PHOTO PROVIDED / THE VILLAGE REPORTER
PIANO TUNER … Neil Denison spoke to the Stryker Rotary Club at their regular meeting. Neil has been a piano tuner for much of his adult life. He was introduced to music by his mother and father who were both very active in the music industry. At age fifteen Neil had a conversation with the man who tuned the piano in their home about his interest in the work. The man told him that becoming an apprentice under someone who was doing the work was the most productive way to learn. Neil finished high school and college and started his working career as a music teacher for junior high students. He met Les Nelson who was tuning the piano for the school and asked him if he would consider teaching him how to do the work. The next three years Neil worked as an apprentice under Les where he was exposed to tuning and completely rebuilding pianos. During the seventies there were many people who used and maintained pianos, so the work was plentiful. Keyboards started to become more popular in the eighties, dropping the demand to purchase and maintain pianos. Neil has many great experiences from his career including meeting celebrities after tuning the pianos used for local performances.