Pianos Popping Up Across City Are For Anyone To Play: ‘Music Is Joy’

MORGAN PARK — Garrick Smothers enjoys spending his lunch breaks while working at the Beverly Bicycle Repair Shop by playing the piano outside County Fair Foods.

Smothers, a longtime artist and musician, said he often tickles the ivories of the public piano on a daily basis because he enjoys the sense of community it brings.

“I don’t usually have a big crowd, but people do stop and listen. It’s fun,” Smothers said.

The public piano is there because of Chicago Plays, a nonprofit founded by Morgan Park resident John McCarthy. The group’s mission is to provide free access to pianos throughout Chicago, an idea he came up with while traveling with his wife across the globe. 

On their travels, they saw bike lanes, car-free downtown areas and public piazzas, and McCarthy kept note of amenities he wanted to bring back home. He especially enjoyed spending time in the piazzas, where people gathered, shops and restaurants were all around, and music would be playing.

“I literally have a list on my phone and it’s all the things we need to bring back to Chicago,” he said. “One of the top ones on that list was public pianos.” 

McCarthy started Chicago Plays last year. In its first year, he placed pianos in the Beverly and Morgan Park neighborhoods at County Fair Foods, 10800 S. Western Ave., Afro Joes Coffee & Tea, 1818 W. 99th St., and at the Beverly Area Planning Association, 1744 W. 99th St. 

Each piano is not only a public instrument but a public work of art, as Chicago Plays partners with artists to transform donated pianos into an art display. This year, pianos can be found at County Fair Foods and the Beverly Area Planning Association. 

As Smothers played the piano during an interview with Block Club one morning this week, shoppers left the grocery store smiling. One person told him the music was a great way to start the morning.

Smothers said he appreciates the public pianos, both for providing access to music and for their promotion of artists.

“It’s a really nice sense of community on a creative platform of music and art. That resonates with me personally because I do both. I play piano and I am a visual artist as well,” Smothers said.

Pianos are on display from the beginning of June until mid-October each year. Chicago Plays handles the logistics for each location, including moving the piano on site, tuning it and storing it during the winter months.

The piano outside County Fair Foods has been a fun partnership, not just for those who have come up to play but for the grocery store operator as well, said Tom Baffes, president of County Fair Foods. 

“You never know who is going to sit down and start playing the piano,” Baffes said. “Sometimes it surprises me who is able to play.”

Employees and shoppers can hear the piano from inside the store, and Baffes said it often leads to a bit of a crowd as shoppers exit. 

“People will often stop and listen. Of course, kids will often come by and tickle the old ivory a little bit. It’s fun,” he said. 

McCarthy is growing Chicago Plays beyond Beverly neighborhood: New this year is a piano at Navy Pier, which has already attracted several players, including Andrew Bayn.

Bayn, who lives in Utah, was visiting Chicago on July 3 with his girlfriend and her family when they encountered the public piano at Navy Pier. 

“I love music, love piano, and to see one just on the pier just outside with nobody playing it or paying attention to it, I got excited,” he said. 

Bayn, 23, stepped up to the piano and played the main theme from the Nintendo 64 action-adventure game, “The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time.” While playing, he was so focused on the music he said he didn’t notice a crowd start to form around him. 

“My girlfriend and her parents said people had come up and were taking pictures of me playing the piano, and people were stopping to watch. It definitely drew the attention of people around,” Bayn said. 

Bayn said that Chicago Plays’ goal of increasing public access to pianos is one he supports. 

“I love that idea. I love the concept of putting things out there for people to enjoy and to share their passion and talents that they have,” Bayn said.

McCarthy said Chicago Plays, which relies on donations, has five pianos and that more are on the way. Each piano costs anywhere from $1,500-$2,000, with stipends for the artist and various expenses, including tuning, general upkeep and relocation labor.  

He is currently seeking more businesses and organizations to host pianos throughout the city. Those interested are asked to contact Chicago Plays on Facebook, Instagram or by email at info@chicagoplayspiano.org. 

“Music is joy. We are trying to spark some joy. It’s cool to see young kids walk by the piano. They just stand there, and their eyes are wide open. It’s a great opportunity for them and anyone really to see how fun music can be,” McCarthy said.