Sisters school has a new piano keyboard

Sisters Elementary School music teacher Debbie Schlater has a new piano keyboard to use in her music program.

The Yamaha keyboard was provided to the school through the Sisters Schools Foundation.

The keyboard is now in the music room, replacing the piano.

“We needed something in here that wouldn’t change with the temperature,” she said.

The keyboard has another advantage: its low profile lets Schlater see her student singers while she plays instead of having to peek over the tall top of the conventional piano.

The former music room piano has been moved into the commons to serve during assemblies.

Schlater deliberately sought a no-frills keyboard, but the Yamaha still has features she finds useful. It has weighted keys to more closely simulate the action of a piano, a built-in metronome and a pair of headphone jacks that allow two students to play together silently.

“This also can connect up to speakers,” Schlater said. “It records songs... it gives lots of voices that the kids can use.”

The keyboard debuted last Thursday, February 16, at an in-school “informance” by first graders.