Benefits of Music Education
"Music is one of the most powerful expressive forms we have in our lives. How powerful? Playing music (not just listening to it) is used to treat neurological problems, to heal people who have had strokes, to slow down the progression of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases. Musician's brains -- as measured by MRIs -- actually work differently than the brains of non-musicians. We (musicians) develop particularly a complex instrument like piano which help us make other connections. The ability to play an instrument, en linked to less dementia in old age, better cognitive skills, and faster healing from traumatic brain injuries.
Not to mention the sheer joy of it. How many adults do you know who say, "I wish my mother hadn't let me quit." You may be one of them."
-Karen Berger
PIANO CARE TIPS
TUNING
Have your piano tuned regularly. Twice a year minimum.
Have a full regulation done every 2 to 5 years. You'd be surprised at how your piano should have sounded and responded to you playing all these years.
Don't attempt any "home repairs" on your piano. Although it may appear easy to fix yourself, an innocent mistake can be costly. Let a technician do it - they have the right tools, replacement parts and expertise to do the job right the first time.
EVERYDAY
Keep your piano away from heating registers, radiators, fireplaces and air conditioning vents. Subjecting it to extreme fluctuations of temperature and humidity levels can do major damage. Keeping a piano away from an outside wall was probably necessary in poorly insulated older Victorian homes, but should not be a problem these days. Avoid direct sunlight on your piano - it can damage and fade the finish, or even create horrible tuning problems.
Try and keep the temperature and humidity levels as consistent as possible in the room where you have your piano.
Seasonal swings in relative humidity are the piano's greatest enemy. Swelling and shrinking of wooden parts affect
tuning and keyboard touch, while extreme swings can eventually cause wood to crack and glue joints to fail. Pianos
are happiest in a relative humidity level of 40 to 45 percent.
Keep plants, vases, drinks, or anything to do with liquid off the piano. Condensation can ruin the finish, and
spillage of liquids into the inner mechanism can result in irreversible damage.
To prevent scratches on the finish, never place objects on your piano without a soft cloth or felt.
CLEANING
Don't use furniture polish to clean your piano. It can soften the finish if overused, and the silicone & oils present in
many household brands can even contaminate the wood, despite what the labels may say.
Just feather-dust the piano first (dust is abrasive, so wiping it first can cause scratches), then wipe with a soft,
damp cotton cloth, wiping in the direction of the grain. Then, wipe up any excess moisture with a similar dry cloth.
Do the same thing as above to clean your keys, but use separate cloths for the blacks and the whites. Don't use
cleaning agents!
FOR MORE PIANO TIPS GO TO: www.concertpitchpiano.comCONTACT ME:
EMAIL: LINDACASPER835@HOTMAIL.COM
PHONE:
203-560-9102
203-263-5754
