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SALT LAKE CITY — Skip Daynes is the fifth generation in his family to run Daynes Music, the oldest piano company west of the Mississippi.
Still, he knows of at least four piano stores that have closed their doors in the Salt Lake Valley in the last two years.
This mirrors the national trend of piano stores closing, as fewer people take up the instrument. Currently, the less expensive electronic keyboard is selling more than the acoustic version. More than a century ago, in 1909, new piano sales in the U.S. topped 364,000. Those sales now average around just 35,000 a year.
“I think Utah is interested more in the arts in some ways, because of our history,” Daynes said
To combat this change in sales, Daynes introduced an Internet program to his store that you can plug into a piano.
The program is called PNOscan (Pronounced “piano scan”) and is compatible with any piano using a USB cord. It lets students use software such as Home Concert Xtreme, which has the ability to give piano players lessons and will grade them on how they play the notes. It can also attach to Garage Band, where famous artists, like Sarah McLachlan will teach the notes to their songs.
“What really is happening now is children are very adept to computers and using their fingers and hands,” Daynes said. “They know where to play games on the computers and in a sense PNOscan is a graduated game.”
What really is happening now is children are very adept to computers and using their fingers and hands. They know where to play games on the computers and in a sense PNOscan is a graduated game.
–Skip Daynes, owner of Daynes Music
The new technology has boosted the sales at Daynes Music by 40 percent.
“We are probably the only ones or one of the very few who makes sure every person that comes into our store has a chance to try PNOscan,” Daynes said. ”And yes, it has made a big difference in our sales.”
That isn’t the only thing that is changing in the piano industry. Older generations of students are taking lessons for the first time.
Scott Foust, the owner of Salt Lake Piano Academy, teaches 60 students. Half of those are now adults.
“Some took when they were younger and are now coming back because they want to reconnect with it, but a lot are starting out for the first time.” Foust said.
N.V. Rao is a research professor from India who started playing the piano less than two years ago.
“The Piano is a challenge for me,” Rao said. “All my life I have taken challenges and when I came to the level of retiring, I wanted to have something challenging.”
The trend also affected Beth Lopez, a 30-year-old businesswoman who quit taking lessons when she was a little girl. She regretted her decision, so on her birthday, she gave herself piano lessons.
“You see it's a timeless instrument. Piano will always have a role in music,” Lopez said. “It’s such a visual instrument you can see how everything works logically and that helps me a lot.”
Lopez said as a child she didn’t appreciate the instrument, but now that she is older she has a better understanding of the beauty of it.
Piano sales have been going down for years. Daynes said he doesn’t see it becoming popular with the younger generation until it becomes “cool.” He traces the downward trend back to when elementary schools started getting rid of their music programs.
“Music can’t be taken away; it should be enhanced in our schools,” Daynes said. “They left out the A in the STEM initiative. It should be STEAM.”
Aubree Jones is a graduate from Brigham Young University. She received her degree in communications. Contact her at aujones@ksl.com
