Oral History - all
Patrick Jacobson, along with his friends and fellow Roper Music employees Seth Strickland and Kris Kjeldgaard, became owners of the store in 2019. Their mentor and teacher, John Handley, who purchased the store from Mr. Roper, taught all three of them the fine art of instrument repair and wanted... more
Kris Kjeldgaard finished her degree with a music major and a minor in business and went job seeking. She was not sure what the direction of her career would take and in fact, looking back, did not see what was to come. She interviewed for a job at Roper Music and soon was hired. She tried her hand... more
Seth Strickland had a wonderful grade school music teacher who was a great inspiration for him. Seth played saxophone throughout high school and in the jazz band. He later performed in a local blues band and whenever he needed a reed or a repair, he always went to Roper Music in Grand Junction,... more
Rocky Peoples is the saxophonist heard on hit recordings such as “Will We Go Round In Circles” and “Nothing From Nothing” by Billy Preston, as well as his own composition “Driver’s License.” Rocky has also worked with Ray Charles, James Brown, Pat Boone, and Stevie Wonder. Rocky’s passion for music... more
Jim Mason played trumpet as a kid, landing his first professional gig in a Polka band when he was 13. He saved his money to attend college and during the summers, Jim began selling pianos, which was a great experience for him. In 1995, along with his friend Scott Groseclose, Jim opened Family Music... more
Tom Pooton was not yet a teenager when he began taking guitar lessons. A year later, with the support of his mother, Tom attended a Gibson clinic where he connected with some of the employees. They later invited young Tom to attend the NAMM Show in Chicago, where he fell in love with the music... more
Doug Beck was hired in the keyboard department at Manny’s Music on the famous 48th street in New York City. The street was lined with musical instrument stores and while Doug worked there the industry enjoyed the synthesizer boom and the introduction of MIDI. In the 1990s Doug was a Korg product... more
Pat Emmett has had a whirlwind of a musical career! He began playing trombone in junior high school and even took lessons while serving in the US Navy. After earning a degree at North Texas University in their jazz program, Pat hit the road with the Glenn Miller Orchestra, which at that time was... more
Roby Turner moved to Las Vegas as a teenager and soon embraced the rich and diverse musical landscape of the city. He played for a number of groups, big and small, in dives, bars and showrooms all around the city. He soon learned the names of bar owners and convinced them to hire musicians to play... more
Cosmo Watts is a multi-talented musician and songwriter who played an important role in the music products industry as a sound designer, synthesizer programmer and music teacher. Growing up in a home surrounded by music, his father was close friends with big band vibraphonist Red Norvo. Cosmo began... more
Barbara Rodney is the step-daughter of Carl Langevin who took time in front of our camera to provide an in-depth look into her family’s history and her remembrances of her step-dad. She was in the first grade when her mother and Carl were married. The year was 1945 and young Barbara served as their... more
Fred Sturm takes great pride in speaking about the many developments he has witnessed within the Piano Technician's Guild since he first became a member. The creation and implementation of industry protocols and the increased number and quality of training classes have all gone a long way in... more
Don Mannino has always loved fixing things. He repaired bicycles as a kid and after earning a degree in music became an apprentice at a local music store learning the craft of piano repair. In 1980 he established his own piano shop and worked for local music stories tuning their floor models, which... more
Richard Davenport was the winner of the 2022 Golden Hammer Award, the highest honor bestowed on members of the Piano Technician's Guild. The award comes after a long and influential career that has included his own amazing career as a technician and his inspiring seminars and clinics that have... more
Norman Cantrell attended the University of Oklahoma City where he studied music education. He soon realized his passion was not in teaching but rather in piano repair and tuning. As a teenager, he studied the craft for several years with a local technician, which included installing pipe organs,... more
Dean Reyburn is the piano technician and software engineer who revolutionized the process of tuning pianos with his CyberTuner program. Dean was trained at Moody College on the art of piano repairs and tuning and went on to work in concert halls for over 15 years and with such manufacturers at... more
Kayoko Forrest was born in Japan and always felt drawn to music and in particular the piano. After moving with her mother to the United States, Kayoko played in the school music program. Interestingly, Richard Davenport, who would later become a mentor to Kayoko, was her teacher. While earning her... more
Melanie Brooks grew up around music! Her grandparents owned a music store and her parents established Brooks LTD Piano Products, which she purchased from them in 2009. Her father created several products to aid piano technicians in their craft, including replacement action parts. She continues to... more
Joyce Meekins is a pioneering woman piano technician who has sought every opportunity she can find to encourage young women to join the profession. She has served as President of the Washington, DC Chapter of the Piano Technicians Guild three times and in the process helped develop the group into a... more
Jim Geiger’s first memory of hearing a piano was when his mother carried him into church in her arms. By the age of seven, he was taking lessons and within ten years he was being trained as a piano technician. The occupation fit him perfectly and he soon discovered that the greatest reward was not... more