For the past 37 years,

Glenn Clutter has

enjoyed a varied ca-

reer in the piano in-

dustry. Glenn began as a teenager working

in the warehouse area of a large piano &

organ retailer. He then joined his brother

as co– owner of a successful piano & organ

dealership on the eastern Maryland shore.

With interests in the wholesale aspect of

the industry, Glenn held District Sales

Manager positions with Baldwin,

Another NAMM show

has come and gone, and

everyone is out conducting business as

usual, and I am hearing things are better

for most so far this year. The company

with which I am associated is up substan-

tially for the first quarter, and I hear this is

true for other as well.

The attitudes of those attending were

greatly improved from a year ago at

NAMM, which was inspiring to all. Atten-

dance in our booth was up , and continued

through Saturday, as opposed to last year,

which was flat after Friday.

Our Piano Travelers Association Recep-

tion was held this year at a new venue, The

Red Lion. Everyone that I have talked

with seems to be very pleased with this

location, so we‘ll try to repeat next year at

the same time and place, as the food was

good, the distance from the convention

center not too far, and the price was rea-

sonable.

The recipient of the Lifetime Achievement

Award was none other than Stan Lin-

denbaum of North American Music. Stan

has devoted more than 50 years to the

Music Industry, and is still going strong.

We also honored three individuals that

have through thick and thin kept our or-

ganization afloat through some difficult

times. Those three gentlemen are Don-

Glasgow, Rob Slayman, and Larry Fresch.

A new Vice President was drafted at our

reception, Mr. Glenn Clutter. Glenn is a

veteran in the industry, has been a faithful

NPTA member for many years, and will

always have our best interest‘s at heart.

I want to say ‘thank you‘ to all who con-

tributed in our time of need. Because of

all of you, the NPTA will continue for

years to come.

Inside th i s

i ssue :

President‘s

Notes

1

Spotlight on

Members

1-3

NPTA Road

Stories

2

Music Trivia 3

Musical Jokes 3

Industry

News

4

Year-End

Report

5

Travel Tips 5

Sponsors‘ List 6

Contact Us 6

NAMM Mtg &

Dinner Party

7-11

Spe c ial

po int s of

i nt e r es t :

Check out the

NAMM Show

Dinner Meeting

Photos

Have a Good

Laugh

Meet your 2010

Board of Directors

- See Spolight on

Members

President’s Notes

Spotlight on Members

The Piano Rag A p r i l 2 0 1 0 V o l . 1 5 I s s u e 1

BY DiCK CHRiSTiAN

“Because of all of you, the NPTA

will continue for years to come.”

Glenn Clutter

National Piano Travelers Association

Your new VP

HAVE

A

LAUGH!

NPTA Road Stories

Young Chang , & Petrof.

Currently Glenn is Director of Sales for

the eastern United States & Canada for

the Schimmel Piano Corporation.

Glenn has shared a membership in the

National Piano Travelers Association

since 2000 with many of his mentors &

lifelong friends.

Glenn and his wife Lori (a District Sales

Manager for QRS– Story & Clark and

member of NPTA) reside in Williams-

port, PA. with their two daughters, Tara

and Tess.

Send in your road stories for future newsletters.

You can change names to protect the

innocent or the guilty.

We know you have more than one!

Email to Dawn DeMars.

Dawn.DeMars@verizon.net

‗

Spotlight on Members cont.

T h e P i a n o R a g P a g e 2

“The piano has

been drinking,

not me.”

Tom Waits

“I’m told that

Wagner’s music

is not as bad as

it sounds”

Mark Twain

The Piano Man

Emporer Joseph II‘s

only comment was

―Too many any notes!‖

In regards to pianos, what did Gerald Ford

and George Bush have in common?

They both did not own pianos in the

White House….. Prior to the year 2000,

Ford and Bush Sr. where the only Ameri-

can Presidents not to own pianos while

in the White House.

We know piano‘s have 88 keys, so how many

black & white keys are there?

52 White, 36 Black

The song ―When Irish Eyes are Smiling‖ was

written by George Graff, who was German,

and was never in Ireland in his life!

After attending the first performance of Mo-

zart‘s opera The Marriage of Figaro, the

V o l . 1 5 I s s u e 1

Fun Musical Trivia

Dick returned to retail as a Partner with

Bob Street at Clause P Street. But you

just can‘t take the traveler out of Dick

and he returned to Samick as VP, Ex-

ecutive VP, and his current position as

Consultant. Dick has given to his cus-

tomers, whether retail or wholesale,

and to this industry. He has supported

NPTA for 20 years and is known as a

―true gentleman‖ and a fine representa-

tive of the ―piano traveler‖.

Dick first worked for Jenkins Music in Kansas

City in 1964 selling pianos and advanced to

Store Manager before moving to Nashville to

join Claude P Street Company as Store Man-

ager , General Manager, and eventually Part-

ner. In 1980 he began his ―piano traveling‖

days as a District Sales Manager for Wurlit-

zer. That‘s when many of us met him for the

first time. After 8 years at Wurlitzer he

worked on the road for Samick for a short

stent, then back to Wurlitzer/Baldwin as a

Divisional VP. With the decline of Baldwin,

A: A pair of Re– Bachs.

A note left for a pianist from his wife…. ―Gone

Chopin, ( have the Liszt), Bach in a Minuet.

Q: Why is an 11 foot concert grand better

than a studio upright?

A: Because it make a

much bigger bang

when it hits the

street.

Q: What do you get when you drop a piano

down a mine shaft?

A: A Flat minor

Q: What do you get if Bach falls off a horse,

but has the courage to on again and continue

riding?

A: Bach in the saddle again.

Q: What do you get if Bach dies and is rein-

carnated as twins?

Funny Musical Jokes

Spotlight on Members cont

Dick Christian

“Did you know Mozart had no arms

or legs? I’ve seen statues of him on

peoples pianos”. Victor Borge

“There are two

kinds of music,

the good and

bad. I play the

good kind”.

Louis

Armstrong

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 3

Your President

to assist them as a consultant which lead to

her consulting career. While most of her

clients and employers were some of the

most prestigious and well known manufac-

turers and retailers in the piano industry,

she also wrote and conducted sales training

and coaching programs for the car & real

estate industries. She served as a Trustee

for NAMM and was a board member of

both PMAI and the NPF. As she needed a

break in ―travel‖ she joined the Keyboard

Concepts team in So Cal for a year and to

see what was next and 10 years later she‘s

managing their Agoura Hills new super

store & still, after all these years, loves sell-

ing pianos and enabling people to have fun

and the joy of music in their lives.

After a few years entertaining

around the world, Dawn de-

cided performance was not

her passion and got into re-

tail, selling her first musical

instrument in 1967. And

what a career ever since. She

fast tracked through Sherman

Clay management leading

her to VP of Stores and

Operations, growing the

company from 45 stores to

62. She left SC to own & operate 5 retail stores in

DFW. That lasted a few years until the recession in

the late 80s when she sold and moved back to CA.

Then manufacturers and retailers began to ask her

Spotlight Members, cont.

Dawn DeMars

Your new Sec/Treas

Industry News Pearl River:

Ying (Evelyn) Luo replaces recently

retired Jeanette Xu as USA Presi-

dent.

Yamaha:

New President, Nakata takes over

Yamaha Corp of America.

Steinway:

Samick increased investment in

Steinway stock by $27 Million,

brings to $85 M.

Schimmel:

Schimmel comes out of BKC in bet-

ter position, returns to 100% family

owned.

Stay connected

to others

in the Industry

Ne-new your

NPTA membership

Today!

(See email & address on Page 6)

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 4

MONEY SAVING TIPS

Travel globally, eat locally—and avoid tourist

traps!

1. Steer clear of hawkers waving menus-they

need you more than you need them.

2. Speaking of menus, beware of those with

multi– language, multi– cuisine listings,

promising everything from pierogies to pap-

padams to pork chow mein.

3. Follow your nose: If the wafting aromas

don‘t make you smile, keep walking.

4. Ask the locals. They live there. They care.

♪ Hotwire.com has the ―hottest‖ hotel deals

for US travelers as reported by our members

TRAVEL TIP

Is there life after lost luggage? Pack

smart & you‘re good to go! A well–

packed carry- on is an airline– trav-

elers best friend.

Listed in order of importance, be

yours includes the following:

1.Your passport, boarding pass & keys

2. At least a 2 day change of cloths & toiletries

3.Valuables such as cash , important documents

& jewelry

4. Rx drugs, medical items and eyeglasses

5. Electronics: cameras, cell phones, iPods &

laptop

Travel Tips

Future

Travel

Tips

Coming

From

American

Express

&

AAA

Year-end Report from Rob Slayman Secretary Treasurer 2006-2009

It has been a privilege to work on behalf of NPTA for the past couple of

years to do my part to help keep it viable. As announced earlier this year, Dawn

Demars takes over as Secretary/Treasurer and newsletter editor. She brings a

fresh perspective and a professionalism that will surely benefit the organization.

Expect to see new and exciting ideas from her. Thank you Dawn!

I am pleased to report that we were not only able to raise enough money

to hold the annual party and meeting again this year, but we ended up in the

black thanks to members paying their dues, additional contributions and corporate sponsors. At

the end of November 2009 the NPTA account balance had dropped to a low $370.34. After a push

for dues, contributions and sponsorships in December and after discontinuing the credit card ter-

minal, we ended the year with $1,787.46 in the bank. So far this year we‘ve taken in $1,835, mostly

at the annual party. Expenses in 2010 so far have been $2,166.97, of which $2,042.33 was for the

Anaheim Red Lion for the party room and food. I am happy to report that the NPTA account bal-

ance which was forwarded to Dawn on March 8, 2010 was $1,455.49.

Best wishes for a good 2010!

Rob Slayman

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 5

Many Thanks!

2010 Individual Sponsors' 2010 Corporate Sponsors'

Bob Dove, Steinway & Sons

Wilton Syckes, Syckes & Associates

Kevin Walter, Charles Walter Piano Co.

Thanks to our many 2009 corporate sponsors!

We need your help in 2010!

Please call Dawn or send her your

corporate sponsor‘s check for 2010.

$300 level $500 level $1000 level $1,500 level $2,000 and up

NPTA Board of Directors

And General Information

Dick Christian, President

Glenn Clutter, Vice President

Dawn DeMars, Secr./Treas.

and Newsletter Editor

Address:

442 Glenwood Pl Thousand Oaks, CA 91362

Phone:

(818) 416-4308

(805) 379-9888

Fax:

(818) 735-0188

Email: Dawn.demars@verizon.net

Web: WWW.Pianotravelers.com

The “New” Piano Rag

Pass it On

Send this to another piano traveling friend

and send Dawn his/her name and email address.

Let Us Know

What did you think? Email Dawn any suggestions,

comments, or other feedback. We will incorporate

you‘re thoughts and ideas.

Contribute

We want your ―letters to the membership‖, road stories,

and industry news, etc. you would like reported.

Make this newsletter yours!

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 6

2009 NAMM Meeting & Dinner

Our general meeting and dinner was a big success as measured by a huge turnout. Nearly

twice as many members showed up than was expected. Food, drink, and music were enjoyed

by all. Sharing and visiting with one another was GREAT!!! Wish we would have taken more

photos to share. Next year we will do better visually recording the party for those of you who

couldn't attend.

The NPTA Lifetime Achievement Award was given to Stan Lindenbaum, ―the piano man‖.

NPTA Lifetime Achievement Award

Stan Lindenbaum

grew up in Brooklyn. He worked for the Tho-

mas Organ Company as the designer. Stan

later worked in the consumer electronics in-

dustry before returning to the music industry

as a Regional Manager for North American

Music selling acoustic pianos. Several friends

and co-workers at N American spoke about his

career and their experiences with him and all

showed their appreciation for his sales advice

over the years. It was said that if you could

spend the day with Stan (and ignore the health

food lecturers) you couldn't help but come

away with a more productive way of selling.

Stan has been a long time supporter of the Na-

tional Piano Travelers Association throughout

his 50+ year career.

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 7

Gary Girouard, Gary Gilanti, Stan

Lindenbaum, & Dick Christian

Hannes Schimmel-Vogel, Rob

Slayman & Lothar Kiesche

Jay Cross, Don Glasgow, Dennis Robey T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 8

NEW WEBSITE Launching in May! Make sure we have your current

email address so you will get an

announcement and the new

website address.

Special Thanks

to Rob Slayman & Cyndie Caruth for

sharing their photos!

& Chuck Clynes & others at North

American Music for sharing their

thoughts about Stan .

below

John Thomas

&

Cyndie Caruth

above

Kevin Walter, Jr

&

wife Heather

Kenny Williams, Keyboards & Kelly Small, Drums T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 9

Larry Fresch,

with

Laurie

&

Glenn

Clutter

Mario Merdirossian

with

Ann & Hershel Green

Bob Popyk

&

Bob Tringali

T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 1 0

Grant Wallach,

Chris Vance,

&

Rich Pritikin

Joe Brattesani & Howard Sontag

Hope & Keven Walter with Marti Gordon T H E P I A N O R A G , P a g e 1 1

Join us by renewing your membership

And then Join us for our next

Annual Meeting And Dinner Party.

You won‘t want to miss it!

Good IDEA!

Ask a fellow traveler to

join &

Forward him/her this

newsletter!