CAUT

Hi CAUT list,

I'm curious if at other institutions whether students needing to rehearse with a 9' piano must schedule it out in advance, or whether there's just a 9' parked out on a stage and available for anyone with access to a key to use at any time.  What's the protocol at your institution?  I'd appreciate a discussion of the +/- of either approach, which should be more or less evident to us as techs.  

Thanks in advance,

Adrian

Hey Adrian,

Nice to see your post!

We have one piano that is always unlocked (the least of them, none of which are nine-footers) in each of our performance spaces. So anyone that has reserved the space automatically has access to those. Access to the locked pianos is granted by the piano technician.

Best,

Alan

Hi CAUT list,

I'm curious if at other institutions whether students needing to rehearse with a 9' piano must schedule it out in advance, or whether there's just a 9' parked out on a stage and available for anyone with access to a key to use at any time.  What's the protocol at your institution?  I'd appreciate a discussion of the +/- of either approach, which should be more or less evident to us as techs.  

Thanks in advance,

Adrian

At NIU, the two pianos in the recital hall, a Hamburg C and a Grotrian 225, are kept in the room, which has a flat floor, so sometimes one or both pianos will be in position for a recital, sometimes neither, depending on the rehearsal or event. Neither piano has a lock, though the room is generally locked when not in use. 
the Concert Hall, which has a lot of rehearsals as well as performances, has two concert grands, a D and a Fazioli 278, which are generally kept backstage and only brought out ( generally) by the Large Ensemble Office student staff. Neither piano has a lock in use. The LEO staff keep track of rehearsal and performance schedules, and may at their discretion leave a piano in place for multiple days at certain times of the year. Students and faculty request the piano needs when they request the rehearsal or performance times. Sometimes they forget to tell me they need two pianos, but their teachers usually remind them to let me know which piano and how many. 
the Concert Hall is generally either in setup or rehearsal for more than 6 hours a day, plus other uses such as area convocations, so even if the doors to the room aren't locked, pianists can't get a lot of extra time in there by hoping the room is open AND the piano is out. 
During semester breaks, pianos are generally backstage and rooms are locked, though students prepping for a recital will borrow a key from faculty. If so, we just leave a piano onstage. Not worth the potential damage moving it through the doorway.

Hey Adrian,

Nice to see your post!

We have one piano that is always unlocked (the least of them, none of which are nine-footers) in each of our performance spaces. So anyone that has reserved the space automatically has access to those. Access to the locked pianos is granted by the piano technician.

Best,

Alan

Hi CAUT list,

I'm curious if at other institutions whether students needing to rehearse with a 9' piano must schedule it out in advance, or whether there's just a 9' parked out on a stage and available for anyone with access to a key to use at any time.  What's the protocol at your institution?  I'd appreciate a discussion of the +/- of either approach, which should be more or less evident to us as techs.  

Thanks in advance,

Adrian