Schoenhut Pianos

(Welcome to Julia, one of the finalists vying for a blogging position at the upcoming AT:The Nursery. Comment away.)

Nothing says style like a shiny, black, Baby Grand Piano, but did you ever think you'd house one in your toddler's room? Well, what better time than the holidays to surprise a little one with the gift of music?

Schoenhut Pianos have been around since 1872 when the toy piano company was founded by a German immigrant named Albert Schoenhut. Each handcrafted piano has a spellbinding sound produced by tiny hammers striking metal rods, and they never have to be tuned.

There are many beginner "pianos", many of them digital, out there for aspiring little ones, but this one is the closest thing to the real deal. Even my husband, a true music snob forced to practice every day for hours since he was three years of age, is impressed. The width between the keys is the same as an adult piano so students will learn how to stretch their fingers properly, and each piano includes a songbook that helps children learn using Schoenhut's patented Learning system.

If you're not up for the baby grand just yet, check out the other models including the "My First Piano" model. Just think, not only will you be giving them the gift of music, but you'll also be helping their coordination and motor skills. I don't know, maybe it's just because I wish I'd had piano lessons when I was little, but I love the idea of one of these glossy guys sitting under the tree with a big red bow.

Check out their website at toypiano.com where you can even hear a sampling of toy piano playing by Julliard graduate, Margaret Leng Tan.

-Julia

Comments (21)

wow, just checked out the site, and they're actually very affordable! $155's not bad at all for something like that. i might have to get one for my nephew!

thanks for the post! i am so tempted to buy that piano, as my kids love music. great info!

This looks great - my husband's dream is to own a grand piano one day. Am very tempted to buy this for him just for fun! On a serious note will have to think which friends' toddler could be a budding pianist...

That is adorable!

That's a slightly scary looking child in picture 1. Looks like he only playing a piece in minor key.

I think it's sort of elitist to have a child who can barely walk learn to play a piano simply because it's built by some fancy German company. What's wrong with American companies like Playskool and Lego? And this is APARTMENT THERAPY. If you put a man-child in front of that piano in my apartment (though I live in a big house!) I would need some therapy!

First of all, if a parent was serious about turning their kid into a child prodigy, would he/she buy the kid a 1 or 2 octave toy piano?

And Lego, an American company? I wish... FYI, it's Danish. Get your facts straight. Playskool is owned by Hasbro - just another giant money-hungry corporation. How patriotic.

Plus, did you not read the part about him being an immigrant? Because a foreign-born person started it, doesn't mean it's a foreign company. The company was born in America, no?

But I'm glad you live in a big house.

and yes, this is APARTMENT THERAPY, not k-mart

I'm *distantly* related to Albert Schoenhut (he's a great-great uncle or something), and a number of people in my family display some older models in their homes and they always attract comments. The older Schoenhut pianos often pop up in the antiques market and are surprisingly affordable. Great for apartments - small but interesting decor items.

anything miniature is cute but these pianos are adorable. if i had a little one at home, i would definitely look into buying this.

This is cool! and what a great concept to get kids to start getting familiar with pianos.

dan did so much better than I was going to do.

Very cute. Maybe I should get one for my apartment-sized home? My poor husband!

We (my parents) bought an upright Schoenhut piano for my older sister in 1972... And all of us kids have played with it since, including her two kids thirty years after purchase. Obviously, the piano is durable enough to withstand toddler strength. Although I'm not a fan of the metallic tone of the piano.
I doubt that any of the plastic versions available nowadays would last thirty years.

I bought my wife one of the baby grand Schoenhut pianos several years ago for Christmas (I think I may have been the first person to buy through their web site, which wasn't fully functional at the time....) It sits in a corner of our living room. We love it, and so do the niece and nephews whenever they come over (we don't have kids of our own, we just love the sound of toy pianos and this one looks fantastic to boot).

They're cute, but as others have pointed out, the keyboards shown have far too small a range of keys to accommodate future piano lessons.

The apartment-friendly way to get the piano experience is with an electronic keyboard or a clavinova. The better clavinovas get their "piano" sound from a Steinway baby grand, so the sound is excellent (though the touch will always seem "off" to someone used to a real piano).

I've got a vintage one in my living room that i got off of ebay for like $25--and it's maple finish that goes with my record album shelves.

I love it. The keys have a smaller range but they are normal size. And they sound beautiful.

Hope the little one you bought this for has an ear for music. Even a high qualtiy beautifully crafted piano will sound harsh and annoying if your kid does nothing but bang on it for a few hours. But they will look good doing it I must say!

Love the concept though. Bring out the ear plugs.....

Kids love these little pianos. My children had one and they are very musical. I'm sure it had something to do with that little piano.

thanks for the idea - I just purchased the two octave one for my nephew's 1st birthday!

I've been looking for a mini piano for my 22 month-old daughter, and this one seems perfect! She loves music, and it will be the perfect addition to her nursery. Thanks for this great idea and very informative review!