On the Sunday evening before the school year began, David Holmes was unloading musical instruments for an upcoming performance when he heard someone nearby playing the piano. Holmes paused to appreciate the music and the impact that the Department of Music’s “Keys on Campus” program is having on campus culture.
This program is part of a larger initiative to revitalize the music department with a “student focus.” Bethany Close / Daily Nexus
“There was a lady out there sitting at the piano, playing the most beautiful music,” Holmes said. “I just kind of stood there listening. And it was beautiful.”
If you’ve been on the UC Santa Barbara campus these past few weeks, you might’ve experienced a similar situation on account of the Department of Music’s pianos. According to Holmes, the chief administrative officer of the department, this program is part of a larger initiative to revitalize the music department with a “student focus.”
Holmes emphasized that the program was made possible through a team effort, which includes but is not limited to piano technician Ian Shafer and student assistants who help tune the pianos.
The planning process began in early 2025, when the department conceived the idea to bring music to campus. They realized they had several pianos with condition issues that were no longer usable for their needs, but could still be played.
“Why not? I mean, what are we going to do, just push them into the dumpster? So what’s the alternative? Let’s get some life out of them. Let’s get some playing out of them,” Holmes said. “So it’s a new thing, we’re still learning as we go.”
The pianos were placed on campus right before the start of the academic year and are located in several areas, including one in the Arbor walkway and two near the Music Building. According to Holmes, the team behind the program has been adjusting to unforeseen circumstances along the way, including weather.
“We got caught by unexpected rain and realized that we didn’t have adequate covering for them. So the teams adjusted. They actually found a great cover, waterproof covers that are made for barbecues,” Holmes, whose office sits near one of the pianos, said.
Holmes said that since starting his current role roughly six years ago, he’s wanted to open the department’s resources to students, including those outside of the major. He highlighted several examples of the music department pushing toward this goal, such as offering storage space to Pops Orchestra, a student-run organization, reconstructing a recording studio and allowing non-music majors to use the department’s harp.
“I tend to think of what we do here is we make music happen. We’re here to make music happen. And who are the people that are here, students, right?” Holmes said. “You fit those things together, and you help that inform the direction you go.”
The pianos’ longevity remains in question, since they are ultimately exposed to the elements and have already served their purpose for the department. However, the department remains committed to possibly expanding the program to other places on campus and offering music opportunities to students.
“The number of people using those has just been phenomenal. [There are] almost always people on them, and it just kind of says that people are screaming to have this,” Holmes said. “I see people standing or deciding to just sit out there on the ledge over there by the [Multicultural Center], listening to the random person [playing the piano] that could be a grad student in engineering.”
A version of this article appeared on p.6 of the Oct. 30 print edition of the Daily Nexus.
