A change from last school year are the melodies floating through around the cafeteria during the lunch periods or at random times throughout the school day. The new addition of the piano in the gym commons has allowed for this, the instrument being moved from the choir room. Principal Cynthia Prieto is one of those hopeful for the impact it will have on the students.

“I see lunch as a break time and many people get peace from playing while many get peace from listening. I hope it brings people together to mutually enjoy lunchtime as a brain break,” Prieto said. “Personally, I love hearing someone is at the piano and admire how much talent we have in our kids.”

Administrator Joe Glick had the idea of putting the piano in the cafeteria in the first place, inspired by their placement in an older section of Lancaster, PA where there was a piano on every block in front of coffee shops and restaurants. He loved the idea of music being somewhere it usually isn’t.

“What I hope is that the students recognize that this is their piano, and it’s something that is old, it’s something that is beautiful, it’s something that needs to be maintained and taken care of and it’s an opportunity for kids to come together,” Glick said. “And that’s one of the things I’ve seen, and that’s really cool to have someone playing the piano and four or five kids would be standing around, watching their friends being able to provide music for the students in an environment where you don’t tend to hear piano.”

Senior Brian Bratton has been one of multiple to take advantage of its placement and has performed multiple times for various lunch periods, pleasing people’s ears and all the while gaining confidence.

“I used get nervous just playing for one or two people, so it’s like, you know, if I started playing for like 20, 30, 40 plus people that I don’t even know. But I play here in the cafeteria, it’s a lot different, so I want to find more people to play with and share music as well,” Bratton said.

Usually, Bratton plays his two favorite pieces “River Flows in You” and “May Be” by his favorite composer, Yiruma. Despite his total comfort with the songs, Bratton has always struggled with nerves. Now, though, because of his performances, Bratton can better handle this issue.

“I don’t get as nervous when I play. The first time I played, I could barely play; my hands were shaking,” Bratton said. “It was so bad, but it’s like, now, no matter who’s watching, I’ve gotten better at finding my peace so that when I play, I can play from my heart. I’m not making mistakes, and I can enjoy what I’m playing.”

For Bratton, the ability to present is a crucial part of musicianship.

“I guess I just wanted another place [to play.] [It is] one of the biggest gaps between people who can practice and perform. You just have to get used to being able to play at your top ability or as good as you can when people are around and like no matter who’s there and who’s not,” Bratton said. Bratton has bridged that gap for himself by playing not only at lunch, but also at Clemintine’s’ open mic night and for friends.

So far, Bratton has been told good things about his music at lunch.

“At first people clapped a lot which was nice, but usually it’s positive feedback. People say that I’m really talented, or they love hearing me play,” Bratton said.

These comments mean a lot to him considering he has only been playing since the beginning of the year. Bratton taught himself how to play by ear after attempting to replicate pieces he had heard by Yiruma in his mother’s car. He took the pieces he heard, copied them, then moved on to more and more.

“People say that I can play pieces that take such a long time to learn how to play, and they say I sound like I’ve been playing a lot longer…I can’t read sheet music at all. I’m playing by ear and by videos and my own love for music, so it’s like, you know, I wouldn’t want to put any level on where I can play. I just play it as best I can,” Bratton said. “I am glad that people can hear what I’m playing and feel something, because that’s why I’m playing in the first place.”

An example of one of these times was when his playing impacted our lunch ladies.

“On the very first day that we had [the piano], our cafeteria ladies, who work so hard…, they were sitting down eating and Brian started to play. And after lunch, several of the cafeteria ladies came up and said, ‘That made us feel so special, it was like he was playing just for us,’, so I think that story is indicative of the good feelings that [the piano] can produce,” Glick said.

Not only does his music cause others to feel something, but Bratton experiences certain emotions while he plays as well.

“Usually when I play, I think of a few certain people in my life and a few of the things that I’ve been through, and I guess I just feel what comes from my heart….There’s a girl that means a lot to me. I think about her a lot when I play, and I guess she’s helping me put a lot more emotions to my songs each time that I play them,” Bratton said. He enjoys the release he feels and the connection he feels.

“It’s expression. I mean like, music has always meant a lot to me, but it’s, I guess, the first time I’ve found something that can really click with me, you know, something I can just use part of my intelligence, part of my musical abilities [for],” Bratton said. “I guess the biggest reason is…how I feel when I play [my pieces], that’s all that matters. It’s really stress-relieving. It’s just one of those things I was meant to do.”

Bratton is happy to do what he feels he belongs doing for the student body, especially because of the mix of people it includes.

“The reason I love playing at our school lunch is, you see, we have a diverse school,” Bratton said. “We have people coming from a multitude of countries, and they speak different dialects. Yet they can all listen to the same music, as music is the universal language, especially since piano music has no words. I wanted to play during lunch not only to share my music, but to help promote a sense of unity at our school.”