editorial streetpianos opinion advocacy

End Note: Get Out and Play

One of the primary tenets of music and arts advocacy is getting the action out of the classroom and into the public eye. In addition to showcasing talents, creating awareness, and providing entertainment, public performance can also have a strong impact in terms of building community.

Take, for example, the growing “Play Me, I’m Yours” art installation, which has just made its way to Boston. Forgive me if you live in Cincinnati or New York or Omaha or Austin or one of the other lucky few cities across the country where this art installation is old news, but I’m pretty ecstatic about 75 pianos being planted in public spaces in neighborhoods around my hometown, decorated by local artists, inviting people to step up – or sit down, as it were – and be musical.