The Cambridge-based music retailer announced the launch of Piano Equals on 19 October, International Repair Day 2024.
The new programme has the twin aims of tackling unequal access to music education, and to increase sustainability in the music industry. The company will assess, repair and reuse older domestic pianos and match them with a local school or community organisation that can make use of them.
Drawing on a 2020 government report on greenhouse gases, Millers Music has calculated: ‘At the heart of the initiative is a desire to support the growth of a more equitable and sustainable music industry by addressing the challenge of instrument waste: the incremental carbon cost of using an existing instrument saves an estimated 97% of the carbon footprint of shipping a new one from the other side of the world.’
Millers Music’s managing director, Simon Pollard, said: ‘We believe every child deserves access to high quality musical instruments, but inequality in music education is widening. Studies have shown that music has the power to transform people’s lives, and at Millers Music we believe that increasing access to high quality instruments is fundamental to this vision. Not only can a piano donation inspire and unleash musical creativity but also makes quality instruments more accessible and sustainable for all. Piano Equals aims to facilitate this by sharing our expertise and resources to reuse thousands of unused pianos and give the gift of music.’
Among those already benefiting from the programme is Cambridge Acorn Project, a therapeutic service provider for children and families. Deputy CEO Hannah Chapman said: ‘Access to enrichment such as playing a musical instrument is really important for children’s positive outcomes as they grow up, and for those living in financial hardship it is often more difficult to access these enrichment activities. Thanks to Piano Equals we are able to remove these barriers to music, which can lead to positive outcomes in children including increased self-confidence, improved mastery and good mental health.’
Millers Music invites schools, charities, churches and community groups across the UK to apply for a piano donation. The firm will assess the needs, match an instrument and oversee delivery.
To donate an instrument or to apply for a donation through Piano Equals, millersmusic.co.uk/pianoequals
