Diners at the Pride Café in Hammond often get to enjoy a piano recital with their pizza or fries.
A handful of students are making the space more musical by playing their favorite tunes on the grand piano tucked into a corner of the cafeteria space.
“There’s a piano, why not?” said Jih Bin Luo, a freshman Computer Science major. “It’s just for fun. … I like to share my music with everyone.”
The Pride Café is a more casual audience for Luo, who started playing the piano when he was 7 and has played at Carnegie Hall in New York City.
When his schedule permits, Luo can be found playing “The Blue Danube” waltz by Austrian composer Johann Strauss II, a piece he calls his favorite, in the Hammond dining area.
How often is he there?
“Every time I get a chance,” Luo said. “It just depends on my schedule.”
“I believe that what I play sets the mood for the cafeteria,” he said.
Students agree.
“I think the pianists in the cafeteria are very talented,” said Mckinzy Rodiguez, a sophomore Communication major. “I always hear them playing when I walk to class or when I go into the cafeteria.
“The music … is very relaxing,” she said.
Music lover Olivia Stokes-Lopez agrees.
“I think the music sounds very calming,” said Stokes-Lopez, a sophomore Education major. “I am a music lover and have played the piano.
“Piano music … helps make the room feel brighter,” she said. “It gives a calming impact to help reduce negative emotions and adds positive emotions.”
Luo is not the only impromptu pianist. Jacob Hollimon also makes music on campus.
“I’m filling my time while I am waiting for classes,” said Hollimon, a sophomore Mechatronics Engineering Technology major. “I play daily — like an hour or so — from Monday through Thursday.”
Hollimon said his favorite music includes “Sonata No. 14 ‘Moonlight’ in C-Sharp Minor,” by Ludwig van Beethoven, “The Champions’ Ballad” from “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild” and “Love Like You” by Steven Universe.
He said he plays because it just seems natural to him.
“I have played piano since I could remember,” Hollimon said. “My dad played piano, so it kind of grew on me.”