Sing for Hope Pianos: Day 7

Hello hello! It's Thursday, June 20th, and luckily, I wrote the majority of this blog on my iPod Touch while traveling on the subway from the Bronx to Brooklyn. Despite the rain, Day 7 was another amazing piano day for me, and for the icing on the cake, I celebrated National Doughnut Day at Dun-Well Doughnuts. Hooray for Summer Fridays!

There was a forecast of steady rain all day long, so I knew I needed to find another indoor piano. The closest one to me was due east -- in the Bronx. So I planned how to get there by bus, and it turned out to be easy!

I approached Poe Park from the south and because it was raining, nobody was in it. I spotted a gray building and figured that it must be the visitor center. There was a windowless door that said to KNOCK to enter. Of course I tried opening it first (haha), but sure enough it was locked, so I knocked. A friendly woman opened the door, and I could see the piano behind her. I asked if I could play the piano and she said yes but that I had to sign the guestbook first. That reminded me of Adventures in Babysitting: "Ain't nobody leave this place without singin' the blues." I gladly obliged and asked her what she wanted besides my name. She asked for my e-mail address in case I wanted to receive schedules of upcoming events and mentioned there was a tai chi class, among other things. Tai chi caught my interest because I just tried a Tai Chi for Beginners DVD, which I had borrowed from the library that morning, and I liked the flow of energy from the movements.

Piano #21: Poe Park Visitor Center. After signing the guestbook I made my way to the piano situated at the north end of the center. I played two-thirds of my core trio back to back. The two women in the center liked what I played, and I told them I was really impressed with the acoustics of the room!

First impressions before opening the lid.

I asked them if there are ever performances at the center, and Lucy (I had noticed her nametag) handed me an event flyer. We also talked about being Piano Buddies, and Lucy said she wished they could get a piano permanently donated because people were asking for lessons. I agreed that it would be great because I was really digging the sound in the building. Lucy also mentioned that she is a Piano Buddy for Soundview Park, and it was stolen after the first day. So sad!! Sing for Hope replaced it with a spare piano and chained it even more than they did the first piano.

I returned to playing the final third of my core trio. I messed up the song. Here's the thing. When I worry about playing it perfectly, I make a mistake. When I don't think about it, I am play just fine. So, it is a work in progress. And that's the beauty of this project. For me anyway.

The view of Edgar Allan Poe's Cottage from the piano.

I also played Bach's Prelude in C, using sheet music. After I finished, I got up from the piano, thinking that was my last piece. I returned to the guestbook to write a message beneath my name: Thanks for hosting a piano here. Hope you get one permanently!

And as I was writing those words, Lucy checked her e-mail. And she read aloud part of a message from someone who had read an article in The New York Times and wanted to donate a piano! All of our faces lit up in excitement and I wish I had my Flip camera or digital camera to capture those euphoric moments of good news. Lucy said that whenever she say she wants something, she gets it! That's the law of attraction and power of intention for you. Ask and you shall receive. What a pleasure it was to have witnessed that. Lucy said I was a good luck charm.

She called the woman who sent the e-mail, and the woman said she'd call Lucy back. So I headed back to play another piece using sheet music I've had since junior high school: "Grow Old with Me" by John Lennon.

Then I asked Lucy about Poe Park, and she started to tell me about it when the phone rang. The woman confirmed that she wanted to donate a piano! She's a millionairess!

Lucy on the phone with the generous piano donor.

After that fantastic news, I felt it was time to leave so Lucy could call people to spread the word. But she asked to take a picture with me to remember my visit. ("Ain't nobody leave this place without singin' the blues." Oh, I really must watch Adventures in Babysitting again.  Ya think?) I gladly obliged and asked her to e-mail me the pictures. I want to remember it, too. And with this blog now, too, I will.

(As of June 20th, I haven't received any pictures, but that's okay! Someday, I'll return to the visitor center. Lucy did ask me to return when they get their permanent piano.)

Here are some pictures I took after I left:

The west side of the center, which I didn't see on my way in, as I entered from Poe Park and not the street.

Will have to return on a weekend to visit the cottage sometime.

Slipped my camera past the gate's bars to take this picture.

View of the piano on this rainy Friday.

Chocolate doughnut and the best soy latte ever from Dun-Well Doughnuts!

Root beer mini-doughnut morsel.  It was free with the purchase of the latte, in celebration of National Doughnut Day.

Stay tuned for more piano adventures from the 2013 Sing for Hope Pianos.