Our Young Scholar Carey Byron was joining us at our Keys Of Inspiration® Ribbon Cutting Ceremony at Juliette Low School of the Arts in Orange County, California on Feb 5th, 2019. We would like to thank our sponsor from Henry T. and Elizabeth Segerstrom Foundation for supporting our Keys Of Inspiration® program and bringing this Piano Lab to the student at Juliette Low School of the Arts.
On February 5th, at 6:00 PM PST, The Lang Lang International Music Foundation® (LLIMF) was celebrate the opening of a new Keys of Inspiration® piano lab at Orange County’s Juliette Low School of the Arts. Keys of Inspiration® (KOI), which is part of the GRAMMY™ Music Education Coalition, is an innovative program designed to revolutionize what music education looks like in American public schools. Created to inspire change from within, KOI weaves rigorous, keyboard-centric, musical instruction into selected Title 1 public schools’ mandatory curriculum––integrating group piano classes for grades 2-5, twice a week.
As a recipient of the Keys of Inspiration® grant, Juliette Low School of the Arts received the following:
● Classroom set (20-30) new, state of the art Roland digital pianos and benches
● Assembly resources and support guides for setting up a group piano classroom
● Yearly maintenance and budget guides to help plan for long-term success
● Music curriculum developed in collaboration with The Royal Conservatory of Music
● Supplemental training and ongoing support/professional development for the KOI music teacher
The lab at Juliette Low School of the Arts was donated by Elizabeth Segerstrom. Ms. Segerstrom is a philanthropist whose commitment to the arts has helped shape the cultural landscape of Orange County. An honoree of The Guilds of the Center, a support group for the Orange County Performing Arts Center, and recipient of the Golden Baton Award from the Philharmonic Society of Orange County, her impact continues to resonate throughout the area.
Through Keys of Inspiration®, students who had not previously been given the opportunity to play a musical instrument are now learning to read music and play songs with both hands. Many students have stated that being in the piano lab is the best part of their day, and some have stated that they plan to someday play as well as Lang Lang and write their own music about their lives and dreams. Student participants are using a more complex musical vocabulary and analyzing
connections between the vocal repertoire, piano repertoire, and other musical elements. Concepts that they are experiencing in the piano lab, including collaboration, perseverance, critical thinking, and creativity, have translated across all content areas, resulting in academic gains. Classroom teachers have observed that student participants are more actively engaged in learning and are more willing to take risks. In the piano lab, students have learned that, through practice and perseverance, they will succeed and achieve.
The Grammy-nominated, internationally-renowned pianist Lang Lang, has been supporting children through music for over a decade. Heralded by the New York Times as “the hottest artist on the classical music planet”, Lang Lang plays sold-out concerts covering all continents of the globe. He was designated a United Nations Messenger of Peace with a special focus on global education, and worked as a Goodwill Ambassador for the UN Children’s Fund (UNICEF). He hails from humble beginnings and is committed to creating and participating in charitable activities focused on children through the strategic work done at his foundation. “When you give a child the gift of music, you give a child the world,” said Lang Lang.
The Lang Lang International Music Foundation® believes that all children should have access to a music education, regardless of their background. LLIMF’s unique programs encourage music performance at all levels as a means of social and emotional development for today’s youth. By igniting a child’s passion for music, LLIMF helps children worldwide aim for a better future. Their primary music education initiative, Keys of Inspiration® aims to encourage students to create music, and through music, help them find a secure space where they can freely be and believe in themselves.
