Pianos

Guidelines for Donating Pianos and Organs

Full-sized keyboards are very precious and have tremendous sentimental value, but it can be surprisingly difficult to donate a piano or organ for a number of reasons, including:

  • high cost and difficulty of moving a piano
  • high cost of repairs and maintenance for all pianos and organs, but particularly for antique instruments
  • amount of space required by a full-size keyboard

The Spirit of Harmony is happy to help with these large instruments, but we do not have the success rate in placing pianos and organs as we have with smaller instruments and it can also take considerable amounts of time and effort to make a placement.

We find that many schools and music organizations are opting to teach on electronic and digital keyboards, instead of teaching on traditional acoustic pianos (and they almost never accept full-sized organs). The scope of the Spirit of Harmony’s national network focuses on schools and organizations. If we cannot find a school or music organization that needs a piano or organ within our network, we ask that the donor work with us to expand the search to local places of worship, community centers, senior living homes, YMCAs, theater groups or local choirs, hotels or B&Bs, recreation centers, local night clubs or restaurants, museums or historical societies, etc.  The donor is undoubtedly much more familiar with businesses and institutions within their own community than we can possibly be!

Please note: When we begin working with a donor to help them place their piano or organ, we depend on the donor to keep us informed of any pertinent changes in status. We have had numerous unfortunate experiences in which we spend many hours seeking a placement for a piano or organ, then when we make the e-introduction between the donor and recipient to arrange the pick up, we are informed that the piano or organ has already been given away to a neighbor or that the donor has already moved out of the house and left the piano there! We take these placements very seriously and we ask to be kept in the “loop.”

Donation Questions:

The Spirit of Harmony does not physically accept piano donations, but will assist you in finding a local program that is willing to accept the donation. We are happy to do our very best to help you find a new home for your piano, but we ask that you please FIRST refer to the “Some Considerations” and “Other Possibilities to Explore” sections below on this webpage.

If you would like us to assist you in placing your piano, please send us an email with the following information, and we will work within our network to try to find a school or music program in your area that needs a piano:

  • Exactly what do you want to donate?
  • Where you are located?
  • Details about the instrument(s), specifically the manufacturer and model, and several photos. Please clearly indicate whether the instrument is in workable, functional condition or whether it needs extensive repairs. We appreciate knowing the last time the instrument was professionally tuned, and whether it has been exposed to environmental extremes.
  • Is this donation time-sensitive? (please understand that a very short deadline is usually unrealistic, as it can take time to find a program that will accept a full-sized keyboard)
  • Does your donation include the bench? Sheet music? Anything else?
  • Does the recipient need to pick up this donation, or will it be delivered? If the recipient needs to pick up the instrument, then we will need specific details about any stairs, tight turns, narrow hallways, or other obstacles that will complicate the move.

Some Considerations:

It’s wonderful when someone wants to donate a beloved and valuable instrument to children to support their Music Education! However, please consider the following when assessing whether to donate your piano, as every school, nonprofit, charity, religious organization, or community center is going to have different specific criteria for piano donations:

  • All keys work and don’t get stuck. You might be able to still donate your piano if only a few keys stick and everything else works, but it depends on whether or not a nonprofit is willing – or has the funds – to repair it.
  • It’s mostly in tune. Tuning a piano is part of regular maintenance. A wildly out-of-tune piano may make people shy away from your donation. Be open and honest when letting recipients know whether your piano is more “out of tune” than it is “in tune”.
  • It has no major damage. A few small scratches and some wear-and-tear is to be expected. But if your piano has a broken leg, a cracked key cover, chipped keys or anything similar to this, it might not be accepted for donation. Has the instrument been stored in a garage, basement, storage unit, or any other place where it might have been negatively impacted by temperature or moisture?

Other Possibilities to Explore:

Please note that the Spirit of Harmony cannot contact these resources (below) on your behalf. The contact must be made by the piano owner. 

Piano Donation Organizations (they accept particular makes and models only): 

Other Ideas:

  • Is your piano or organ an antique? Please visit this website for information on antique instruments Antique Piano Shop
  • Your local Musicians Union afm.org
  • Goodwill (varies with location) goodwill.org
  • The Salvation Army (some locations accept pianos) salvationarmyusa.org
  • Piano Forums: Piano World pianoworld.com, Piano Adoption pianoadoption.com
  • Craigslist, Facebook
  • Trash Nothing (free advertising, where the recipient picks up item locally) trashnothing.com
  • Some cities and states have piano donation programs – check local listings

Recycling:

There are many YouTube videos with ideas on recycling a piano, and check out some DIY websites for inspiration.

Ivory Considerations:

Pianos were made with ivory keys for a significant portion of their history, primarily from the early development of the piano until the mid-20th Century, when the ivory trade was largely banned due to concerns about elephant poaching. Most manufacturers stopped using ivory by the 1950s, with the practice completely phased out by the 1980s due to international regulations.

For pianos made prior to the 1950s, key covers that have not been replaced might have ivory left on them. Ivory is a veneer, a very thin covering over the wood key. Real ivory may not be sold, bought, transported over state lines, or shipped out of the country. This applies to all ivory items — sculptures, embellishments, keytops, and even entire pianos with ivory keys. Although you cannot buy, sell, or trade ivory anywhere in the world (including on the internet) you are permitted to keep the ivory that you already own. Federal laws do not prohibit donations or gifts of an ivory item, provided that it was acquired lawfully and there is no monetary exchange, or exchange for other goods or services.

If it is necessary to disassemble or recycle a piano that has ivory keys, please donate the keys to a qualified piano technician or restoration professional, who can utilize the ivory keys in an historic restoration.