Audience Cheers For Rebel Musicians As Security Tries To Shut Them Down

Jun 04, 2021 by apost team

Popular pianist, Terry Miles, surprised mall-goers when he began playing at a public piano at Birmingham City Centre back in 2018. It was a surprise because there was an out-of-order sign on the piano, but Miles and his accomplice, a young woman, just ignored the sign completely. And we’re glad they did!

Miles began playing a jaunty tune in the boogie-woogie style that he is a master of. Miles has a well-known YouTube channel where he posts piano lessons and other videos of past performances. The music artist makes a habit of performing impromptu in public places, but it is to the delight of shoppers and other onlookers who always gather around and cheer him on. 

In the video from 2018, where Miles began playing at Birmingham City Centre, he begins the song alone but is then joined by the young woman beside him and a random man who brings along a harmonica. The three jam out together in a wonderful collaboration of improvised music, and the crowd loves it.

All is well until a security guard arrives on the scene. The man is wearing a reflective vest and an apologetic look on his face as he asks Miles to stop playing. The guard gives a slight smile, as even he can see that the group of onlookers are enjoying the performance, but he persists because it is his job to enforce the rules. A man from the crowd begins to speak with the guard and tries to convince him to let Miles finish the song.

As Miles and his rebel band finish out their performance, the security guard looks on with apparent anxiety. The guard speaks into an earpiece, and it is safe to assume he is receiving orders to stop the performance. Finally, the song comes to a grand end, and Miles and his friend leave together. The crowd cheers, and the guard is able to continue his daily duties. 

On YouTube, Miles has over 300,000 subscribers who adore him. His page biography reads: “I'm Terry Miles, your Boogie Woogie Piano teacher and tutor and I've set up this channel to help you learn how to play The Best Boogie Woogie Piano in an easy to understand way.” It is so kind of Miles to offer free lessons to his viewers, especially in his signature boogie-woogie style. Boogie-Woogie is a genre of blues and ragtime music that originated within the African American community in the 1870s and became popular again in the 1920s.

Miles’ biography continues and promises simple lessons despite the complex style of piano he specializes in. “No complicated musical jargon or complicated scales on the piano but just pure knowledge that I'm giving away to you from over 40 years of experience and I guarantee you'll be playing an impressive Boogie Woogie Piano Piece within hours instead of years with my easy to follow videos and empathetic instructions,” the artist wrote.

These days, Miles is still uploading videos to his channel and spreading the joy of boogie-woogie music all around England. One of Miles' more recent activities has been live-streaming his piano performances twice a week. This way his audience gets to feel like part of the action no matter where they are.

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What do you think of Miles and his rebel band’s performance? Do you think the security guard was right to ask them to leave? Let us know your opinion, and be sure to send this on to your loved ones.