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SALT LAKE CITY — When Hana Janatova endured a family tragedy in 2006, she was amazed at the support her piano students offered her.
After a realization that life is short and the best way to live it is to give back to the community, Janatova started The Mundi Project, an initiative to give underprivileged children and communities access to a piano.
Now, eight years after its conception, The Mundi Project has donated 121 pianos to either individual families or public places in Utah.
“Primarily, we market to get piano donations from people that no longer have a need for their piano in their home,” Janatova said. “Then we have technicians that come out and appraise the pianos to see if they meet our criteria.”
The Mundi Project accepts pianos that are in functioning and working order, and the donors receive a tax write-off for the value of their piano.
Recently, The Mundi Project donated a piano to the Guadalupe School in Salt Lake. Students at the school will perform Friday at their winter carnival.
“We’re happy they can sing Christmas carols at the winter carnival with their music teachers,” Janatova said.
We've heard stories from the piano moving companies of how they've seen some of the parents break down in tears of joy that their family is being given such an extreme gift of music for their home.
–Hana Janatova, Mundi Project founder
This month, three more pianos will be donated, one to the new Glendale Library opening in January, one to a group of veterans and one to the Midvale Performing Arts Center.
Individuals who wish to receive a piano through The Mundi Project are required to fill out an application, which requires them to either live in a household with an income less than $50,000 or qualify for free or reduced school lunch.
Each child who applies must show they have actively been taking piano lessons for two years with a piano teacher who can endorse them and prove they are trying to further their piano studies.
“I’ve only met about three of the private recipients throughout the years,” Janatova said. “We’ve heard stories from the piano moving companies of how they’ve seen some of the parents break down in tears of joy that their family is being given such an extreme gift of music for their home.”
Janatova said certain piano teachers offer full or partial scholarship programs for kids who can’t afford lessons.
“I never thought it would grow so much and we would give so many kids opportunities to learn music,” Janatova said. “For me, a really huge placement was in August, we placed a baby grand piano with Monument Valley High School down on the Navajo reservation. The response from the music teacher down there lit me up through the whole entire day.”
The Mundi Project has a small staff, so they are grateful for additional help.
“We appreciate people’s support,” Janatova said. “We appreciate people considering donating their pianos that are in good shape so we can find them a new home where they’ll be used.”
