Texas schools join ‘cutting edge’ of music education using innovative player piano
In a union involving what has often been called “the perfect piano” by experts, Weatherford College and Wayland Baptist University in Plainview have announced a groundbreaking collaboration involving Steinway & Sons and the innovative Spirio | r high-resolution player piano.
The unique musical instrument is famous for its capability of live performance capture and playback.
The two institutions will join with the Arlington Independent School District, Lubbock ISD and the Buddy Holly Hall of Performing Arts and Sciences to create the first consortium of its kind in the world, Weatherford College officials say.
“The Spirio | r beta test group of educational institutions, the first such group in the world, puts Texas on the cutting edge of technology,” WC President Dr. Tod Allen Farmer said. “That is precisely where we should be in the information age.”
The Steinway Spirio | r provides powerful new tools of expression and new ways to access, share and experience performance. The consortium will link students from high school to college via coordinated distance piano education, allowing real-time sharing of live performances, one-on-one lessons and group master classes between remote locations.
Steinway & Sons CEO Ron Losby said the consortium “will set an example for the world that this new pedagogy has global implications. We will work with them as they visualize and explore the best pedagogical use of this technology in diverse educational settings.”
Weatherford College became an All-Steinway Institution last November, raising more than $400,000 from privately-funded donations to the WC Foundation in less than one year.
“I feel like becoming an All-Steinway Institution has raised the profile of the entire college. Our donors have really enjoyed the different aspects of the process, and it’s a badge of honor for our fine arts students,” said Brent Baker, the college’s Vice President of Instrumental Advancement.
“To be honest, when the idea was introduced in early 2019, I wondered if this would be a good fit in Parker County. But after touring the New York Steinway factory the first time and visiting with other colleges and universities around the country that took on the same type of project, I was convinced that this was perfect for this college at this time. And it has exceeded my expectations.”
WC’s Dr. Hyeyoung Song, master pianist, and Fredrick Sanders, newly hired director of jazz studies, will work with the consortium to create opportunities for students to make the most of the consortium.
To learn more about the Spirio | r, visit www.steinway.com/spirio.