Kyle's Senior Session


I knew I had to do something epic for my nephew Kyle's senior session. I had been brainstorming what to do when I found inspiration in a reel—a fiery piano! When I first mentioned the idea to Kyle, he was hesitant—we had already accidentally murdered one piano. But as the months went by, the idea grew on him. By the time I finally found the perfect piano, he was totally on board.


If you know Kyle, you know how well he plays the piano. He played for Tim and I's wedding and has played for multiple other weddings since then. I recently listened to him practice a difficult piece, and at the end of the song, he said he wasn't happy with it, but it sounded perfect to me.


From past piano-moving experiences, we knew we needed a reliable truck, a good trailer, and strong, young backs. We got all three and picked up the piano in October. We planned to wait until spring for the session, but every time we set a date, it rained. With the deadline quickly approaching for his school to submit senior pictures, we had to pull everything together quickly.


That’s when I realized I hadn't put quite enough thought into the actual fire. Thankfully, I have some smart pyro friends who had great ideas and I was able to order their suggestions of Amazon one-day delivery of pyro supplies. The pressure was on—rain was supposed to start at 3 a.m., so it was now or never. We got the piano set up in the orchard, but the Amazon package still hadn’t arrived.


We scrambled to prepare a backup plan, but five minutes before I left for the session, the package was delivered! We used 91% isopropyl alcohol mixed with salt to create an orange flame and added Godora Solid Fuel Tablets to keep the fire going. We had a fire extinguisher and water ready in case the flames got out of hand. We even debated cutting the piano strings in case they got too hot, but my niece assured us they shouldn’t snap, so we left them intact. Initially, we planned to keep the fire contained in metal baking pans, but our pyro efforts worked a little too well, and soon, the whole piano was ablaze. Looking back I would do a thing or two different, but that's what happens with experience.


It was a senior session to remember—dramatic, unique, and totally unforgettable. I can’t wait to see what the future holds for Kyle!

Grand piano sits among blooming trees in a serene outdoor meadow setting during springtime.
Professional pianist performs outdoors next to blooming white spring trees with a grand piano in nature setting.
A grand piano sits among blooming white spring flowers and trees on a grassy hillside.
A piano player sits at a grand piano outdoors surrounded by delicate cherry blossoms in spring.
A grand piano sits outdoors in a garden setting with blooming cherry blossoms and spring greenery around it.
Grand piano engulfed in flames illuminates a dark outdoor garden setting during twilight.
An illuminated grand piano glows orange in a dusky outdoor setting with trees and grass in the background.
Dramatic scene of musician playing piano engulfed in flames during outdoor twilight performance.
A grand piano engulfed in flames sits in a meadow at dusk while being played.
Pianist performs outdoors on grand piano at dusk with warm lighting illuminating the instrument.
A fiery outdoor performance with a grand piano ablaze in flames against a twilight sky during sunset.
A dramatic scene shows a burning grand piano in a field with spring blossoms and cloudy skies.
A grand piano is illuminated by glowing lanterns in a darkened evening setting, creating a dramatic scene.
Figure in dark suit crouches near burning piano outdoors at dusk with smoke billowing in background.
A grand piano stands illuminated in a dark field at dusk with dramatic storm clouds overhead.