At 252 kg and 155 cm long, it’s still the smallest Steinway model. The Steinway Model S is branded the City Grand, as it can be accommodated in city homes and is the smallest of the grands or concert pianos. The Mehli Mehta Music Foundation (MMMF) desires to acquire one of these hand-made pianos for its students. Grand pianos come in differing sizes: mostly concert, medium and baby grand, ranging in price from US $ 26,000 - 57,000 (about Rs 17 to 38 lakhs). Anthony Gomes, owner of one of Bombay’s oldest music stores, Furtado’s, is offering the160-year brand of piano at a discounted price to the Foundation.
Mehli Mehta Music Foundation’s Children’s Choral Concert; (inset) City Grand Steinway
The strings of a piano are sounded when the keys are pressed or struck. MMMF has decided to go the crowdfunding way for all 88 keys, as suggested by Steinway, who are well aware of the huge cost of acquisition. The average value of one string is Rs 76,000 with the middle C (the central note on the piano) costing Rs 1,40,000. MMMF has acquired the Middle C string, states Mehroo Jeejeebhoy, founder trustee of MMMF. Furtado’s have funded one key with the initial ‘F.’ Cyrus Guzder, philanthropist and arts heritage conservationist, has committed to buying two more keys. The highest and lowest keys will also be differently priced. On completion of procurement, MMMF will hang a placard at their music school in Bombay listing the names of all the donors. The different pricing strategy is a marketing ploy for the city as there is no real technical difference between one key and another.
Music lovers in Bombay came to know of the crowdfunding plan from Gomes at the MMMF Children’s Choral Concert at the Tata Theatre at the National Centre for the Performing Arts on September 3, 2016. Two choirs, one comprising children between six and 10 and the other between 10 and 16 sang an international repertoire in 12 languages, with sheet music distributed only to the senior members. All 252 kids sang, tapped and clapped in harmony, without any glitches. The actions were synchronized, accompanied by broad smiles and general cheer. Alba Millan Sanchez from Catalana, Spain conducted the choir with the children responding to her encouraging gestures to elicit the best out of them.
In the run-up to the concert the MMMF choirs of different ages, the Udayachal, Pali Chimbai Municipal School and St Stephen’s School Choirs all had their regular rehearsals separately as Sanchez found that more manageable; the choirs then harmonized together on Sundays. "The Sunday rehearsals were extremely crucial in getting all the choirs to sing together and be comfortable with each other,” mentioned Farahanaaz Dastur, one of the honorary directors, Education Programmes of MMMF.
The MMMF has also had an outreach program since 2010. "There are 920 non-fee paying students [from three nongovernmental organization (NGO) run schools of Aseema] and 70 teacher trainees from the NGO Muktangan, an initiative of Paragon Charitable Trust. St Stephen’s also channelizes students into playing string instruments such as the violin, viola and cello,” Dastur proudly proclaims. She adds: "Our outreach programs have also greatly enhanced students’ and teacher trainees’ language development, speaking skills and markedly boosted the development of young children’s motor skills.”
Anyone wishing to contribute to the crowdfunding for MMMF’s Steinway project may correspond by email at:
88keys@mmmfindia.org or visit the website:
www.mumbai88keys.in