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Street Pianos Make The Scene In Springfield

One of three street pianos in Springfield, MA
WAMC
One of three street pianos in Springfield, MA

While some people like to stop and smell the roses, a western Massachusetts city this summer is inviting people to stop and play the piano.

Springfield is now one of about 40 cities around the world with “ street pianos.”   

Upright pianos, that have been painted and decorated by professional artists, have been put in three locations downtown with signs inviting anybody, regardless of skill level, to play. 

Morgan Drewniany of the Springfield Central Cultural District said it is an effort to promote civic engagement with the arts.

" Also, add a little fun and whimsy," she said. " We are an urban center and people expect that."

So things don’t get too out of tune, professional musicians will be hired to play the pianos for a few hours a day this summer.

The record-setting tenure of Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno. The 2011 tornado and its recovery that remade the largest city in Western Massachusetts. The fallout from the deadly COVID outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers Home. Those are just a few of the thousands and thousands of stories WAMC’s Pioneer Valley Bureau Chief Paul Tuthill has covered for WAMC in his nearly 17 years with the station.