Downsizing: 88 Keys and Nowhere to Go, or Disposing of Your Beloved Piano
A client, whose son played trombone when he was in elementary school, only allowed him to practice when she was out of the house picking up his sisters from their various afternoon activities because, during his earlier lessons, his screeches were so dreadful.
She told me this story as we were cleaning out some of her closets and we found her son’s old trombone practice books.
In her case, when he was done playing after a few years (and much improvement!), they just returned the instrument to the school. But it’s not always that easy.
What if your child played the piano? You spent countless quality hours with your child sitting in your lap, having him model what your hands were doing. Hours listening to your child practice from the other room while you were making family dinners. And the nerves you both had before each recital! Great memories.
But after that…well, that piano has looked beautiful in your living room or den for decades, and it has been a great showcase for all those precious family photos, but, face it, no one has played it in years, and now that it’s time to move you really need to think about what to do with it.
Your new space is short on room, your kids probably don’t want it, and if the grandkids are learning to play they probably are using an electric keyboard. Plus, moving a piano can be quite costly.
Once you have made the difficult decision to part with it, now what?
Lots of clients ask me what they can do with their pianos. The sad reality is that even though you may have paid a fair amount for that upright, which was once even considered a status symbol, it is worth next to nothing right now.
We can try donating it to a church, school, or community group, but someone probably beat you to it. Goodwill, Habitat for Humanity, and veterans groups in your area might accept pianos. Pianos for Education accepts pianos for donation if they meet certain criteria.
One solution is to join a Facebook town group and offer it for free. Whoever wants it will pay for a mover to take it off your hands. A scan today of free pianos on Craig’s List in North Jersey showed offers for plenty of free pianos, ranging from uprights to Baby Grands to antique ones. “Freecycle” type websites are another great option, where old possessions get new homes.
It is wise to look for “piano wanted” listings on postings for a few months before you need it gone.
Parts of pianos can be recycled. Many of its parts--the wood, steel wires, cast iron, screws, etc, can be reused. This is usually done locally because of the prohibitive transport costs.
If no one claims it even after you have offered it up for free, you will have to pay to have it hauled away. If this happens, we can shop around for movers. Often they charge a set price, plus additional fees for having to move it up or down stairs. 1-800-Got-Junk removes pianos, and charges based on how much room it takes up in their truck.
It’s not easy to part with an item you have loved for so many years, but once it is gone--either being enjoyed by a new generation of music lovers, or, sadly, destined for a landfill, you will feel lighter and freer and will have one less item to worry about.
Frederick Chopin once said, "Simplicity is the highest goal, achievable when you have overcome all difficulties. After one has played a vast quantity of notes and more notes, it is simplicity that emerges as the crowning reward of art.”
Together, we will help you achieve A Simpler Life Now.