Lock Haven University’s decision to donate 11 Steinway pianos to other institutions marks the day the music died at the small Pennsylvania college—or at least the day its music major officially ended. Steinway pianos—used by artists from John Lennon to Billy Joel and beyond—are heralded and expensive instruments, with price tags stretching upward of $100,000 apiece depending on the model. Since 2008 Lock Haven has had 22 Steinways on campus, thanks to a gift from 1966 alumna and current vice chair of the LHU Council of Trustees Margery Dosey and her late husband. The gift led the Pennsylvania college to achieve all-Steinway status, which the manufacturer bestows on universities around the world, often prestigious music schools, that only feature Steinway pianos on campus.
