use of concert piano

[Avery Todd]

David,

   I wish you all the luck.

>List,
>We just received a CF3 Yamaha as a donation-very nice
>piano. I am pushing (again) to restrict the use of
>that instrument for practice. I need to get some
>feedback as to what other schools do.
>1. Do you restrict the use of your main concert
>instrument?

   We used to try in our smaller student recital hall. It used to be
our only one until we got our new building. Didn't work all that well.

>2. If so, how much time do you allow
>for practice for piano majors preparing for a recital?

   Theoretically, one dress rehearsal before the recital. But some
always managed to talk their way into another one or two.

>3.If your hall is open all the time, as ours is, how
>do you monitor use of the piano, and if the piano is
>locked, how are keys given out?

   This hall is almost always unlocked. We used to lock it and all
the piano teachers had keys. Anyone else was supposed to get a key
the day of their recital or on Friday, if it was a weekend recital.
Didn't take too long though, for duplicate keys to get made from the
teacher's key. And so on..... :-)
   Now we don't even try to lock those two. So far we've been lucky.
No damage at least. Usually, I was in before the recital to tune, so
I'd just leave it unlocked. There were a few times when I didn't
tune and they'd show up for their recital, the piano would be locked
and they wouldn't have a key. That's when the 'plethora' of keys
came in handy. Usually someone could be found who did have a key! No
recitals ever had to be cancelled. :-)
   Our new concert hall is being run more or less professionally. It
is severly restricted, basically. Usually only faculty, guest artists
and the ensembles perform recitals/concerts in that one, unless it is
a Master's or DMA recital which has a concerto with orchestra. That
doesn't happen very often though. Depending on the situation and what
else is going on in there, the hall manager tries to restrict recital
rehearsals to only one. Two at the most if it is a Chamber Music type
of recital where it is sometimes hard to get everyone together all at
once for a rehearsal. Large ensembles usually have more.

>We will be meeting soon to write a policy on this, and
>your answers will be helpful.

   Believe me, a lot of us are in that boat. Hope you get it all worked out
more successfully than I've been able to.

>Thank you.
>Dave Forman, Westminster Choir College Of Rider
>University

Avery
______________________________________

mailto:atodd@uh.edu - Work

mailto:avery@ev1.net - Home

Avery Todd, RPT
Moores School of Music
University of Houston
Houston, TX 77204-4201
713-743-3226