Piano Santa Foundation gives the gift of music all year long

By Nancy Hill
The Portland Upside
May 2009

Piano Santa founder Mark Mention tunes one of his fleet of loaner pianos. (Photo by Nancy Hill)

Ten-year-old Tram arrived in the United States from Vietnam with a Yamaha keyboard prize under her belt, but her family could not buy a piano to foster her talent. Patrick, at 16, had never seriously played the piano, but once he started, talent flowed like electricity through his fingers. Unfortunately his single-parent household could not bear the cost of a piano equal to his abilities. Steve had been playing the piano for six years and had won many competitions, but his piano was holding him back. It simply couldn’t keep up with his ability.

With the help of the Piano Santa Foundation (PSF), a Portland non-profit organization whose mission is enriching life through music, all these promising musicians earned an opportunity to fully realize their potential.

PSF founder Mark Mention has nothing but admiration for the talented musicians to whom his organization has awarded pianos through its scholarship program. As a child and youth, he, too, played the piano. He even studied it in college until, he says, he realized he would never be good enough to play professionally. But that didn’t keep him from his love of the instrument. He merely changed gears and went to The North Bennet School in Boston, Massachusetts, to learn to tune and restore pianos.

”It was a perfect fit for my interests. I love music and woodworking, and this gave me a chance to do both.”

Mark might have been satisfied there, but in 1992, when Portland schools were cutting music programs, he feared the community was losing its music. As he wondered how he could help keep music alive, a client called to say she wanted to donate her piano to a child who couldn’t afford one but who wanted to play. He decided to help her out and thought Christmas would be the ideal time to give the piano away.

Mark called the Music Teachers Association and asked for names of likely candidates.

“I put all the names together and then pulled one out of the hat. The piano went to a little girl that first year, and I just knew this was something I had to continue.”

Friends were interested in this endeavor as well, and with their encouragement and support, Mark created a board of directors. Three years later PSF received 501(c)(3)status.

“We realized pretty quickly that if we only gave away one piano a year, we wouldn’t make huge headway. I’d also figured out by then that giving a piano away might not be ideal. Children change their mind about things, and a piano is a big commitment.”

Mark and his board decided that rather than give pianos as gifts, they would give children scholarships to borrow a piano for up to three years. “This gives their parents time to save money if their child stays interested,” Mark says.

In addition to providing the piano, PSF can also help scholarship recipients find resources for discounted piano lessons. Students may borrow music from PSF’s music library rather than pay the high cost of sheet music, and the scholarship program connects students with a sponsor and arranges for them to work with a mentor involved in the music community. The mentorship and sponsorship programs help the students, some of whom are as young as 10, keep their commitment to the scholarship.

The scholarship application is simple. Students and parents write letters saying why the student wants a piano. Students have to personally commit to a year’s worth of practice and learning, and they have to fill out mentor reports. During the year, PSF requires each student to fill out monthly practice sheets as well. The students also perform at four annual piano recitals.

Students can apply for three different kinds of scholarships. The first, the Standard Scholarship, is non-competitive. Those awarded this scholarship receive a regular piano for a year and can reapply for up to three years. The students need to be from an economically challenged family.
The second type, the Stepping Stone Scholarship, is competitive, and the winner receives a grand piano for two years. Only PSF students can apply. Again, the students are from families whose economic background would not otherwise be able to support a grand piano and the level of study PSF provides.

The third scholarship, the annual Grand Scholarship, is open to the public. While income is a factor, there is no maximum income attached. PSF awards a grand piano for two years to whichever student will most benefit from it.

Mark believes that in addition to learning about music, PSF students also learn valuable life skills. For instance by applying for the program, students learn from a young age how scholarships work.

Says Mark, “The students see they are key to any scholarship they apply for. It’s very empowering.” One student, an Ethiopian girl, went on to earn a scholarship to a private high school and from there received a college scholarship.

Also, “The piano teachers all teach self-discipline,” Mark points out. “The kids learn that nobody can buy good musical skills. Everyone has to earn them. They also learn that by applying themselves and practicing, they can do a lot more than they ever thought they could.”

In general, the students are highly appreciative of the opportunity PSF provides. Says Steve Lam, a recent Grand Scholarship winner, “I had come to a point in my playing where my piano didn’t have the dynamics I needed. It was a great beginner’s piano, but some aspects of it limited my playing and creativity.”

In addition to providing young students with an opportunity to realize their potential, PSF also grants piano placements to organizations that use music as a way to benefit the community through music therapy or vocational rehabilitation.

PSF was run entirely by volunteers up until a few years ago when it hired a half-time executive director. Mark says, “I thought if parents knew volunteers were willing to help their children learn music instead of going to the beach or going skiing, it said a lot about the value of their child.”

Mark is always looking for ways to fulfill PSF’s mission. “We currently have a fleet of 35 pianos,” Mark says, “and we want to make sure they are all in circulation. We also want to start doing more community outreach and expanding beyond classical music.” With the recent addition of Executive Director Sandra Phadke, PSF has been able to expand its scholarship and grant programs as well as its new after-school teaching program.

Mark has a strong philosophical bent and yet he is humble about his dedication and PSF’s success.

“I think what people are looking for in life, whether they know it or not, is fulfillment. It comes down to asking, ‘What is it that makes you feel good as a human?’ I think the answer might be as simple as taking the gifts or skills you’ve been given and using them in a way that helps others. Music is what I can share. I’m not the Piano Santa,” he says. “We’re a foundation. There are many of us working together to make this happen.”

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Students and families interested in scholarships should visit the Piano Santa website at www.pianosanta.org Applications for this year’s Grand Scholarship are due May 15, 2009. Other scholarships are open year round. People interested in volunteering or making donations can reach the PSF office at 503-245-6269.

Nancy Hill is a writer and photographer who believes that when people work together anything is possible.