Who he is: Ben Suchman, 31, piano mover, tuner and store manager of Keys 4/4 Kids

How long he’s done it: Less than a year

Pianos with purpose: Suchman is the one-man band of Keys 4/4 Kids in Kansas City, a nonprofit with a musical mission. Suchman takes donations of used pianos, then repairs, tunes and sells them. The money is used to support arts programs.

“Practicing music opens up new doors,” Suchman says. “Even if you don’t pursue it professionally, it gives you great study habits and helps you think more creatively. I had rough times growing up, and it did that for me.”

Tuning in: Suchman, a former minister, was out of work. His mother-in-law, a piano teacher, told him about Keys 4/4 Kids, which started in Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Suchman started learning how to tune pianos under Steve Waters of Liberty, shadowing him two or three days a week for more than a year. Waters continues to help Suchman at Keys 4/4 Kids in Kansas City, which opened last year on the third floor of a West Bottoms warehouse at 1324 W. 12th St. Volunteers help Suchman move the heavy instruments.

The beat goes on: Some pianos are beyond repair. Bella Patina, a business on the ground floor of the building, reuses wooden piano fronts to make tables. A local craftsman converts non-working pianos into aquariums, wet bars and vanities. Someone else makes guitars out of old pianos.

“This is really fulfilling,” Suchman says. “A lot of work, but it’s all good.”