Piano Angels.(Forum Focus: Local Associations)(donating pianos)

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 ...