new piano scratched

[Greg Granoff]

Our policy here at HSU is the same, and I have been enforcing it for at
least a decade now, along with insisting that covers be used, etc.  What
I've found (and this may be because we are a small school) is that when you
are in place with the same people for several years, a culture of respect
for the pianos can be somewhat built up, so that it becomes self sustaining
with only small amounts of work when new people arrive on the scene.  They
then see what others are doing, and imitate it to a large degree. There are
still the inevitable incidents like one we had with a stage 'D' recently
that took major top repairs after a high speed collision with a door jamb
(stage managers and unauthorized "helpers").  I've had some success with
big, "in your face" signage outside the shop door, conveniently across from
the recital hall double stage door.  It reenforces policy about never
putting anything on top of the pianos ever, and also *never*, ever letting
pianos come in contact with anything else, period -- whether moving or at
rest.  My favorite sign though is the one created by a summer chamber
workshop director a few years back:  "Don't put your cellos on top of our
pianos, and we won't put our pianos on top of you cellos". (!)

Greg Granoff
Humboldt State University

----- Original Message -----
From: "Alan Crane" <alan.crane@wichita.edu>
To: <caut@ptg.org>
Sent: Thursday, March 07, 2002 6:22 AM
Subject: RE: new piano scratched


> Our policy at WSU is that *nothing* is placed on the pianos and
> harpsichords in our performance venues_________ whether the cover is in
> place or not.
> This eliminates any gray areas or judgement calls as to what constitutes
an
> article which may, or may not, cause damage to the instrument.
>
> If asked, I simply tell the curious that items should be placed where they
> would have been had the piano not been available (which, of course, it
isn't!).
>
> My evil tendancy, though, is to take any offending article I find, hold it
> over a patch of floor where the piano isn't, and release it at the same
> height above the floor at which its owner originally let go of it.... (in
> my dreams       :)
>
> Not to say that this policy is 100% effective; it isn't.  Its
effectiveness
> is generally a function of my vigilance... but it seems to be a good place
> to start.
>
>
>
> Regards,
>
> Alan Crane, RPT
> School of Music
> Wichita State University
> alan.crane@wichita.edu
>