CAUT piano roaming solutions? -Reply

[Newton Hunt]

Chain Them To The Wall!



This, at first glance, my seem to be a rather facetious

response, but let me assure that it is not.



There is a piano in "jock city" use to try to sooth the

savage in music 101 the wandered all over the building and

was getting more than the submission beat out of it.  We

tried to keep the door to the class room locked, but to no

avail.  I took a drill, a large eye hook, 2 ton epoxy, some

good chain, a pad lock and anchored the hook into the cinder

block (avoiding the voids) with the epoxy and wrapped the

chain around a back post and through the eye shortened the

chain just enough to get my hands and arms behind the piano

secured it with the lock.  Piano has stayed up for four

years.



Another HUGH lecture hall had the piano wandering all over

the place.  Many time the teacher of 250 kids in Music 101

had to search the building for the piano and have students

help move the piano back to the lecture hall.  Same story,

staying put.



The final is in a small classroom with a piano with a Dampp-

Chaser unit in it.  I used two eye hooks, one into the wall,

the other into the side of the case.  This allows the piano

to be pivoted around the left side to allow easy access for

demonstrating.  The kids were disturbed by the flashing

light so they pulled the plug.  What a waste!  Same story,

staying put.



We also tried chaining music stands to the pianos in prac-

tice rooms.  They broke the chains, ripped out the screws

and stole the stands anyway.  If some one has a solution to

this problem I would be appreciative.



We also have a problem with benches.

    Broken

    Missing

    Wandering into other places.

    Not being where they should be.



Any solutions?



         Newton

         nhunt@rci.rutgers.edu