Do You Know the Piano Man?

Have you ever sat down at the piano in Larrabee to impress your friends with your musical talents only to discover the most unpleasant, disharmonious sounds erupt from the instrument? Do you enjoy being serenaded by someone playing the piano in the Harris atrium during dinner but wish the sound were a little cleaner and crisper? Weep no more, music lovers and aficionados. Andrew Nathanson ’13 has the solution to all of our piano problems.

Project rePLAY is a program designed to restore the location and availability of pianos in the residence halls, which Nathanson created in collaboration with the Music Department, the Office of Advancement and the SGA Advancement Committee. Nathanson, who has earned the nickname “Piano Man” after the popular Billy Joel song, had been thinking about this project since 2010. The donation of the Steinway pianos by Nancy Marshall Athey ’72 and her husband, which would enable the college to become an “All-Steinway School,” became the catalyst for pushing this project forward last spring. While all of the pianos in performance spaces and teaching studios will now be repaired existing Steinways or replaced by new Steinways, the old non-Steinway pianos are available to be relocated and housed elsewhere.

In a plan proposed at a recent SGA meeting, Nathanson explained that the non-Steinway pianos could be introduced into the dorms in a phased progression, as Conn adds and replaces the Music Department pianos in the next five years. There are currently seven pianos in the dorms: in Harris Atrium, Larrabee, Windham, Knowlton, Earth House, Burdick and Blackstone; the latter three house upright pianos. After years without maintenance, most of the pianos have been declared “irreparable” by Conn’s tuning consultant, which is a shame since many students use the pianos to practice on their own and with music-related clubs.

SGA seemed impressed by Nathanson’s proposal and granted the funds needed for the initial year. “They were pleased at how this was a long-range, comprehensive plan, not just a request that they deal with a situation. Most importantly, they were excited to see that over 500 students had already signed their name to support this project,” Nathanson said.

On October 19, two non-Steinway pianos were moved from Cummings to the Harris Atrium and Windham. The piano that used to be in Harris, considered “tunable,” was moved to the Larrabee common room until a replacement can be found. The pianos were moved and tuned using funding from SGA.

“We hope to be able to move one additional piano each year, but the project is entirely dependent on funding—initially from SGA and then from a donor— and the Music Department’s piano availability,” Nathanson said.

Funding from SGA has been requested for the next two years, but the college’s Major Gifts Officers are currently seeking a donor to “endow the dorm pianos and their maintenance.” According to Nathanson, the creation of a donor-supported endowment would lift all financial responsibilities from SGA.

Six hundred dollars have been requested per piano per year; this will cover two to three tunings each year. Another $200 is needed initially to help with the cost of transporting each piano.

“In the eyes of a potential donor, to see the care that students and SGA have taken in this project will be an even greater draw,” said Nathanson. “It signifies that this truly is a priority for students who live on this campus.”

It is evident that students care about the project and would like to see the pianos in residence halls restored or replaced; Nathanson spent two nights tabling for Project rePLAY in Harris and received more than 500 signatures from supporting students. Many non-music majors signed the boards, telling Nathanson stories about how they enjoy hearing people play in the Harris Atrium or how they or one of their friends have tried using the pianos in the dorms to practice or learn the instrument.

Hailey Crust ’15 said she likes to play the pianos in the dorms as a means of preparing for a class or to take a moment to relax and have fun.

“I’m really excited that they are replacing the pianos in the dorms,” she said. “The current ones are really out of tune, and it will be nice to be able to play on ones that actually sound the way they are supposed to. It’ll definitely be a bonus to have such easy access rather than to trek down to Cummings.”

This Wednesday, October 24, the Office of Student Life will host a Project rePLAY kickoff reception from noon to 2 PM; the event will feature free dessert and casual student performances on the replaced and tuned piano in the Harris Atrium.