Player Piano

Consider the title of Player Piano. What is a player piano? Where does a player piano appear in the novel and what is its role, literally and symbolically? Why do you think Vonnegut gave the novel this title?

Teaching Suggestion: Readers might benefit from an opportunity to discuss in small groups the role of the player piano in the text before responding to the prompt in a journal entry or brief essay. Player pianos, or self-playing pianos, were popular in the 1920s before being virtually wiped out of production; in the 1950s, when Vonnegut wrote the novel, collectors began to find and restore the pianos. It may be helpful to share with students that the novel was titled Utopia 14 for a 1954 release. Students unfamiliar with the concept of the player piano might benefit from brief research.

• This 4-minute video shows a player piano in action.
• This brief article about Stanford University’s player piano collection features information about their history, recordings, and preservation.
• This 2-minute video from the National Blues Museum offers an explanation on the purpose of player pianos and how they work.