Pianos Without Borders

Pictured here (standing, from left): Mike Meyer, Meyer Music/Chairman of the Board, Band of Angels; Paul Adams, KU MTNA Collegiate Chapter Vice President; Robert Walzel, Dean, School of Music, University of Kansas; Scott McBride Smith, Professor of Piano, University of Kansas; Will Maderos-Treaster, USD 430 Horton Elementary School Music Teacher; Jay Cross, District Manager, Yamaha Corporation of America. (Right Front, Seated): Chi-Kit Lam, KU MTNA Collegiate Chapter President.

The University of Kansas School of Music has acquired a new Yamaha Disklavier piano. This will enable KU piano major members of the KU MTNA Student Chapter to teach remote music lessons through Yamaha’s groundbreaking distance-learning technology.

The Disklavier will be placed in Eisenhower Middle School in Kansas City, KS. This will allow Eisenhower students to take piano lessons over the Internet with KU student teachers. Eisenhower Music teachers Aimee DeSotel and Eli Jones are coordinating the weekly program at the school beginning in Fall 2015.

This purchase has been made possible through the support and generosity of the Yamaha Corporation, Meyer Music, the Band of Angels Foundation, and the KU School of Music.

Special thanks go to Eisenhower Principal Samia Guess and Jodie Lin, Fine Arts Coordinator of the Kansas City, KS School District.

KU faculty advisors for this project are piano faculty members Dr. Scott McBride Smith, founding advisor, and Dr. Michael Kirkendoll.