This week we take a break from describing the differences between various items in the shop and focus instead on musicians who inspire us.  Here are a few of my cello heroes from when I was a young cellist:

Beginning Tuesday, April 14th we will be open normal business hours to take phone, email, online orders and to provide contact-free curbside pick-up while our showrooms remain closed. We will also be running a modified delivery route to central locations in local school districts on an as-needed basis and every purchase during the stay at home order will receive free shipping to your home. Please contact us so we can work with you to provide the most convenient arrangements possible to serve you during this current stay-at-home order. Curbside Service Details 1. Call us at 317-842-2102 It’s best to call ahead so we can get your order or serviced items ready to go prior to your arrival.  This will save you time once you’re here. 2.  We’ll take your order or prepare your loaner or repair to be picked up.   3.  Call us again when you arrive.  The number again is 317-842-2102. 4.  One of our staff members will bring your items out to you. Staff members use hand sanitizer between each customer interaction  We use disinfectant wipes on the handles of each instrument prior to bringing then out to you. Receipts can be emailed to you if we have your

Starting Wednesday, April 8th we will be open our normal business hours to take phone, email, and online orders. Our showroom will remain closed for now. Every order during the stay-at-home executive order will receive free shipping. Our normal business hours are: M-F: 10am 6pm SAT: 10am – 4pm SUN: Closed You can contact us by using the information below: Encore Orchestral Strings: 317-577-3434 800-974-4713 [email protected] Paige’s Music – Retail Sales: 317-842-2102 800-382-1099 [email protected] Paige’s Music – Repair: 317-577-3415 800-337-0471 [email protected] Paige’s Music – Accounting: 317-577-3429 800-795-4149 [email protected]

In compliance with the recent executive order issued by Governor Holcomb, Paige’s Music and our specialty shops Chops Percussion, Encore Orchestral Strings & Indy Flute Shop will be temporarily closed until Tuesday, April 7th. During this time we will not have access to our facility. So, there will be no in-store or curbside pick-up and no outbound shipments or deliveries. We will be monitoring e-mails remotely and will respond within 24 hours to your e-mail inquiries. To insure that your inquiry is directed to the best person to help you, please use the appropriate e-mail address below: Questions about your current account: [email protected] Questions about an instrument repair: [email protected] Questions about an instrument rental, sale or accessory: [email protected] To reach our specialty shops: Chops Percussion: [email protected] Encore Orchestral Strings: [email protected] Indy Flute Shop: [email protected] We will be ready to serve you as soon as this closure order is lifted. In the meantime, please take advantage of this unexpected opportunity to enjoy the beautiful gift of music with your loved ones! Sincerely, The Paige’s Music team

We’re approaching the middle of summertime where temperatures are averaging above 85 degrees Fahrenheit with high humidity levels in Indiana.  We all know that cold winters present it’s own challenges, but the summer heat can create just as many issues.  Wood is an organic material that will always react to the temperature, which is why we have to be careful about where the instrument is being stored. We have seen fingerboards come unglued, necks pop out of place, and varnish essentially melt. With the high levels of humidity and scorching temperatures that we endure in Indiana, you want to be careful with how you store your instrument and where it is being stored.  One of the most common scenarios that we hear about from our customers involves leaving an instrument in the car on a hot summer day. No matter what the temperature outside is, it is safest to bring the instrument inside with you wherever you are.  We recently had a cello come in that suffered quite a bit of cosmetic damage due to it being left in a hot car for an extended amount of time.  Not only was the varnish ruined by the heat, but the cello itself

In spirit of the World Cup going on right now, I thought it would be a good idea to talk about goals! Many of our customers start out on a student level instrument, but don’t realize that there are upgrade options above that violin, viola, cello, or bass that they are renting to own or possibly already own from our store.  Depending on what your student’s goals are, it may be time to start thinking about trading in that student level instrument and think about upgrading. There are several scenarios that I can think of where upgrading is going to be the best next step, but let’s stick to a few basic questions so we can work together on finding the appropriate instrument for the student’s goals. Is the student planning to continue playing in high school? If the student is already playing in high school, has he/she considered playing after graduating? Is the student interested in or currently taking private lessons? Does the student participate in ISSMA competitions (example: Solo and Ensemble)? If you said “yes,” to any of these questions, it might be time to consider coming in to look at upgrade options for your student’s instrument.  We have

I visited the workshop of Eugene Holtier today to pick up a cello he made for the shop. We will also receive a violin of his in the next two weeks. What’s missing?  A viola! (He doesn’t make basses…)  We chose this beautiful material from his stock and we should see the finished instrument next spring. Although it will be 16 1/4”, the slender neck and several other features will make it comfortable even for players who wouldn’t usually choose that size.  We are excited to see hear its voice!!

While Encore Orchestral Strings and Paige’s Music are known as Indiana owned and operated businesses, primarily serving our customers here in the state of Indiana, I am routinely contacted by people from other states asking about our products and services.  Just today, a customer is traveling from a neighboring state to shop for a cello.  Many different factors lead people from other states to choose to work with us.  The most common reason is a word-of-mouth referral – someone who had dealt with us in the past is so happy with the instrument and service they obtained from us that they share the news with their friends.  Nothing makes us happier than to hear people so excited about working with us that they suggest others make the trip to visit us! If you are considering an instrument or bow purchase in the Midwest, please contact us.  We can often provide a superior instrument at a superior value.  We would love to have you visit!

Next up in our “get to know us” series is the man, the myth, the legend…TOM MAY. Here’s his story in his own words: Tom May’s interest in music began just after his birth with his first breathing cry, electrifying the room with its crystal clarity. “That boy is going to be musical,” said his mother, in sweaty relief. His father just couldn’t get over how ugly the boy was. Years passed and Tom’s musicality grew with each instrument he tried to play. “That boy is going to be musical” was his mother’s mantra. His father continued to wonder at his son’s lack of beauty, although he no longer had permission to say it out loud. Blissfully unaware of this, Tom continued to make music in one form or another. His voice continued to grow. The viola and string bass made appearances to him and he grasped the opportunities and ran for a while. During and after several family moves, vocal training and choirs became his immediate focus. Creeping along insidiously was an interest in ukulele and guitar—now a proven life-long interest. Everywhere he sang or played, his mother would say, “That boy is going to be musical.” His father

Next up in our “get to know us” series is Derek DeZarn, one of the luthiers at Encore. Instead of Derek writing his own bio (you can read a little bit about his background at https://www.paigesmusic.com/about/), I thought I’d talk about some of the reasons I love having him here on our team. When you think about entrusting someone with your personal instrument – whether a humble starter instrument or a valuable antique Italian – you find yourself in a vulnerable position. Your instrument is not only one of the primary tools you use to make music, but is also part of who you are as a musician. Handing it over to someone, anyone, is something many musicians find difficult. Derek understands this. He is very soft-spoken with his clients and makes sure they understand what he plans to do and why he plans to do it. I’ve seen him spend an afternoon with a customer who is searching for a particular sound from their instrument and I’ve seen him set a sound-post in no time for a mom desperate to get the instrument to her student’s concert in time.  Another great thing about Derek is that he understands that there

One of the best things about being a part of Encore and Paige’s is the relationships we develop with the people we help. Some of these relationships are old – college friends who are now performers or school directors. Some of them are new – people who purchased instruments and became close friends. Whether old or new, these relationships encourage us, shape us, and challenge us. In the spirit of relationships, we thought we’d start out 2015 by posting short stories about the members of the Encore team. The purpose is to let you know a little bit more about us and how we ended up here, serving you. First up is John Rihani… When did I fall in love with music? I remember there being music around the house growing up, but my first real memory of music making a strong impression came when I was nine or ten years old. My dad had one of the first “portable” CD players…although a battery pack that took six C-cell batteries is far from today’s standards of portable! I remember him playing a recording of Beethoven’s 9th symphony (Cleveland/Dohnanyi/Telarc) with that little CD player hooked up to a Panasonic boombox…I was