Restore Andrea The Piano!!

 
She's talkin' about me!
She's talkin' about me!
My pianist owner is talkin' about me, Andrea The Piano!

The complete text of what she says is below!

Or,  
you can just click here 
and Donate To My Restoration Project Now!

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I’d like to introduce you all to
Andrea The Piano.

Andrea is an antique Steinway & Sons
square grand piano.
dated at 1872,
making her 143 years old.
She was crafted in New York
by the most skilled of old world artisans

Andrea the Piano is made of Brazilian rosewood.
Because it is endangered
import & export of rosewood,
either as lumber or as a finished product,
is prohibited
from most countries in the world
including the Unites States.

As such,
Andrea The Piano
is an American made beauty
that will never leave the United States of America.       
                                   
This piano has many hand carved features,
such as the legs, music rack and pedal.
She also features hand stenciling inside.

And while we have no documented proof of this,
we firmly believe that Henry Steinway himself
chose the wood that would later become Andrea The Piano.
It takes a full year to craft a Steinway Piano,
but before that,
it takes 2 years to dry and prepare the wood.
Andrea the Piano is dated at 1872,                   
which means artisans started crafting her in 1871.
But the wood for this magnificent piano
would have been chosen in 1869
to being the 2 year preparation process.
Henry Steinway died in 1871.
So then,
it is altogether possible
that he chose the wood himself
for Andrea The Piano
though he would not live to see the finished piano.

Andrea The Piano
is one of many instruments
in The Little Piano House,
located in the beautiful city
of Wyandotte, MI.
This little house
is a music, art & piano studio.
There are actually 2 artists
that utilize studio space
in the Little piano house,
one whose artwork is featured in River's Edge Gallery
in the beautiful city of Wyandotte, MI
And of course,
Students arrive to learn the art of piano.

And so,
Andrea The Piano is housed
with several pieces of artwork,
with several electronic instruments
and a few antique reed organs.

This is NOT a piano
behind glass or a red velvet ribbon
in a museum with a
“do not touch” sign.
On the contrary,
we welcome pianists,
young and old
to enjoy this magnificent piano.

This piano is need of much restoration work
and we ask for your help and support
to bring her back to full glory.
There aren’t many qualified and trained
to do the all the work needed.
Indeed, just to bring her to The Little House
required piano movers knowledgeable
about such Victorian era instruments.
As such,
a full restoration will be quite costly.
She will need to travel out of state
to have complete restoration work done.

Just to give you an idea
of how much detail is required. . .

Did you know that each key on a piano
has over 50 pieces?

Multiply that by 88 keys
and we are speaking of well over 4,000 parts
that must be restored, repaired, or replaced.
And that is just for the piano keys alone.

Who am I?
My name is Rubi
and I am one of the owners of Andrea The Piano
and of the little house
that houses Andrea.

I am no stranger to music
in Metro Detroit and Downriver.
I’ve been working in church music ministry for years.
Perhaps you’ve been a member
of one of the many children’s choirs I’ve directed over the years.
Or maybe you were a member of one of the adult choirs
that participated in special events,
like this group that had the opportunity
to sing in Mexico City.
Perhaps I was the musician for your wedding
or your child’s first communion.
Perhaps you had me as a piano teacher
in Detroit
at COMPAS Center of music & performing arts
or at Garage Cultural / The Cultural Garage,
Or maybe even at the Little House.

Maybe it’s because I’ve accompanied you as a musician
during life’s special moments.
Maybe it’s because you have a love for music.
Maybe it’s because you treasure antiques.
Maybe it’s because you appreciate works of art.
Maybe it’s because you live in or near Wyandotte, MI
and would love to help in a local project.
Maybe you’re one of Andrea’s Twitter followers
have enjoyed her wit, humor, and wisdom.

Whatever the reason
I’m asking you to help us
Restore Andrea.

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know that the year I was crafted

(1872) as a Square Grand Piano. . .

Julia Ward Howe wrote "Appeal to Womanhood Throughout The World", which proclaimed the first Mothers Day in 1872 (June 2) as an anti war protest.. . . . . A social activist and poet, she penned the words to "The Battle Hymn of The Republic," which several years earlier, was a very popular song during the American Civil War.

I would be crafted as a piano a few years after the American Civil War

RestoreAndrea.org

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know that in 1872,

the same year that I was crafted as a Square Grand Piano. . . .

Victoria Woodhull

becomes the first woman nominated for President of the United States. (Equal Rights Party) May 10, 1872

RestoreAndrea.org

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know that the year I was crafted
as a Square Grand Piano (1872). . .

The Jesse James gang robs bank in Columbia, Kentucky.
They would leave 1 dead
and make off with bank loot of $1,500.00

Did you know that it will cost than that to move me to and from the place
where I would like to have my restoration work done???

RestoreAndrea.org

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know that in 1872
(the year I was crafted as a Square Grand Piano). . .

Calvin Coolidge
(the 30th president of The United States of America)
was born on July 4th

RestoreAndrea.org

A neighbor came to visit this old piano. . . .

A neighbor came to visit this old piano
and this is what she had to say
on facebook.

What about you?
Don't you want to come and visit me,
Andrea The Piano,
and my roommates?

Just met my fantastic neighbor! What a beautiful collection of pianos she has. Thank you so much for sharing.
Posted by Stacy Cataldo on Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know

that the year I was crafted as Square Grand Piano...

Charlotte E. Ray became the first woman admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia. She was also the first woman admitted to the District of Columbia Bar and is credited as the first female African-American lawyer in the United States.  Charlotte E. Ray graduated from Howard University School of Law in 1872.

RestoreAndrea.org

Did you know that in 1872. . . .

Did you know that in 1872
(the year I was crafted
as a Square Grand Piano)
 
Susan B. Anthony was arrested
for illegally voting in a presidential election?
She was arrested by a Federal Marshall
and charged $100
(which she never paid).
She voted for Ulysses S. Grant.

RestoreAndrea.org

Something about Henry Steinway

While we have no documented proof of this,
we firmly believe Henry Steinway choose the wood
that would later become me,
Andrea The Piano.

It takes a full year to craft a Steinway piano.
I am dated at 1872, which means work on me started in 1871.
But it also takes two years to dry and prepare wood for a Steinway
before the work in crafting the piano even starts.
That means that the wood for me would have been chosen in 1869.
Henry Steinway died in 1871.
That means it is altogether possible that Henry Steinway himself
chose the wood that would later become me, Andrea The Piano,
though he would not live to see me as a finished piano.

RestoreAndrea.org

Did you know that in 1872. . .

Do you know who was president
of the United States of America
the year I was crafted as a piano?

Ulysses S. Grant
was elected to his 2nd term as president
in Nov. 1872.

 RestoreAndrea.org

Who Will Do The Restoration Work for Andrea The Piano?

Who will do my restoration work?
That is a loaded questions!

Not too long ago
a story appeared in a local newspaper about me.
Boy, did tons of folks have opinions and comments
about who should do my restoration work,
about where I should get it done.

I mean,
if your piano is the basement
you haven't made the best decisions
regarding your piano
and really aren't in a good place
to offer opinions about what's best
for someone else's piano.

And if your piano got new strings 50 years ago,
well, I hate to be the one to break the news to you,
but you are about ready to for new strings again.

But you know,
my pianist owner
has been on top of all of this.
She has researched and made phone calls.
She has been in touch with people
who have pianos like me.

There's a place in Detroit that can give me new strings.
However, they won't give me new pins
or do a thing to the pinblock.
Well, that's like trying to put a nail
in the same hole.

And there are other folks in Michigan
that have experience restoring antiques,
however, they made it very clear
that they know very little
disassembling and reassembling an antique piano.

And some folks
just never bothered to call her back.
I mean,
if you can't or won't work with me
at least let us know.
But they didn't even want to talk about me
and the work I need.

I could go on and on,
but I think you get the idea.

My pianist owner
finally started calling companies out of state.
Time and again those who do restoration work
on old pianos
started to recommend one particular place.
So, she contacted them.

They were very detailed
about the work that needed to be done
and about how they would do it.
They also made it very clear
that the full restoration would take
a full year to complete.

Now that just makes sense.
It takes a year to craft a Steinway.
But before that,
it takes two years to dry and prepare the wood.
It only makes sense
that a full restoration
would take one full year to complete.

So, who did we choose
to do my restoration work?
The Antique Piano Shop
located in the state of Tennessee.

Hey, Michael Stinnett,
I don't know when I'll get there,
but I hope you'll be ready
to take good care of me!!!

Andrea, The Piano

Andrea The Piano on Twitter

Well, it truly has been a most crazy couple of weeks on twitter.

I already posted about what one lady had to ask me on twitter.

I have a pretty interesting following,
if I do say so myself!
Authors, poets - writers of all kinds!
Photographers and artists!
And those artists are of various genres.
And of course,
pianists and musicians of all sorts.

I'm followed by a professional piano cyber stalker.
I'm followed by someone that is new to the piano social media scene.

One person follows me because her upright made her do it.

Another person said she followed me because, 
"It's the first time an inanimate object has spoken to me, except in my dreams."

Another said that God sent her a direct message
and then, there I was!

But one of my followers has really got my attention.
He has asked that I run for public office.
And I must tell you,
I am giving that serious consideration.

I'll write more about that later.
For now,
please, 
do follow me on twitter if you haven't done so already.
This Old Piano
could really use all the friends I can get!

Tweeting away,
I am musically yours,
Andrea The Piano.

That crazy question on twitter. . .

Yesterday
I posted about twitter.
Here's that crazy post. . .

my question for @AndreaThePiano is do you let just anybody play you, tune you, spoon you?
— Nancy Ratner (@77catcrazy77) April 5, 2015

Twitter Is Such Fun!

First of all,
my sincerest apologies
for not blogging more.
You know,
you'd be surprised at how much
this old piano has these days!

But I do want to let you all know
that my twitter is exploding these days!
I now have over 3,000 followers!
300 new ones in the past couple of days alone!

And what fun twitter is!
Some has asked
if I would consider running for public office.
You know,
until he suggest that
it never really occurred to me.
But you never know!
Wyandotte is a town
with a lot of things going for it
in the world of visual art.
And the high school
has got some good things happening
in the music department,
I could really play up the arts
in my campaign,
that is,
should I decided to run for office!

And then there is someone
who asked some really personal stuff.
She made me laugh out loud!
Have you ever heard a piano laugh?
Well, she made me laugh,
that feisty lady with her questions.

I'm here and doing well.
Please, do visit me on twitter.
Do add me to your Google+
I'll be youtubing soon!

Oh, and we'll be hosting an 
Open House,
So Save The Dates:
May 16 & 17, 2015!
We are in Wyandotte, MI
just behind Rooosevelt High School.
More info in a later blog post,
for now, please,
Save The Dates!!!!

Musically yours,
Andrea, The Piano.

How Much Will it Cost To Restore Andrea The Piano?

First of all,
let me say that my pianist owner has done extensive research.
She called and inquired to places in Metro Detroit, Michigan,
and indeed, all over the United States.

She decided on the Antique Piano Shop in Tennessee
for a variety of reasons.
I'll write another blog post explaining why
we chose this place for my restoration work.
The numbers in the blog post, then,
reflect what it will cost for restoration work at this particular shop.

A Grade 2 Restoration, which includes strings, pins, hammers, felts, woodwork and so much more, will cost $22,000.00.
(you can visit The Antique Piano Shop for complete details on a Grade 2 Restoration).

Moving me from Michigan to Tennessee will cost $900.00.
Repeat that dollar amount for the trip back home.

A finished matching historically correct Victorian piano stool
will cost $500.00.
(Please note that a piano bench is actually 20th century, 
something that started as a fashion trend.)

-QRS/PNOmation (player action) will cost $7,500.00.
Please note that the Antique Piano Shop
is the only shop in the United States
that will work this feature on Square Grand Pianos.
This should further give you an idea of just how unique
and special a piano I am!

Grand Total for Restoration Work: $31,800.00

     -Andrea,
         The Piano 

Piano Parts

A piano has more than 12,00 parts,
I believe it's more like 12, 116 for a modern day Steinway Grand Piano.
The action for 1 key alone is more than 57 parts.
So, for 88 keys that's 4,500 parts.. . . just for the keys!

It's no small wonder my restoration work
will take a full year to complete!

Post by The Friends of Steinway Mansion.

     -Andrea,
          The Piano

 

Wanna See Some Leg??!!?

. . OK, piano leg!

Here's what my leg will look like once restored.
This piano leg is on a grand piano restored by The Antique Piano Shop,
where I hope to go for my restoration work.
This leg is on a Grand Piano and I am a Square Piano, but both are made of Brazilian Rosewood.

Midcentury Products by Friendsville Artists & Artisans Antique Piano Shop

This is what my legs look like now.

Just thought you'd like to get an idea!

      -Andrea,
        The Piano

92-year-old Pianist

I suppose in the life of every human, there will come a time
that you no longer play football or soccer or baseball or basketball.
There may come a time when you  no longer take to the mat
for those graceful flips and tumbles of gymnastics.

But even when you're 92 years of age,
you can still enjoy a Steinway piano!

. . and at 143 years of age,
a Steinway piano can still be enjoyed!

When my pianist owner is 92,
I do hope she will be enjoying me
as much as the graceful pianist in this video.

      -Andrea,
           The Piano

Post by botl.com.

Ah, Bach!

My pianist owner just loves Johann Sebastian.

She dreams of the day that she will be able to play this piece,
Brandenburg Concerto #3 in G Major,
on this old Steinway once I'm an fully restored.

To tell the truth,
I can wait for that day either!

Ah, Bach!
Now, this is music!

       -Andrea,
            The Piano

Imagine. . . .

"Imagine me restored
Ivory repaired.
Music rack refinished
Strings and pins replaced.

"Imagine all the music
that could come from me. . .

". . you may say I'm a dreamer,
but I'm not the only one.
I hope some day you'll join us
when the fund raiser begins!"

(pianos dream, too!)

    -Andrea,
       The Piano.

And the winner is. . Andrea The Piano!

My pianist owner had lunch yesterday
with a group of  friends from facebook.
They all met up at Magdaleno's Restaurant,
which is actually just a few blocks up the street
from The Little Piano House, where I make my residence.

Well, they had a drawing for a $25 gift card and I won!!

Kudos to Downriver and Friends and to 3V Business Solutions.
And my pianist owner has nothing but good things to say
about Polly and the crew at Magdaleno's  in Wyandotte!

Here's the video where they call my name!
Enjoy!

    -Andrea,
       The Piano.

Post by Tom Lawrence.

A Bach Tweet

One of twitter followers tweeted this.  . . so true..
. . and oh, please do follow me on twitter!
       (pianos tweet, too!)

                          -Andrea,
                               The Piano

#Bach opens a vista to the universe. After experiencing him, people feel there is meaning to life after all. #Piano
— Piano Mentor (@PianoMentor) February 6, 2015

Andrea's 31!!!

Welcome to my 31!
Yes, it's time for Andrea's 31!

No, it's not my 31st birthday!
Actually when this new year came
I officially became a 143 year old piano!
Yes, I am a 143 year old Steinway Square Grand Piano!
But it's NOT my birthday!

Actually, Andrea's 31 in online event
to help raise a few dollars that will go toward my restoration project.

You all are familiar with Thirty-One, are you not?
Purses, Wallets, Tots.
Products for you, for you home!

With your purchase,
you'll get a great product
and I'll be a step closer to the Antique Piano Shop.

Won't you join us for Andrea's 31?!!??

Oh, and just so you know,
there will be many ways you will be able to support me
in my journey toward restoration.

Thank you for your support!

Musically yours,
Andrea, The Piano