ROCKY MOUNT, Va. (AP) - Walking down Franklin Street in downtown Rocky Mount, a pedestrian might hear something unexpected cut through the noise of the cars traveling down the road: music from a piano.
A street piano available all day every day for anyone to play now sits in Downtown Music’s parking lot at 147 Franklin St. The goal is for people to “stumble upon something unusual and participate,” said music teacher Emily Blankenship-Tucker, who came up with the idea.
The piano, a 1920 Wing & Son painted blue, has been dubbed Keyster.
“It seemed like a good name for a piano,” Blankenship-Tucker said.
She liked the idea of making the piano a character with a personality. Downtown Music owner Nate Bowman believes it will help people connect to the piano.
Already, the name is catching on.
During a lesson, music teacher Alex Young offered his student the option of playing on the piano inside or the one outside, not calling Keyster by name.
“And this other little girl yelled from the bathroom, ’His name is Keyster!’” Blankenship-Tucker said with a laugh.
After hearing about street pianos popping up in other cities, Blankenship-Tucker decided Rocky Mount should have one.
So she started browsing Craigslist and found a piano in Roanoke being given away for free. A caravan of teachers from Downtown Music hauled the piano into a truck and brought it to Rocky Mount.
The piano is situated on a small outdoor stage in the music store’s parking lot. Right now it’s just the piano and a stool, covered by a tent. But there are plans to make the area more welcoming, with things like additional seating, a carpet and some drapes.
“We have big plans too for this space, to sort of make it like a living room feel where people will come and jam and play,” Blankenship-Tucker said.
They’ve already added lights beneath the keyboard that flash to the beat of what’s being played.
They want to create a space where people, particularly youth, can come hang out for a while, whether they know how to play or not, Young said.
Artists from The Rocky Mount Center for the Arts have been enlisted to give Keyster a makeover. Blankenship-Tucker said she’s not sure what that will entail, but she expects it will be brightly colored and have a Franklin County theme.
“This is kind of a way for all the downtown arts venues to kind of come together too,” she said. “The visual artists and the Harvester (Performance Center) and Downtown Music - that’s really cool to sort of be connecting all those things and be collaborating on something.”
The Downtown Music staff said the piano could be used for pop-up concerts and maybe even visits from musicians who have some time to kill before taking the stage at the Harvester Performance Center just down the road. They expect it will evolve as time goes on.
Keyster has his own Facebook page, and an Instagram account is forthcoming. The hope is that people who stop by to play or listen will take pictures and videos and post them online, serving as a kind of virtual guestbook.
Bowman said he might like to get an actual guestbook, too. It’s hard for the Downtown Music staff to know exactly how many people have taken the advice of Keyster’s sign, which urges passers-by to “play me.”
Blankenship-Tucker said they’re still working to get the word out about Keyster. They’re hoping additional signs and a social media presence will help.
“If I just stumbled upon this, I might not feel bold enough to just walk up and help myself, so hopefully people will get the message,” she said.
Bowman hopes the piano’s music will penetrate the hustle and bustle of daily life, even if someone just takes a few moments to enjoy it while walking down the street.
“Slow down a little bit and smell the roses, hear the music, feel the beat,” he said.
It’s been fun to see what people can do. Blankenship-Tucker said a retired captain from the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office recently stopped by and “just took me to school.” The Downtown Music staff looks forward to finding other hidden talents in town.
But not everyone who puts their hands to the keys is so experienced. It’s a good opportunity for kids who might be interested in learning to try it out.
“Whether it’s piano or guitar or drums or ukulele or whatever, this may inspire someone to want to take lessons for something,” Bowman said.
They could even take lessons on Keyster.
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Information from: The Roanoke Times, https://www.roanoke.com
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