May 11, 2015
The donations are pouring in for the Martha Hilley Piano Labs Upgrade Campaign! Alumni, current students, faculty, staff and friends of the Butler School of Music have come together over the last month to show their support for the lovable Professor Hilley and her dream — two high-functioning Piano Labs with the modern technology today's music students require for fundamental piano training.
We estimate about 90% of Butler alumni have had the experience of working with Professor Hilley in the Piano Labs. With this in mind, the UT Club committed to raise $5,000 to sponsor a Teaching Piano for Professor Hilley.
At the UT Club's annual Chamber Music Dinner on April 20, that goal was surpassed: $7,100 was raised for the Piano Labs at just the UT Club's first fundraiser! Donors were inspired by performances by the Miró Quartet as well as Butler School of Music students. Additionally, an anonymous donor agreed to match all funds raised.
$100 individual donations to the campaign are also going strong. The first 100 donors to give $100 get a social media shout out on Facebook in recognition of their generosity. Check out our Facebook page to see which of your fellow alumni, colleagues and friends are giving to the campaign.
Thus far, over $20,000 has been raised for the Martha Hilley Piano Labs Upgrade Campaign. But that's only a fraction of the $350,000 goal. In meeting this goal, over half the amount will go into an endowment for yearly maintenance and replacement of the Piano Labs equipment.
New technologies and pianos on the wish list for the two Piano Labs amount to a $100,000 investment and include: replacement of blackboards with interactive "smartboards"; multiple cameras strategically placed around Professor Hilley's teaching piano, allowing for ease of demonstration to the students; replacement of the computers in both labs; 17 functioning "back-up" piano headsets for when headsets need repair; and monitors at each student piano that are "daisy-chained" to the teaching piano. An additional $150,000 will need to be invested in critical renovations of the existing Piano Labs.
Help us keep the momentum up so we can make ALL of Hilley's dreams a reality! Share our social media shout outs on Facebook with your friends and family, and give to the campaign today!