Steinways All the Way at New Music School

One thing that stood out to a veteran piano instructor was the impeccably tuned Steinway pianos in each practice room at the

Dr. Shiho Vogel, who began teaching at the school when it opened in September and now is its director of development, said it's unheard of for music schools to have pianos of such quality, and said music school pianos are notoriously out of tune. So, the instruments at Lindeblad were a strong selling point for the school—even though the owners didn't seem to realize how exceptional the pianos were.

Supplying and tuning pianos is second-nature to the Lindeblad family, which has been in the piano business for more than 90 years. The family has run its piano restoration and sales business, in a shopping center on Route 46 in the Pine Brook section of Montville Township for the last 10 years. They opened the music school adjacent to the original business.

Sean Lindeblad, who lives in the Pine Brook section of the township, said the fourth-generation family business was started in the 1920s by his great grandfather after he immigrated to the U.S. from Sweden.

Sean Lindeblad works with his brother, Todd, and his father, Paul. Todd Lindeblad said most of their pianos are ordered online from around the U.S. and they wanted to start a music school that would serve local students. Todd Lindeblad—who lives in Montclair with his wife, a piano teacher, and sometimes plays piano himself at his church—said he saw a similar joint piano shop and music school when he lived in Canada.

"They kind of complement each other," he said.

The school has eight piano teachers and two voice instructors, including teachers with masters and doctorate degrees, Vogel said.  Some teachers specialize in teaching younger students and use instructional materials featuring the characters Beethoven Bear and Mozart Mouse. Students range in age from 3 to adult.

At the school last week, Sean Lindeblad and Vogel rattled off the potential benefits of learning piano—improved discipline, concentration, learning how to perform, practice techniques, improving confidence, self-expression and lifelong stress relief.

Last Saturday, the school had a ribbon cutting. The school has scheduled a series of free concerts that are open to the public. One is scheduled for 4 p.m. Saturday at the school. A faculty holiday concert is scheduled for 4 p.m. Dec. 10 at the school.