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SchoenhutŪ Piano Company continues a tradition begun 129 years ago by German immigrant Albert SchoenhutŪ. During the century and a quarter since its invention, the keyboard's magical overtones, hypnotic charm, and lovely chime-like tone have matured from novelty to innovation. Using the finest materials, each piano is crafted entirely by hand in Schoenhut'sŪ Rochester, New York workshop. In this same Upstate city, Strong Museum features the company's rich and interesting heritage with a large exhibit of miniature SchoenhutŪ pianos.
Their quality and durability distinguish them, says the curator of recreational artifacts at Strong Museum, where vintage SchoenhutŪ pianos are displayed, along with dolls, circus figures, and alphabet blocks. SchoenhutŪ toy pianos are authentic musical instruments, built to endure the roughest of play. Small hammers strike metal rods, producing lovely chime-like tones. Each piano is chromatically tuned, which educates the ear of the young performer to the true values of musical notes and their combinations. Another point of merit is that the keys are correctly spaced, corresponding to those on a big piano, enabling the child to learn proper "finger stretch" required for playing. Each piano has one and a half to three octaves (depending on the model) - compared with seven and a half octaves on a full-sized piano. A
removable color-coordinated cardboard strip, which fits behind the keys
to guide small
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fingers from chord to chord, can be transferred to a full-sized piano.
The corresponding Songbook, containing a collection of familiar tunes,
makes playing simple and fun. This Learning System is designed to
bring immediate success with its play-by-color assortment of songs.