The History of Schoenhut Pianos

For over a century, Schoenhut has been the top name in children's musical instruments, and is particularly known for its high-quality toy pianos. Albert Schoenhut, the company's founder, was born in 1848, in Wurtenberg, Germany, to a family of toy makers. His family was renowned for producing beautifully crafted rocking horses, dolls and wagons. As a child, Albert was fascinated by pianos and began making toy pianos at home; in the beginning, he built them using glass sounding bars, rather than the strings used in conventional pianos. Unlike other toy instruments at the time, Albert's pianos really worked and stayed in tune; sheet music was sold with the pianos so that children could learn to play.

In 1866, a buyer from the famous Wanamaker's department store brought the 17-year old Albert to Philadelphia to put his talent to work repairing glass sounding bars on toy pianos that had been damaged while in transit across the Atlantic. Eventually, Albert decided to found his own toy piano business; in 1872, he opened the Schoenhut Piano Company. Other instruments, including drums, ukeleles, xylophones and banjos soon joined the line of children's pianos, and Schoenhut Piano Company grew to be the largest toy company in the United States by the time of Albert's death in 1912.

Today, Schoenhut Piano Company is owned by the Trinca family of Florida and retains its reputation as a manufacturer of the highest quality children's musical instruments; Schoenhut has won numerous awards for the top toys in America. Along with the original toy pianos designed by Albert Schoenhut, the company has branched out to offer numerous models, always pitch-perfect and lovingly designed.

Learning to play a musical instrument is relaxing and stimulates the mind, making a toy piano the perfect outlet for a child's creativity. You can find toy Schoenhut pianos to help young children learn motor control, then move up to a more sophisticated instrument that grows with your child. From the old-fashioned spinet style to a real "baby grand," Schoenhut has affordable models for all ability levels - even a durable piano perfect for use in a daycare setting.

Give your kids the gift of music this holiday season with the gift of a toy piano from A Kid Place. You are sure to find the perfect instrument for your budding Chopin, as well as a variety of drums and guitars for the young musician.