Pacific University’s Music Therapy Department is hosting a charity event titled Piano Smash: Fundraiser for Music Therapy Program on December 8, from 11:00 am to 3:30 pm. The event will take place on the Taylor Meade Loading Dock.
This fundraiser started after the music department staff noticed the large quantity of pianos in their possession, some in better working condition than others. Shelly Zeiser, an assistant music therapy professor, came up with the idea of the fundraiser in order to both dispose of irreparable equipment in a creative way while simultaneously providing stress relief to Pacific University students.
“The piano smashing event is two dollars to take a swing at the piano,” said Teagan Deweese, a sophomore music therapy major. “You can also pay ten dollars to keep a piece of the piano that we smash.”
The Piano Smashing event is considered to be the first of its kind in regards to music therapy fundraisers, as the music therapy department has not done a fundraiser like this in the past.
“This is our first time doing this, as we haven’t had a lot of fundraisers in the past,” said Brea Murakami, the interim director of the music therapy department. “However, because our program is growing and attracting a lot of attention, we thought this would be a great way to get extra resources for our program.”
The funds made during the fundraiser will be going toward the budget of the Music Therapy department, which has excited many students pursuing that major, as this allows them the opportunity to spread awareness about their chosen field of study.
“I think it’s a really fun idea,” said Downell Baise, a senior music therapy major. “The piano that they’re using is not usable or donatable, so it seems really appropriate to let out a little aggression at the end of the term.”
Although the Piano Smash fundraiser’s goal is to help relieve stress, it should be noted that it is still quite different from traditional music therapy procedures:
“This is not something we would do to help clients in an actual session due to the many safety issues,” said Murakami. — Max Pennington
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