Local musician and artist Tom “Tink” Kaufman placed a musical installation, created from oxygen tanks tuned to specific pitches, placed on poles, and arranged in a circle, on the grounds of the Music House Museum in Acme, MI.  Using the provided mallets, anyone can play “Amazing Grace” by tapping each “bell” going counterclockwise around the installation.

This is only one of many musical inventions Tom has created.  Others have been submitted to Art Prize in Grand Rapids, were sold to private collectors as far away as Japan, and are being installed in public spaces, such as the park in Rome City, Indiana, where the current one at the Music House will be finding a permanent home.

Kaufman has been entertaining audiences of all ages with his musical and artistic talents for over 40 years.  A Michigan native, Tom was raised in the small town of Hastings.  He began playing piano, singing, and entertaining during adolescence, and worked during high school as a disc jockey at WBCH.

In l995, while continuing his performance career, Tom founded Tinkertunes Music Studio, a teaching facility located in Traverse City, MI.  After he and several colleagues providing private and group music lessons outgrew the studio space, Tom closed the location in 2002.

However, he continues to offer childhood music education programs, one of which is the annual School Days program offered Aprils at the Music House Museum.  This venue accommodates over 300 students, in grades third through fifth attending approximately thirty area schools.  During their visit, students learn the science of sound production, try their hand at playing various instruments, and view a clip of a silent movie with organ accompaniment.  Generous museum patrons underwrite the cost of the program so the actual fee to the $5.00 per student, however scholarships are available. Thanks to Tom Kaufman’s generous gift of time and talent, during the current School Days, students can be seen playing “Amazing Grace” before they leave the museum grounds.