Every Bruin is familiar with the tunes of piano playing on the Hill. Whether that be a music major flawlessly echoing the sounds of Beethoven’s “Moonlight Sonata” or an amateur pianist with more passion than precision, the two public pianos at Bruin Plate and Covel Commons are rarely silent. This constant use, while sometimes a charming outlet of creativity, can other times be a maddening soundtrack.
There’s no denying that the idea behind the pianos is purposeful. Music, which involves piano-playing, is healing in nature: it provides an escape from the stress and chaos of navigating college life. For many, it is an outlet for self-expression. As a pianist myself, I know that playing one of my favorite songs on the piano helps me release stress when I’m overwhelmed. When people ask me to play a song for them, One Direction’s “Infinity” brings me so much joy. It isn’t an annoyance at all, but a shared joy among my audience.
However, appreciation does not cancel out frustration. The Covel Commons piano, the noisiest piano – in my opinion – is surrounded by dorms, dining halls and chairs often filled with students studying, eating or socializing with friends. I find that the tables around Covel are often filled to the brim during prime meal hours and exam periods. For the pianists who play for the purpose of stress relief, they most often sit down at the piano bench during times of exams. The music they produce conflicts with the academic atmosphere of the Hill while testing the patience of those trying to focus. For the pianists who play when they find time in their busy schedules, meal breaks are often the only unobstructed times for piano-playing.
There is a clear issue here: timing does not align with intention. One student’s stress relief is another’s stress inducer. Being forced to listen to someone butcher your favorite song on the piano for the fifteenth time is hardly the kind of musical soundtrack a student cramming for exams is looking for. There needs to be a balance between piano use and collective silence.
So is it a distraction or a necessity?
For the piano outside of Bruin Plate, it is more of a passing moment than a distraction. Students merely pass by when traveling from the dining hall or the gym below, and the piano serves as a soundtrack and reminder of creative expression on campus. In this way, the addition and use of the piano is harmless and even adds liveliness to the Hill. Rather than an overbearing and distracting presence, it is fleeting and enjoyable.
The piano at Covel Commons, however, is the opposite. It is not a stage, it is a dormitory common space. It is surrounded by academia: from study spots to classrooms and residence halls. The space almost has an expectation of concentration and socialization. When crescendos and fermatas on the piano take over the sound, that balance is disrupted and a shared space becomes dominated by one person’s self-expression. In this setting, the piano feels like less of an instrument of self-expression and more like an interruption of daily student life. Ultimately, a balance must be struck between respect for concentration and creativity, a duty that falls on the pianists themselves.
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Featured Image Photographed by Catherine Rodriguez/BruinLife
