One of my greatest joys playing piano was when Hubby was in graduate school and working nights as a night watchman at one of the university buildings. That building had the best acoustical, small auditorium on campus, so the STEINWAY GRAND was usually there onstage. I could play it to my heart's content! Boy was I good! (when nobody was listening.)

I would be reluctant to have an arrangement in someone's home, there are just too many variables. My son, however, worked during college for an elderly couple living near campus doing odd jobs on Saturday mornings. That's about the only example I know of where such an arrangement worked out.

Do you have any friends who are teachers or principals at schools? There are lots of pianos there, and the schools are usually open several hours after school. As far as colleges renting practice rooms, I had no luck doing that when I was in college. They always wanted you to be a music major or at least enrolled in music classes.