For the past several years, you may have heard about or even seen pianos placed on city streets all over the United States. From big cities like Boston, MA to small towns like Lockport, NY, pianos have been popping up all over the place and making people wonder what is going on. They are called street pianos and they are a multi-layered artistic statement that is helping to bring communities together.
Any Old Piano Will Do
When people put pianos out on the streets, they usually put the upright pianos that are seen in bars and homes all over the country. These pianos tend to be easier to move, and they don’t take up as much space as the grand pianos. The upright pianos are also much less expensive than grand pianos. Families are more apt to donate an upright piano to their community than a grand piano worth thousands of dollars.
Dress Them Up
In most communities, pianos in the streets are decorated by artists using paints and markers. Sometimes the artists will put locally relevant images on the pianos, while other times the images might be of something relevant to the business hosting the piano. These pianos are appearing in front of public parks and private businesses, but it is often local artists who donate the pianos to the community.
Play Everyone A Tune
When a piano is first dressed up and put onto a public street, it is in tune and ready to play. Some communities cover their pianos each day to preserve them, while others leave the pianos out in the elements. Most pianos start out with benches that people can sit at while playing the community a tune. Communities try to replace pianos that have been ravaged by time, the elements and vandals. But no matter where a piano is placed out in public, it is there to be used.
It sounds like a scene out of an old movie musical, but public pianos are creating musical moments all over the United States. When people have the time, they will pull up a chair to a public piano and entertain the community for just a little while. The artists who put out these public pianos hope to inspire unity throughout the community by using the universal language of good music.
