in and play on a tiny little keyboard.”
The library’s meeting room schedule is lighter on Sundays, a popular day for music recitals in the community, she said.“(The
piano) allows us to become a resource for recitals and musical
(programs) like that, that we can’t do right now,” Rortvedt said. “It’s
just another way that we can help satisfy that demand that we’re a
public gathering space and that the community likes to assemble here and
meet their friends and family.” HOW TO HELP
The Fox Valley Music Teachers Association and Heid Music are
collaborating to place a grand piano at the Appleton Public Library in
fall. The library will serve as a free performance space for music
recitals, concerts, and music-related community programs.
Organizers
have set a fundraising goal of $40,000 for the project. FVMTA has
committed to providing at least $5,000 of that amount in seed money. The
fundraising deadline is June 30. To contribute funds to the project,
write a check made payable to “FVMTA Community Piano Project” and mail
the check to: FVMTA, P.O. Box 1451, Appleton, WI 54911.
For more information about the project or about the fundraising efforts, call Maggie Hendrick at 920-540-5280 or e-mail her at maggie.hendrick@gmail.com.
FVMTA is a non-profit, 501c3 organization so your contribution is tax deductible.
“Music education opens doors that help children pass from school into the world around them – a world of work, culture, intellectual activity and human involvement. The future of our nation depends on providing our children with a complete education that includes music.” Gerald Ford, Former President of the United States
Founded in 1976, our mission is to support the professionalism of music teachers and to advance the value of music study and music making to our local community. 