The Sound of Excellence

OBU is pursuing an ambitious partnership with Steinway to elevate music education, equip students with exceptional instruments and expand opportunities for musical excellence.

A piano can fill a room with sound. At OBU, a new partnership with Steinway is poised to do something larger: expand what students can learn, how they can practice and perform and how the university can carry its tradition of music and worship into the future.

The Steinway University program will bring a level of access and technology to OBU that few institutions can offer.

The university is pursuing the All-Steinway Institution distinction, a rare designation held by about 230 educational institutions nationwide. The designation reflects a commitment to equipping students with Steinway instruments, widely regarded as among the finest pianos in the world.

For OBU, the significance reaches well beyond the instruments themselves.

It represents an investment in students who will use music in classrooms, churches, concert halls and ministries. It gives prospective music students another reason to consider Bison Hill and gives current students resources designed to help them develop their gifts at the highest level.

“Becoming an All-Steinway school aligns perfectly with OBU’s long history of excellence,” said Bryan Elmore, who has worked with schools, colleges and universities throughout his career in the piano industry.

Elmore’s connection to OBU came through his nephews, who graduated from the university. They encouraged him to share his expertise with OBU leadership as the university worked to strengthen its music program and support the renovation of historic Raley Chapel.

“I am honored to serve the Lord by helping OBU continue its tradition of excellence in music and worship,” Elmore said.

More Than an Instrument

Steinway instruments are chosen by more than 97% of the world’s major symphony orchestras and concert artists. Their presence at OBU would place students in daily contact with instruments known for their craftsmanship, consistency and tone.

That matters because the instrument is part of the education. Students preparing for careers in music, worship leadership, teaching or performance spend thousands of hours practicing. Access to Steinway pianos gives students the opportunity to learn and perform on instruments comparable to those they will encounter in professional settings.

Expanding Opportunity

The impact also can extend to enrollment and the visibility of the university’s music programs.

Schools that have achieved All-Steinway status report stronger recruitment, increased music enrollment and greater success in regional and national competitions. The designation also can create opportunities to collaborate with prominent musicians and institutions.

At OBU, those opportunities fit naturally within a university where music is woven into academic life, worship and ministry.

Beyond the Piano

Through Steinway’s Spirio technology, the next generation of OBU students will encounter capabilities that extend far beyond those of a traditional piano.

This technology combines a Steinway grand piano with high-resolution recording, editing and playback capabilities. Students can record a performance, step away from the piano and immediately listen from elsewhere in the room. The recording tools can be used in lessons, rehearsals, composition, coursework and performance preparation, allowing students and faculty to evaluate and refine their work.

The technology also can connect OBU with musicians and institutions around the world. Through Spiriocast, performances, lessons, masterclasses and auditions can be transmitted live from one Spirio piano to another. OBU could host or receive private broadcasts, allowing students to learn from guest artists and participate in educational experiences remotely.

Students and faculty also can use a catalog of recorded performances for study. MIDI capabilities and cloud-based file sharing allow them to edit and share recordings or incorporate them into other digital work.

An Investment in What Comes Next

The Steinway University program also gives OBU a visible way to communicate its priorities.

It can further strengthen instruction and student experience for Bison Hill students.

The presence of Steinway instruments tells prospective students and faculty that the university is serious about providing high-quality resources. It tells supporters that investments in the arts can produce lasting opportunities for students. And it reinforces a broader commitment to excellence that reaches across the university.

It is about what happens when a university decides that the tools it provides students should match the excellence it expects from them.

And for those who believe the arts are worth sustaining, it offers a tangible way to help create those opportunities.

One donor expressed that value to Elmore in simple terms: “I contribute to medical research because it extends life, and I contribute to the arts because it makes life worth living.”

That idea helps explain why the Steinway initiative matters to OBU.

The goal is not simply to put exceptional pianos in practice rooms. It is to give students access to instruments and technology that can help them become better musicians, teachers, performers and ministers. It is to strengthen a program that can attract students, inspire faculty and create opportunities that continue long after a student leaves Bison Hill.

Elmore has seen other universities use All-Steinway status to expand their arts programs, launch competitions and increase their regional and national profile. He believes OBU can build on its own tradition of musical excellence in much the same way.

As OBU continues investing in its campus and academic programs, the Steinway University initiative becomes another expression of that commitment – an investment in what students can do, where their gifts can take them and how those gifts can be used in service to others.

For Elmore, the measure of the effort ultimately is not the name on the piano. It is what students do with the opportunities those pianos create.

“This initiative will help Oklahoma Baptist University continue its historic mission of offering its very best to the Lord and to future generations of students,” he said.