Training Under Mr. Hennessy

I started working for Mr. Francis Patrick at Hennessy as a personally sought after internship. I essentially went to his business and asked him to give me opportunity to work for a retailer that was in alignment with my passion for music. (pianos in particular) He initially told me no. I then asked him if I may play one of his lovely instruments on his floor before I left feeling rejected. He agreed. He stood there and watched me play a jazz tune. As I played I could feel his energy warm up to me a bit and I guess he saw something in me in that moment. After I finished playing he said, “you know what, let me sleep on your request and I will let you know.” I started training with him a week later.

During my internship Mr. Hennessy would give me a to do list of tasks and duties. I would get through them as fast as I could so that I could go back to the workshop where he was working on a vintage 1895 Steinway B. I was way more interested in the craftsmanship of what he was doing than the office tasks I was being given on the daily. I would bug him to teach me what he was doing so we could work together more. He was a 74 year old man at this point and I was 19. He had so much knowledge and experience. I wanted to soak up all I could. At first he was reluctant to teach me, but once he got tired of me doing this for a couple weeks, he finally broke down and let me replace some key bushings. I did the best I could paying attention every little detail. He analyzed my work and said, “that’s not bad. Let me show you something else.” We never looked back. Next thing I knew I was learning to recondition old uprights we resold to young families as starter pianos. I looked up and we were replacing pin blocks, restringing pianos, repairing cracked sound boards, restoring keys, etc. During that entire process I was honing my tuning and voicing skills. Everything I learned was one on one, hands on, in real time the old fashion way. Some time later I was promoted to transportation manager to oversee all of our rentals and deliveries. I hired the piano movers, made their schedule, trained, them, and did most of the deliveries with the crew. (Yamaha dealer) Eventually, over the next few years I was servicing most of what went out the door. This allowed me to gain much needed experience as a competent technician under his guidance.

Mr. Hennessy taught me more than just the trade. He showed me how to be a professional and a craftsman in every sense. How to carry yourself, code of conduct with customers, and how to truly serve them. He always imparted his wisdom that still serves me to this day. He always put integrity first, showed me the importance of work ethic, and treating everyone we deal with fairly and honestly. He also explained to me it’s our duty to educate the customer so they could make the best decision for themselves. Just give them information do not try to manipulate people. All of these values I continue to carry forward as well as the craft. Thank you Mr. Hennessy for all that you have given to not only me but to the world of music. May you rest in eternal peace.