There's a Piano on the Porch

As I drove home today I noticed a piano on the porch of a house. It was an older upright piano - one with the really high back to it. My first thought was (ever the pack rat and gatherer): are they getting rid of it? The next thought was: the humidity and wetness from rain will ruin the felts!

Then I mused whether the piano was on its way into the house or out of the house:

If it was on its way in I imagine there is some person waiting inside with a whole lot of excitement to FINALLY have a piano. And just imagine the music that will be plunked out and how the piano will love making music for a new audience!

If the piano was on its way out of the house imagine how forlorn (permit me some "fancy" here) the piano would feel - unwanted, unused. I know an inanimate object can not have real feelings, but pianos need to be used. Unless they are housed in a beautiful casing, unplayed pianos are often unappreciated. The occasional comment "Oh! What a beautiful piano! Do you play?" is answered by the usual "No - it was my grandmother's piano. The piano hasn't been tuned in years!"

Ugly pianos can make beautiful music.

Take my piano for example. At my former job the kindergarten teacher had a piano in her classroom (a sign of the times when teachers taught music or used music to teach their lessons). When she retired, the new teacher didn't want the piano so the superintendent was asked what to do with it. He said, "We'll have the guys take it out to the dumpster." AAACK! I told them I would take it. After a lengthy period of time it was finally brought to my house. Ugly from many years of little fingers touching and picking at it. It had broken keys, was never tuned, was missing a wheel - it was ugly. But I loved it! I had never had a piano save a chord organ whilst growing up and an electronic keyboard. The local piano tuner said he could replace the plastic on the keys and gave me suggestions for fixing up the wood casing. Time passed and the tuner returned with my new white keys (recovered at the Steinway factory), replaced felts, made adjustments and tuned the ugly piano. And, while it's still missing a wheel and has scratches from the many little fingers and my recent move, it makes beautiful music!

You know, there was a time in American when having a piano at home was a status symbol. If that was the case now I HAVE ARRIVED! :)

However, it was inside the home...not on the front porch.

Goosebumps

Tonight was the final planned performance of Standing Room Only for this semester. I have watched the students grow both musically and as people. I have gotten to know new students - some I've not had the opportunity to teach. I will alway remember this group of students. They have learned MANY new songs and learned how to move while singing them.
There were many funny moments. There were many happy moments. However, recently there have been some "goosebumpy" moments. This is an involuntary response that I have only occasionally with my performing groups. I know the group has "arrived" when the goosebumps begin to make an appearance.
This is a good thing. My thanks to the students in SRO for making it happen once again.

Boob Tube Tunes

Many years ago there was a slang phrase for the TV: "boob tube". This prompted an article I once read that was titled "Boob Tube Tunes". The article covered the many theme songs for TV shows. I used this article as the basis for a music lesson where, over the course of a month or so, I painstakingly recorded (with my cassette player) the theme song of many TV shows then played them for my students who had to identify the show.
Still today I can hear a tune and recognize the TV show it belongs to - long after the TV show has moved on to the world of reruns. Most who read this can sing the theme to the Adam's Family, the Brady Bunch, and even whistle the theme to Andy Griffith.
I find that today I do not know the theme songs to very many TV shows. I know they still have them. I recognize the theme song to the CSI shows - but can't tell you right off the bat which tune goes with which show. Most people recognize the "du-dum" sound that accompanies the beginning of the L&O shows - it is a familiar theme shared by the shows, but does that make it a leitmotiv?
It's not that I don't watch TV - because I do. However, I record most shows and watch them in playback. When I do this I fastforward through the theme song.
TV theme songs don't have the "memorableness" that they once had. Many don't have even have words that I can sing along with. So why bother learning them?
What does this all mean? It means I may make the effort to listen to TV theme songs for a short while - but I doubt that is something I will continue.
Oh, I just remembered one show theme song I can sing: REBA. Of course, that would be the one since its star is a country music legend who sings the theme, but then it too has moved to the world of reruns.
I'll return to my rerun of Andy Griffith and as the show closes I'll whistle along as I make my way to bed for night.