Piano Angels

American Music Teacher, June-July, 2005 by Linda Hutto King

This is an extraordinary story of the love of music and those who have given generously so many young people could experience the joy of playing a musical instrument.

I am a music teacher at Cavazos Junior High in Lubbock, Texas. In mid-November 2003, I received a call from Betty Cole, who is a fellow member of my professional music teacher association--Lubbock Music Teacher Association (LMTA). Knowing that I work with many children who could never dream of owning a piano, Betty informed me that the family of one of her students had purchased a new piano. They wanted to give their older piano to a deserving student who might not be able to afford one for study. I was grateful for the phone call; however, many of my students at Cavazos's piano lab needed a piano at home. At my daughter's suggestion, I had the students write letters stating the reasons they felt they were deserving of the piano. Ten letters came in, and their thoughts touched all our hearts.

One young man wrote, "When I am not at the piano, I play on an imaginary one." One young lady stated that she practiced at home on a hand-drawn paper keyboard. Others wanted to share their music with families, teach family members or learn to play for their church. The common theme was there: they all would practice, but their families were unable to provide them with an instrument.

With much anguish, Betty's family chose one student, Hector, but all the while they wished they had ten pianos to give away instead of only one. When Hector's family picked up the piano, the grateful father had crafted a stained-glass angel to show his appreciation for the generosity. This story could end, but it just gets better.

I wrote a letter to the Lubbock Avalanche Journal, our local newspaper, telling our story, then asked if perhaps there were other people who had pianos that were "collecting dust." I suggested they visit our lab to meet the students and consider the possibility of donating a piano to one of them. The results have gone far beyond my wildest expectations.

On November 19, 2003, I had one message stating that a lady had a piano that had not been used in years and she would love to find a new owner for it. This second piano went to Alexandrea. One stipulation I made was that when a student was given a piano, he or she would have to make arrangements to pick it up; Alexandrea and her parents eagerly made the arrangements.

Next to pick up a piano was Antony and his sister, Cortny, on November 20. Also on that same day, a dance instructor called wanting to donate a piano. Adrianna took more than a month to pick up the piano, but when it finally made it to her house, she took pictures to hang inside her locker at school. Isaac received the next one; it was extra special because not only did he need a piano, but his brother had been in the class and also enjoyed the benefit. The sixth piano was given to Francisco. He and his dad drove thirty-five miles to Brownfield over icy roads for the pickup; it was nerve racking but well worth the drive. In May, Francisco received an outstanding rating at the Greater Southwest Music Festival despite only taking lessons since September.

One or two piano calls came in each week until Christmas vacation; I thought it was all over, but then a lady called to donate a piano stool and someone else had piano music to give our class. We also collected two portable electric keyboards that we check out like library books, so students can practice for contests and performances. Another special "angel" lady bought three pianos at her church's remodeling sale and gave them to three more students.

In February, I e-mailed the newspaper editor to thank him for publishing my letter. He took my e-mail and put it in the paper. That jogged the memories of the readers, and calls started again. Our school secretary was having fun collecting the messages. Some people called with pianos beyond repair, and we politely had to refuse them. It will take money to tune the pianos, but that is far less than what it would cost to purchase a new piano.

We have received thirty-nine total pianos for students. The last call came just a few days before school was out for summer, and that piano was happily received by another family. Those who donated instruments will never know how much they contributed to the lives of students and their Families. When the angel was given as a "thank you" for the original donation, it became the symbol for the entire project. We met some very nice and caring individuals who wanted nothing in return, except to know they had helped a student in his or her education--a little like an angel, I think.

Linda Hutto King is the piano lab instructor at Cavazos Junior High in Lubbock, Texas, and has been an educator for more than thirty years. She received a B.S. degree from North Texas State University and an M.Ed. degree from Texas Tech University.