“Welcome to "We Bang Steinways!"
You don't belong here if you are not a fan or a student or a performer of the great classical piano repertoire composed by gods such as Bach, Beethoven, Mozart…etc That means NO B.S. crap like "Heart & Soul" or … even "Fur Elise"… We just won't accept weak sauce like that around here. We've all practiced … TOO much to deal with lowly Pop & Rock pianists! …Okay, that was a joke... sort of...Interested in studying with a professor at a school you have never visited? Have a question about a passage from your Bach fugue? … Sick and tired of those lameass YAMAHAs [a type of piano] in the practice rooms? … Is the Piano turning you into her own little bitch? Now you can vent your anger, share your knowledge, and ask your questions to your fellow pianists on the Discussion Board! (We Bang Steinways!)”
When I first clicked on this Facebook group, I read this introduction and was extremely interested in being part of a group of piano aficionados. Being from a small Southern town, very few classical pianists were present in order for me to speak about subjects like whether Mozart piano concerti were more developed than Beethoven sonatas. When talking to others, the lack of pianists is a problem found everywhere, especially teenagers who are not enrolled in a music conservatory. What’s intriguing about this group is that it pulls people all over the world and lets them express their frustrations, announce to the world about an accomplishment, or help each other through difficult times. The “We Bang Steinways” group is like a safe haven for pianists, especially for those who do not live in more cultural cities such as New York or LA.
Although I do not believe every online group or even Facebook acts as a community, “We Bang Steinways” definitely exemplifies one. Some leadership is enacted in the group by having administrators. The list of officers is substantially large because each person represents a specific school/conservatory. The creator of the group is from UCSB, one officer from Juilliard, the list goes on… Even with a wide array of members and locations, everyone can understand each other and focus on a single topic. For example, right after the Van Cliburn competition (the Olympics for piano), one of the contestants thanked the group members for their support while he was competing, and a flurry of members continued congratulating him for his fine performance and couldn’t believe they were talking to a piano celebrity (We Bang Steinways!).
Yes, most of the group members have not seen each other in real life, with the exception of the famous members. In the group, we express ourselves through words in a wall post or a Youtube video of our playing. We are all connected through our passion with classical music and piano.
We Bang Steinways!. N/A. Facebook. 6 Sept 2009
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The attendees are part of a community. They will stick together through the harshest circumstances (i.e. downpours and floods).
Their goal is to support the team and watch a good smack-down.
And when someone (i.e. a referee) gets in the way of the community's entertainment, the community will communicate to him by "booing" him or throwing footballs or trash at him. Or, the leader of this community (Coach Paul Johnson) will do so.
All in all, football games strengthen the sense of community--not build it. No matter who the "enemy" is that day, the community will always belt out "TO HELL WITH GEORGIA!" and how we're a "helluva, helluva, helluva engineer." Georgia Tech, no matter what setting, is a community.
