![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/Baby-Grand.jpg\")
<\/a><\/p>\nBaby Grand Piano at Ottawa City Hall Hitting all the Right Notes<\/strong><\/p>\n Joanne Schnurr, CTV Ottawa<\/strong> A fixture at Ottawa city hall is a resounding success, hitting all the right notes. The baby grand pianohas become the “go to” for kids at lunch time or pedestrians passing through. Where politics sometimes divides people, this public piano is bringing them together.<\/p>\n It’s a rare sight to see the piano bench empty here but it doesn’t take long before someone takes a seat and the rich sounds of music fill the air at Ottawa city hall.<\/p>\n Grade 12 student Aidan Prince is on his lunch break from Lisgar Collegiate.<\/p>\n \u201cI always enjoy making people’s day better,\u201d he says, \u201cIt’s always nice to see if I can make a positive change in someone’s life.\u201d<\/p>\n He comes to play about 2 to 3 times a week.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m self-taught. I can\u2019t read sheet music for the life of me.\u201d<\/p>\n Michael Mitchell has never taken lessons either but that doesn’t stop him.<\/p>\n \u201cEven when I\u2019m playing,\u201d he says, \u201cparents will go by with their children and the children are fascinated.\u201d<\/p>\n The baby grand has been at city hall for 4 years when it was donated by wine writer Natalie MacLean.<\/p>\n For those who work at city hall on a regular basis, like Ottawa Citizen Reporter Jon Willing, that music can sometimes sound more like noise.<\/p>\n \u201cWell sometimes I come to work every day and hope the piano was covered up so I can try and get some work done in peace and quiet,\u201d he says. \u201cSometimes you hear the same song over and over again but sometimes you hear a really beautiful piano player and you can\u2019t help but poke your head out the door to see who\u2019s playing.\u201d<\/p>\n The fun part, says Michael Mitchell, is that you never know what might happen at city hall.<\/p>\n \u201cOne time I was playing here,\u201d he recalls, \u201cand a couple asked me to witness their marriage.\u201d<\/p>\n You also never know who you might meet, like councillor-elect Glen Gower, who has been playing piano since he was little.<\/p>\n \u201cI really enjoy playing,\u201d he says, as he skims over the keys with a flawless rendition of Bruce Hornsby\u2019s \u201cThe Way It Is, \u201cand it’s a great way to great rid of some of the stress and take a break from what’s going on in the day.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n I just wanted to collect together some memories here of a very special day.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n
\nPublished Friday, November 9, 2018 5:07PM EST<\/strong><\/p>\n![\"piano_donation\"](\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/piano_donation.jpg\")
<\/a>I’ve back-dated this post so that it doesn’t appear at the top of the blog since it’s not wine-related, unless I offer some wine and music pairings, but I’ll spare you that … for now.<\/p>\n![\"CTV](\"http:\/\/www.nataliemaclean.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2014\/12\/CTV-news.jpg\")
<\/a><\/h1>\n