Dr. Donna Lee and Dr. Jerry Wong
Photograph by Bob Christy, ‘95

Dr. Donna Lee and Dr. Jerry Wong, piano professors in the Hugh A. Glauser School of Music, pose in the main showroom at the Steinway Manor in Akron, which sells and services Steinway pianos.

Keys to Musical Excellence

Steinway status spurs musical pride

By Rachel Wenger, ‘00

When shopping for a new car, consumers might already have a brand preference in mind, whether they realize it or not. Thanks to longtime manufacturing trends and marketing in the world of automobiles, Toyota reminds us of reliability; Volvo, safety; and Lexus, luxury.

In the world of music, Steinway & Sons boasts a 140-year history of handcrafting pianos and garnering musicians’ stamp of approval around the globe, making it synonymous with instrumental excellence. The Hugh A. Glauser School of Music graces its stages with just that, says school director Dr. Josef Knott.

Craftsmanship, tone and lush sound are aesthetics of Steinway & Sons pianos that are unmatched, says Knott. The pianos have a certain touch and an evenness of tone, from top to bottom.

“When I went to the Steinway factory in Queens, N.Y., I couldn’t help but be moved, particularly in this modern age where sometimes quality isn’t driving a lot of things,” he says. “Seeing that the creation of each of the pianos is hand done with a certain amount of perfection, as close to perfection as one can get — something about that resonates about how each piano is made. It’s not a mass-produced kind of thing.”

Steinway doesn’t simply make and then store many pianos. “Just like a custom-made automobile, you don’t drive out of the shop that day with it,” he says. “In fact, you may have to wait to buy one.”

Upright enthusiasm

In February 2007, the School of Music embarked on a “Keys to Musical Excellence” campaign, working toward membership in the prestigious Steinway family as an All-Steinway designated school, one of only 55 such universities worldwide, including the United States, China and Asia. Conservatories and universities already enjoying the All-Steinway seal include The Julliard School, the Oberlin College Conservatory and Lake Michigan College. The goal of purchasing 66 Steinway & Sons pianos, 22 of which are already at home in the Music and Speech Building, is made possible thanks to gifts from Kent State’s Provost’s Office, the Kent State University Foundation and Mel Mellis, ’68, president of the foundation.

“For people studying music, there are perhaps two icons or thresholds universally: Carnegie Hall and Steinway pianos,” says Knott. “Even if you stop someone on the street and say ‘Carnegie Hall,’ it has world recognition. The same thing could be said about the Steinway name, particularly in this country.

“It’s like walking into someone’s house and they have a Monet painting hanging on the wall. You are impressed and you notice it, no matter what else is in the house.”

Obtaining the designation is critical to attracting and keeping students, as well as faculty, he adds.

“Faculty or students looking at the school will see the Steinway stamp and notice that we have a commitment to excellence,” says Knott. “Not only did we make the commitment, but we made the investment in musical excellence and study. We want to create an environment, for students and faculty, current and prospective, that is inspirational. You walk in and are inspired. It elevates the person and the school to a different level.”

Ivory inspiration

For Megan Barth, a master’s student in piano performance, the installation of Steinway pianos means not having to worry about unevenly weighted keys or nonfunctioning pedals. Instead, she can focus on practicing and developing as a musician to an even higher level of excellence.

“Having upgraded pianos for both teaching and practicing definitely refines musical training,” Barth says. “For music theory classes or vocal instrumental lessons, the use of a high-quality instrument provides the best ear training and support for all growing musicians.”

Everyone in the School of Music utilizes pianos at some point in time, for performance, accompaniment, teaching and rehearsing, says Beth Thompson, a flute performance major.

“The quality of the piano and the quality of my flute are extremely important to the final performance of my work. As musicians excel to a higher level of performance, we live and breathe through our instruments,” she says.

The quality of instrument used by student musicians plays a large role in their success, adds Keith Robinson, an associate professor in cello and chamber music, and a member of the Miami String Quartet, Kent State faculty artists in residence.

“As a string teacher, I am always amazed at some of the cellos my students have to play on,” he says. “I frequently lend out my second and third instruments to students who don’t have the financial means to acquire a good-sounding instrument. My cellists and string quartets collaborate with pianists on a daily basis, and for the pianists to have quality instruments is very important.”

String players get used to playing and traveling with the same instrument every day, so much so that the instrument becomes part of the musician. The player knows exactly where the F-sharp is going to be on the fingerboard and where the bow needs to be placed to coax the best sound from the instrument, he says.

“Pianists must get used to playing many different instruments, but I would think it is important in the learning process to have a quality instrument like a Steinway, with such a beautiful sound and similar action of the keyboard,” Robinson says.

Piano power

While the All-Steinway designation benefits all musicians in the School of Music, the direct impact on the Piano Program is obvious.

Based on the foundations made in yesteryear by late professor emerita Margaret Baxtresser and internationally recognized pianist Ruth Laredo, who led many master classes at the university, Dr. Donna Lee and Dr. Jerry Wong, assistant professors of piano, have respected the Piano Program’s tradition and placed it in a more current context. Lee and Wong created and maintain such programs as the Piano Institute, a summer workshop for teenaged musicians studying piano; the Teaching Institute Program, which pairs aspiring local pianists with apprentice teachers or piano majors from the school; and the Kent Keyboard Series, a program welcoming acclaimed pianists from across the country to the School of Music stage.

These programs allow piano students the opportunity to apply the academic learning they are amassing, Knott says. In the short time since the Piano Institute’s implementation, for example, the school is able to see the recruitment benefits of the outreach. Two students who attended the institute, and another who heard about the music school through one of the institute participants, enrolled as Kent State music students this fall.

A well-tuned reputation

The piano programs and other outreach efforts are helping the School of Music break down the real or artificial barriers that surround the academy, Knott says.

“When you look at public schools in the last two decades, funding for the arts has diminished,” he says. “In most public districts, money for music, art and dance really got cut in the ’80s and the ’90s. We have a generation of kids coming up who, unfortunately, isn’t given that early experience that I had.”

If the school is going to expect future music students to enroll in its program, he says, we have to create and encourage the interest and funding for the arts, because we can no longer depend on public schools to do that.

Knott adds that the school’s outreach efforts, along with the All-Steinway designation, are sure to make the school better known both in music and academic circles.

“I think we have a good music school, but the word isn’t out,” he says. “If for nothing else, the Keys to Musical Excellence campaign is sure to put us on the world’s marquee.”