Tickling the Ivories

No one has asked the question, but I've been intending to update folks on one of the projects we started  last summer.  We hosted the Jazz festival with the integral help of many parishioners.  It was a great celebration of music!  We had intended any proceeds to go toward replacing our existing piano.

Becky and I were hearing some irregularities and just plain tuning problems when certain chords were played.  She quickly deduced that it was likely that the pin-block was cracked which was later confirmed by our friend at Fort Bend Music.  The piano can be tuned but quickly loses its tune as the wood flexes the strings.  Eventually we would no longer be able to tune it.  So we started the process of looking at pianos to replace the one we had. 

In the ensuing time period we had some requests made that could create opportunities to host piano recitals.  The idea of music students of all ages coming to play in the nave was a wonderful notion.  It would help bring folks into the church and give us an opportunity to welcome and invite them to All Saints. In speaking with other venues we learned that to host recitals, instructors would be very selective about the quality of the instrument that their students would play.  The quality of the instrument impacts its longevity, its ability to remain in tune, and most importantly the quality of sound.  While these things may not be important to the casual listener or folks just needing an accompanying instrument, it does matter to musicians trying to perfect their craft.

Well we haven't gotten very close to the price range we need to get a modest quality instrument.  And I hope this newsletter serves as effectively communicating where we are in the process.

While I would still like for us to think of creative ways to bring community members into our church we haven't moved forward with these efforts.  And it seems that fate has put off the pressing need to replace our piano.

After the Strings Infinito concert last summer we had relocated the piano and tuned it again.  Since then we haven't heard a great deal of dissonance from the piano.  We've deduced that when we moved the piano back into place we put it over a section of the floor that we knew to be uneven.  That unevenness actually might be compressing the pin block keeping the piano in better tune than before.

While this is a good reprieve from the problem it's still only a temporary fix.  We don't know how long this will help keep the piano in tune, if it is the cause.  And if we are faced with the need or opportunity to move the piano again we don't know what impact it might cause on the pin-block.  Unfortunately it doesn't address the opportunity to reach out in different ways to community and invite them in.

For the time being we'll continue to faithfully care for what we have.

As a result of our parish meeting the vestry has responded to the call to do due diligence on our campus planning. And for the time being we'll pray for God's direction on how to better use our vast space.

I believe our strategic planning process over the next four months will give us a clearer vision on how to address the piano and our evangelism efforts.