An Unplayed Piano Is a Dead Piano

In my opinion, an unplayed piano is a dead piano. That’s why our business would be incomplete if we focused solely on selling instruments without helping people learn to play them.

Most of us want to do something that benefits not only ourselves but also our community. Since we started our business, we’ve sold quite a few musical instruments. Given the pace at which we’re selling them in Hanoi and across Vietnam, it would be a shame if we didn’t also help develop more musicians. Otherwise, some of these beautiful instruments might end up as little more than decorations in people’s homes.

Then again, perhaps that’s not such a bad thing!

Let me tell you why.

One day, a man walked into my friend’s music store, pointed at a piano, and asked:

“Let me ask you something. What exactly is this?”

My friend looked at him and replied:

“Sir, that’s a piano!”

The man continued:

“Okay. And how much does it cost?”

“$2,400, sir.”

The man paused for a moment, then said:

“If I pay you $2,400 for something when I don’t even know what it is, you might think I’m crazy. I’ll give you $2,300. If you agree, deliver it to my house.”

My friend replied:

“Sir, it’s getting late, and I’m about to close the shop. Can I ask whether you’re serious or just pulling my leg? If you’re joking, let me buy you a drink. Then, with your permission, I’ll close up and head home.”

The man explained:

“I have an antique that would look beautiful on top of the piano. That’s why I’m serious.”

Believe it or not, this is a true story.

People don’t always buy things because they understand them or know how to use them. Sometimes, they buy them simply because they’re beautiful.

And that’s not limited to musical instruments.

Sometimes, a man falls in love with a woman simply because of her beauty. If he finds her beautiful and she feels the same way about him, perhaps that’s reason enough to begin their life together.

Of course, beauty isn’t everything. Personally, I think a woman who is both beautiful and can sing a lovely duet with her husband makes an even better partner!

A piano is much the same. Beauty may attract someone to it, but music is what brings it to life.

And that brings me back to the point.

We’re opening music classes for precisely this reason.

We want to give children whose parents have already purchased musical instruments a place to learn, practice, and discover the joy of making music. Selling a piano is only the beginning. Helping someone learn to play it is what gives the instrument a purpose.

Our goal is not to make an immediate profit from these classes. Based on our calculations, we expect to lose money at first because we simply cannot charge high tuition fees at this stage.

At present, piano lessons and lessons for other instruments can cost around Vnd 350,000 per hour. For children who intend to pursue music professionally and prepare for admission to specialized music schools, the costs can be even higher.

By offering music classes, we hope to do more than sell instruments. We want to help ensure that the instruments we bring into the market are actually played and enjoyed, rather than left sitting in living rooms as decorative pieces.

At the same time, offering music education will help us build a more professional business, earn greater trust from our customers, and create long-term business benefits.

Ultimately, we believe that a successful musical instrument business should do more than put instrume