Pianos on Campus

The Maydwell Piano in the Common Room of the Holme Building is our very own society grand piano! Find it in the Common Room on Level 4 of the Holme Building (confusingly one level above ground).

It's action can be on the heavier side, but it's lovely nonetheless. As of 2026, the piano is awaiting some repairs so you may notice some stuck or uneven keys. Rest assured, we're working on this!

Help us care for it by following the etiquette sign's guidelines, and if you notice a problem with it, please let us know. 

As of 2026, other societies are using this room as a rehearsal space and have stored some of their equipment inside. Please don't touch their stuff!

There are three piano practice rooms on level 5 of the Seymour Centre. They are all new pianos, digitally outfitted as of 2020 (they are acoustic, but sound can be set to output to headphones only).

These rooms used to be only available to Conservatorium students or those undertaking music-related activities, except after 5pm. Recently, it seems like this policy has been relaxed to allow any USYD student to book practice rooms for any timeslot. Enter via the stage door and access level 5 via the stairs or elevator. Bring your Student ID card as the backstage manager will check it against your booking upon entry.

You can book these pianos via the Sydney Conservatorium of Music LibCal portal.

This upright piano was formerly located in the Common Room before the Maydwell Piano moved in! It has a decent sound but some keys might be slightly out of tune. You can find it on level 3M of the Holme Building – from the main entrance, take the stairwell adjacent to the USYD store, then take the stairs up to Level 4, but turn left before going up all the way into the USU Clubs office.

This room is often used by a variety of societies but feel free to take a play on it when the room is free! (There might also be a whiteboard inside with some interesting illustrations...)

As of 2026, another society is using this room as a rehearsal space and have stored some percussion instruments inside. Please don't touch their stuff!

This piano used to be in the main area of the International Student Lounge (ISL) in the Wentworth Building on level 4, but has been relegated to a side room next to the bathrooms and near the pool tables. It is also frequently used to store a large number of chairs and mahjong equipment, so there is often very little room (though it has recently improved, and a comfy sofa was recently installed). This piano has a poor sound, but is centrally located and easy to get to, which means it's a great place to meet other pianists. In fact, the ISL piano is where PianoSoc started!

This room is next to Manning Bar, and is quite popular. It is played frequently and, like many USU-owned pianos, appears to receive little maintenance, so the sound quality is fairly average. You can also often find people having a nap, studying or hosting events in this room, so it's difficult to get most of the time.

Located on level 2 of Holme Building, this piano is quite decent, being used by dance societies regularly for rehearsals. The studio is not always accessible, and is very slightly worse than the ones upstairs.