Pianos are magnificent musical machines – but they’re complicated.

Fun Fact: Each key on a piano has over 25 points of adjustment which need to work together to produce the sound you hear when you play just one note!

PIMF is thrilled to have a partner like Cunningham Piano Company to keep track of these interesting details while providing our summer camp students with wonderful instruments on which to practice and perform (and even buy at a discount at the end of the summer)!

We’re also blessed to feature Svetlana Smolina, Piano Program Director at the European Academy of Fine Arts Piano Conservatory, as our Piano Program Director in June and Yu Xi Wang, Director of Keyboard Studies at the Curtis Institute of Music as Piano Program Director in July.

New students on any instrument are luckier still – eligible for a $250 scholarship if they upload an audition  by January 31, 2022.

And while young musicians are keeping track of deadlines and finalizing their summer schedules, what do YOU as a piano owner need to keep track of?

Cunningham Piano Company co-owner Rich Galassini breaks it down to his top three.

1. “Just like anything else in our lives, pianos require regular maintenance. Tuning a piano maintains the integrity of the instrument and maintains the tension. And while we’re there tuning it, just like when you visit your dentist regularly, oftentimes we can see a little something that can require a small adjustment that if ignored, could mean a lot more work later. For example, having hammers mated to strings correctly – which is just a physical adjustment – can save you from needing a new set of hammers ten years down the road.
2. “The placement of the piano. Putting it in an area of the home that is fairly regular as far as temperature and relative humidity, keeping it out of direct sunlight – all of these things will help the piano maintain its tuning integrity longer. Because woods react to changes in humidity and temperature, so you want to minimize that.
3. “Enjoy it. It’s a member of the family. Sit down and play, do it regularly. It’s good for your soul, it’s good for our bodies physiologically, and it’s good for the piano.”

There is so much more to learn about pianos! For additional fun facts and “piano passion” – visit articles here and here that feature Rich and Cunningham Piano. And if you are in need of a new (or refurbished) piano, visit their site. They ship worldwide!