New Sideline???OTP

[Sherry]

Yesterday I tuned three pianos for a local school.  Two were in the High
School and one in the Elementary.  I did the HS pianos first and only had to
ask a couple of wandering guitar players to please practice elsewhere.
Otherwise all was relatively quiet.   Then I got to the Elementary School.
The piano was in a cafeteria/auditorium.  As I entered the room the
custodian was just finishing up polishing the floor.  What luck, I thought.
For once I've timed things just right.  Ha!!  I got about halfway through
the first pass-it was a major pitch raise-when I noticed a woman setting out
games and such on two of the tables.  I began to move a little more quickly
as I had a feeling my quiet environment was about to change.  Sure enough,
about ten minutes later 15 5th and 6th graders poured noisily into the room.
It was some kind of after school between the bus runs babysitting program.
By then I was working unisons so the noise was really interfering.   I
glanced up at the adult monitor a couple of times hoping she would do
something but----  Then she went out of the room for a minute so I took my
chance.  I spoke to the children saying, "It would help be a great deal if
you would be as quiet as possible."  To my amazement the noise dropped off
considerably and the children were actually telling each other to be quiet!!
They remained relatively quiet for the next 30 minutes while I tested,
corrected, etc.  When I left I thanked the children for being so helpful.
The monitor  responded that the children had NEVER been so quiet before and
she'd like to have me come tune the piano every day!!  Yeah--Right!!  I
giggled about it all the way home.