Changing through the Seasons

Maureen Klaiber ('27), a rising junior at Brown, came out to see the piano on this unusually hot day in Providence. We had both recently returned from our respective travels in the spring semester and observed that much had changed with the piano since we had been away. The lid's once dramatic arch had collapsed and was now separated into individual planks. The layers of the case had further separated and appeared to be peeling away from each other. Maureen tested a few keys, and observed that some of them still made sound. 

--

Following our visit, Maureen shared with me this written reflection about the visit:

"I arrived at Brown not long after the piano was first set up outside of Orwig. The first time I saw it in the fall of 2023, it was still relatively well preserved - it was evident that the piano had seen better days, but the decomposition process had just started. I remember that around that time in my freshman year, I made all kinds of promises to myself: the kind of student that I wanted to be, the goals I wanted to achieve, and most importantly, the way that I would perceive Brown and Providence as I made my way through my college experience. I was so excited when I first made it to the university, but as I looked up to the upperclassmen in my clubs and classes that seemed burnt out and sick of being here, I vowed to myself to keep at least some small part of the novelty of being a student here alive. 

Through the semesters, I spent a lot of time near and around the decomposing piano project. I took and now TA a class in Grant Recital Hall right next door, I do most of my studying in Orwig, I briefly lived in Perkins Hall sophomore year, etc. During my first three semesters, I really liked walking past and checking in on the piano to see what had changed. For a while, when the top of the piano was still intact, it warped up in a curve that I thought was really beautiful. The keys would never work in the same way when I tried to play it - sometimes they're all stuck, sometimes a few in the middle work, other times it's a cluster on the right side. 

Last semester, I studied abroad, and several months went by where I didn't even really think about the project. I would say that a lot of personal growth happened while I was abroad, but I also struggled and felt some deep personal setbacks. Without going into too much detail, I feared that when I returned back to Brown, something would have changed - that I would have broken that vow to myself and been too burnt out to retain any of the magic that I originally felt when I got here. I remembered the piano, and worried that in some dark way we mirrored each other. 

Returning to Brown, especially during the summer period, has been odd. I have certainly changed, as has the world, and being here doesn't feel the same as it used to. But I have to remind myself that change isn't necessarily a bad thing. Coming back to the piano reminded me of that - change is what you make of it. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, usefulness changes depending on your goal, one man's trash... - you know what I mean. Things may not be the same, but there is still positivity to be found everywhere. At the end of the day, that's what this piano is about to me."

Days in place: 860

Weather: sunny and hot, 94°F