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Gerald Clayton Masterclass via Yamaha’s Remote Lesson

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Jordan Kitt’s Music partnered with DCPS, The Kennedy Center Jazz Club, and the Yamaha Disklavier Education Network to bring an unprecedented learning experience to students at five District High Schools.

On Friday, February 28th, Grammy Nominated Pianist Gerald Clayton gave a special masterclass with local piano student Joshua Jenkins from The Ellington School For The Performing Arts. Such masterclasses are not only instrumental for the development of the student participating, but are extremely valuable learning experiences for those students sitting in the audience. While time and travel constraints have historically limited the number of students that can participate in such an event in the past (the logistics of bringing in more than a few area students for one of these events would be overwhelming and has limited these opportunities in the past), new technology allowed us to bring this learning opportunity to a record number of students in five separate locations.

B7FE6CAE-4120-4B3E-9C29-C96EABDB8577Yamaha’s patented Remote Lesson and Remote Live Technologies allow students with access to current model Disklavier Pianos to communicate with and interact with teachers located around the world. When one pianist plays a note on a Disklavier piano, the optic sensors within the instrument capture every possible bit of information about the note played. The velocity of the key and hammer, the length of time sustained, the attack and release technique, all are captured and transmitted over via the internet to other Disklavier pianos which faithfully reproduce every nuance of the original performance. This gives the pianist the literal opportunity to perform on multiple pianos simultaneously. Thanks to this amazing technology and the acquisition of five of these amazing instruments by the District of Columbia Public Schools, music students at Ellington, Ballou, Wilson, McKinley, and Woodson High Schools were all able to participate in this lesson.

BAD9FAC1-24B9-43B0-B6E9-0893ECB608F6The response to the class was overwhelming, as students and instructors were thrilled with the potential opportunities awaiting them. “ Today was a magical, memorable, historical jazzy/technological event!!!” tweeted Lori Williams, instructor at Wilson High School and a wonderful Jazz musician in her own right. “The Yamaha Disklavier provides unprecedented opportunities for students and schools to engage with musicians and teachers they might not have been able to before, and we hope that the D.C. public schools are the first of many across the country to take advantage of this dynamic connectivity.” enthused Yamaha Institutional Solutions’ Walt Straiton.

For more information regarding Remote Lesson and Disklavier Educational Opportunities, please contact Brad Prentice at (202) 578-0109 or bprentice@jordankitts.com

Piano Review: Cristofori G62L Grand Piano

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Many experts credit the first ever piano produced to Italian Bartolomeo Cristofori. This young creator of musical instruments dreamt of achieving musical perfection with a sound which would touch the heavens. His relentless pursuit of this goal led to the invention of the piano itself. For three hundred years, manufacturers have been producing various designs of piano, but one company sought to pay homage to the great musical inventor with their Cristofori branded range of pianos.

This six-foot two inch grand piano has been constructed with a solid soundboard of Siberian spruce to create a superior quality of tone and sound. This is complemented with the Mapes Gold Series duplex bar and German Roslau strings to clarify the tone. The solid maple bridges have been capped for strength to provide the best possible transmission of sound. These elements work in concert to provide a soft and rich tone which is wonderful for piano players of any level to experience and at a price that is pretty hard to beat these days.

The Cristofori Grand Piano features a wide tail design to allow a larger area at the rim and a bigger sound. This unique design allows for smaller models of piano to create the sound effect experienced with conventional larger grand pianos. This is accentuated with the custom design, reinforced and double felted hammers which are made from the highest quality material. The German hornbeam used for the action creates a superior precision, durability and tensile strength. This is supported with an extruded aluminum rail and action hangers to increase stability.

The multi-laminated birch/maple rims add a strength encouraging superior projection of tone. While the overall strength of the design is ensured with spruce beams, a laminated maple key bed and hard rock maple pin block. The Cristofori G62L also has a wonderful aesthetic appearance with available finished including ebony polish, ebony satin and walnut polish.

Cristofori are looking to follow the original dream and ambition of Bartolomeo Cristofori. They take pride in producing a musical instrument which is capable of producing passionate music to inspire everyone. They utilize the latest in Japanese piano manufacturing for ultimate precision.

Whether you are a beginner or a more experienced player considering used pianos, Washington D.C. piano players would make a sensible choice with a Cristofori G62L. The quality of finish and soft sound will complement any playing style and be a wonderful addition to any home.

You can inquire about a New Cristofori Piano here, or browse a few of our restored models available at hard-to-beat prices here.

Wolf Trap Piano Sale

Wolf Trap Piano Sale

A once-a-year opportunity to get pricing unavailable anywhere else on a quality piano used at America’s National Park for the Performing Arts is here!

Grand, upright and digital pianos provided to Wolf Trap by Yamaha are being replaced, and the pianos used this past season are now available. Pianos will be prepared for private acquisition and available to be seen at our Fairfax store location.

The event is open to the public Sunday, November 10 from 12noon – 5pm and Monday, November 11 from 10am – 6pm.

Or by appointment Friday or Saturday, November 8 or 9. Click here to make an appointment or for more info!

 

Stronger reading and language proficiency linked to musical children.

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New research is shedding light on how music education may help improve children’s reading and language skills.

In a study from Northwestern University, researchers demonstrated that children with a better sense of rhythm were able to more clearly process sound in their brains – a trait that has been linked to stronger reading and language proficiency.

Read more at the Foxnews article.

Yamaha U1 Upright Piano

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Yamaha have been a household name for generations. However, many people are unaware that the company’s musical instrument history dates back to the 1800’s. Contrary to popular belief Yamaha did not suddenly appear on the music scene in the 1970’s and 80’s. The founder of the company Torakusu Yamaha built his first reed organ in Japan in 1887. His interest in building innovative devices continued and facilitated the official development of the Yamaha brand in 1897. From this date the company expanded and prospered with their development of a vast range of products including sports equipment, motorcycles, musical instruments and audio products.

yamaha_u1Yamaha began their piano production in 1900. They launched several newly constructed designs of upright pianos. This quickly developed into a full range of styles and designs, including their first grand piano in 1902. The Yamaha U1 reflects this wonderful balance of historic and innovative design techniques together with the cutting edge modern technology that Yamaha are renowned for. This upright piano produces a clean traditional sound with a wonderful clarity. It is certainly one of the most sought after used pianos and it is easy to see why.

Yamaha pianos offer a great value and quality for any skill level of pianist. They are a leading choice which is recommended by industry professionals such as piano tuners and technicians, simply because the craftsmanship and expertise of Yamaha represents an uncompromising instrument which will create eloquent and reliable performance. Yamaha create their pianos in a state of the art manufacturing facility which has an experienced workforce with the skills, expertise, dedication and knowledge to create an amazing instrument.

Yamaha take pride in their in house technological facilities which allow the manufacture of almost every individual component for each piano. They utilize this facility to encourage advances in development to create a superior standard of quality control which sets the bar for the industry.

The U1 has solid spruce ribs and soundboard which are utilized for the best tone and quality amplification of sound.  The ribs continue to the very edge of the soundboard to reinforce the crown. This improves stability and ensures a high quality of tone for a great many years.

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The Yamaha engineers have also developed an innovative and unique aluminum alloy action rail which improves the action of the U1. This eliminates the fluctuations caused by the atmosphere in weather changes to produce long lasting and stable regulation of the action. Every key of the U1 has been individually measured and tested to produce a uniform down weight pressure. This creates an amazing balanced action which allows a lifetime of superior control and touch through the whole keyboard.

The keys are constructed from spruce for its light weight and strength. This costs more than alternative materials such as bass wood or sugar pine but it is ideally suited to the demands of key construction. It allows the keyboard to quickly respond and allow fast repetition in even the most intricate musical compositions. This will ensure that the keyboard can withstand even heavy use with years of fortissimo playing.

The Yamaha U1 is available in polished and satin ebony, polished and satin American walnut, polished white and polished mahogany. You can always inquire for the price of a new one on our website, or check our used pianos section for one.

Jordan Kitts and WIPF kick off 3rd Community Concert Series

nakitaOn Sunday, September 15, the Washington International Piano Festival (WIPF) and Jordan Kitt’s Music jointly kicked off the third season of the Community Concert Series in Rockville, MD. Chris Syllaba, president of Jordan Kitt’s Music, introduced Dr. Nikita Fitenko, co-founder of WIPF, who kicked off the concert with two Rachmaninoff Preludes. The recital hall at the Rockville Jordan Kitt’s store was packed to capacity with a very enthusiastic audience.
After his performance, Dr. Fitenko introduced 7 pianists, each of which are students at Catholic University of America’s Benjamin T. Rome School of Music. They performed works by Chopin, Schumann, Debussy, Ravel and Prokofiev.
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Pictured from left to right:
 
Anna Nizhegorodtseva, DMA student; Christine An, freshman piano performance major; Shophia Pileggi, piano performance major; Chloe Canton Rice, DMA student; Dr. Nikita Fitenko, associate professor of piano (standing); Clare Schuberg, sophomore piano performance major; Janice Wood, DMA student and Music Theory Program teaching assistant; Grace Brungardt, freshman piano performance major.
All of these students have impressive biographies and histories of performance and competitions. Their performances were excellent and well received by an audience of appreciative listeners. The concert schedule can be viewed under the events section at www.jordankitts.com.

How to Determine A Used Pianos Worth

Getting a fair price on used pianos in Washington D.C. can be a difficult task. Especially if one is looking for a top tier brand name piano such as a Yamaha or Steinway. These days, there are many sellers out there trying to sell their piano at a price way more than what it is actually worth. As buyers and sellers of used pianos ourselves, our job is to know what a piano is truly worth. Today, we are going to give you a few guidelines should you be attempting to purchase one from a private seller on your own.

Always Look For Name Brand Pianos

When looking for a used piano, your first rule should always be “stick with the brand names”. There are just too many no-name pianos floating around out there made with inferior materials and marketed to the lowest dollar amount. Those pianos are virtually worthless once purchased.

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Here is a list of some of the most trusted brands in the industry, and their respective price points:

Almost All Private Sellers Over-Price Their Pianos

There is, of course, a simple reason for this: Many sellers haven’t the faintest notion of how much their piano is worth and are too busy to do the research to find out. So instead, the list it for what they think it should be worth based either on what they paid for it or what it means to them. Knowing the market value of various models will give you the upper hand in your negotiations and will make sure you purchase your piano at a fair price.

There are plenty of resources out there which can be helpful in determining a pianos worth such as online auctions, piano forums, and craigslist.

Determine the Manufacturing Date and Serial Number

yamaha_serialAnother piece of information we suggest you know is the manufacture date and serial number of the piano you are interested in purchasing. This information is usually imprinted over a metal plate near the keys or inside the piano. As a precaution, a quick search online for the piano model and manufacture date can sometimes (though rarely) yield information about an issue specific to that series. You should also have it inspected over by a authorized piano servicer or technician to make sure it has been well taken care of.

Keyboard Condition

Prior buying or selling, one should test the sound for each key both at high and low volume. Make sure that there’s no defect in any key whatsoever that is neither should be out of tune or non functional. The variation by which a used piano is out of tune will also give you an idea of how well it was taken care of. If the piano is way off tune, it may be indicative of a piano that has not been cared for well or rarely tuned. Thus, more costly tunings and/or repair may be needed after purchase.

Visit a Used Piano Dealer

This can never hurt and may also help put into perspective some of the prices you’ve come across. Piano dealers are often trying to move used pianos quickly and often price them as low as they can possibly go. While you may not get a “steal” on a piano, there are some very attractive upsides to buying a piano from a dealer that sells used pianos.

  • The piano will have been checked thoroughly by a technician prior to any dealer acquisition.
  • Any tuning or repair work will have already been done. So no extra expenses to rain on your parade when you get the piano home.
  • A dealer can be visited after-the-purchase should something go horribly wrong.

Remember, every piano is different and each has its own back-story. The best piece of information on a piano is an accurate history. Who owned it? For how long? And how was it used? The right answers to those questions can raise the worth a piano substantially.

Whitesel Organs and Jordan Kitt’s Music Join Forces; Create Partnership

Whitesel Organs and Jordan Kitts

They together have recognized the major synergies that both companies offer each other in the field of Digital and Pipe Organ Sales, Service and Repair.

Whitesel Church Organs is a third generation family owned and operated business based in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley, VA.  They have installed over 1,100 organs during their 65 year history throughout the Mid-Atlantic Region.  Out of a network of close to 50 representatives, they received the prestigious President’s Award, indicating their position as the largest dealer of Viscount Organs in North America.  They are also the exclusive representative of one the oldest continuous family owned and operated pipe organ builders on Earth, Mascioni Pipe Organ Builders of Italy.

For further information with regards to Whitesel Church Organs, please visit the company website.

This new partnership will bring the unprecedented combined experience of 165 years in the church music business to the entire D.C. Metropolitan Area.

All D.C. Area Customers may now call their local Jordan Kitt’s Music for local and immediate sales and service response.  The formation of the new partnership will offer the clients of both Jordan Kitt’s Music and Whitesel Church Organs the incredible technical resources needed for repair of virtually any brand electronic, digital, analog, or pipe organ.  This partnership will also bring Jordan Kitt’s Music New Organ Customers an exclusive and state of the art Viscount Organ Technology known as ‘Physis’.  These organs use no sampled sounds whatsoever, and recreate not only how a pipe organ sounds, but also how it feels and acts through a process called physical modeling.  Jordan Kitt’s can now also offer their customers custom built Mascioni Mechanical or Electric Action Pipe Organs built with timber from the Val Di Fiemme Forest (Where Stradivari harvested lumber for his violins).

The impressive client list of Jordan Kitt’s Music which includes such prestigious names as The White House, Strathmore, The Kennedy Center, Wolf Trap, The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and Spivey Hall, to name but a few, when coupled with the equally impressive list of over 1,100 churches who have installations from, and are serviced by Whitesel Church Organs, will allow both companies to offer its extended client base a vast range of experience and knowledge on the most complex organ needs.

Jordan Kitt’s customers will be able to draw on the skill and resources of a complete range of specialized technical repair skills from the Whitesel Church Organ Sales and Service Staff.  If you are in the D.C. metropolitan area and in need of sales or technical support for your church or institution’s pipe or electronic organ, call Jordan Kitt’s Music for immediate and local attention.

Jordan Kitt’s is delighted to now be able to offer its existing clients the truly complete range of services via the new partnership and is equally looking forward to developing new relationships with the extended client base.