Noise Or Genius?

Over time, our society has created a very troubling norm: When you see a piano, don't bang on it. Generally when you're in a nice hotel lobby or a church or a retirement home, you see a folded stand-up sign resting on the ivory-colored keyboard that tells you "Do Not Touch.” Though the intent is to save your grandma's already failing hearing from suffering from some kid's thunderous bangs on the keyboard, is this restriction more of a benefit or more of an impedance to creativity?

When I was in London this summer I came across this piano in Canary Wharf (which is our equivalent to Wall Street). I had never seen anything like it before. As I was sitting on a bench enjoying (or attempting to) a cappuccino and biscotti from the nearby Italian coffee shop, I watched kid after kid sit on this piano bench and slam the hell out of the keyboard. Being a classically trained pianist, I was slightly annoyed by this noise since all I wanted to do was sit down and play Clair de Lune to compensate the bystanders and appease their ears.

At the same time, I was captivated. Last year I took a music history class and when we studied the modern era of music, some of the music sounded exactly like what these kids were banging on the keyboard. What was considered noise in the U.S. was considered Shoenberg's great next work over in the UK. I realized that what I was hearing was not insignificant noise, but a child's creation. This piano inspired kids to create something rather than sit back and play by the rules. 

Sometimes when we're in a society full of rules and proper etiquette, I think we lose some of what really matters. That's why creativity is so great--- nobody gives a damn about rules. As long as you're creating you're doing something right.