I absolutely love the Kelowna Piano In The Parks Program.

It places pianos all over the city’s downtown for the public to play on during the summer, and it leads to some of the best unplanned shows you can catch.

On top of that it’s a great opportunity for piano students to get out there and play.

Here are my top four reasons why the program is so great for piano students, and why you should be playing on them today!

LOW STAKES WAY TO PRACTICE PERFORMING

The Kelowna Piano In The Parks Program is so great because it gives an opportunity for everyday players to showcase their skills without the stress of something like a recital where you can feel the pressure of a bunch of eyes on you as you play.

You don’t need to be perfect and you don’t need 60 minutes of material. All you need is a single song you can play and you’ll be off to the races, serenading people as they walk by.

And if playing in front of people still sounds scary, don’t worry, you have options on crowd sizes. Well sort of.

The pianos are spread around in different locations, some of which are more prone to traffic than others. For instance, the piano located by the harbour downtown is crowd central. But the piano located by the library parkade is generally quieter.

GIVES STUDENTS AN OPPORTUNITY TO PRACTICE ON A REAL PIANO

These old uprights have been through it all and they basically tell you how to play them, not the other way around.

Sticky keys (keys that don’t push down quickly) and chipped keys, a foot pedal that may not work one day, wood that expands and contracts in the Okanagan sun, it can be an all new experience for a player.

Which isn’t to say they aren’t maintained well. Elmore Epps, a fantastic piano tuner in the area, does a phenomenal job maintaining them for the city, but there’s only so much you can do for 100 year old pianos that endure all the outdoor elements from rain to sweltering heat.

These Kelowna pianos force players to deal with a real living instrument and get outside the comfort of a perfectly in tune electric keyboard. It’s an invaluable experience.

And while they are worn, I don’t want to give the impression that they don’t–

SOUND AMAZING

Yep, that’s right. They may be a tad beat up but all it does is add character to what are some beautiful sounding pianos.

Just check out the sound of this piano I was playing last summer.

Just gorgeous sounding.

GETS STUDENTS INVOLVED IN THE LOCAL ARTS ECOSYSTEM

These pianos are maintained by a great piano player, and are painted by just as great local painters. By playing on them, you’re not only honouring their hard work but also participating in a community of artists and sharing your gifts with the public, which is a beautiful thing.

It doesn’t matter if you’re doing “Hot Cross Buns” or “Fur Elise”, because it’s all valid and a wonderful expression of your talents, that can make a strangers day or encourage others to take up playing the piano.

Plus, by playing an old piano, you’re becoming part of a lineage of piano players who have played on those very keys and that’s cool.

PLAY ONE TODAY

The pianos are waiting, get to them while they’re there and share your gifts with the world.

And if you want to learn a tune to play on them, you an grab a free piano lesson from me today by filling out this form or emailing me at alex@upnotesmusic.com.

Have a fantastic week!