Play Me, I'm Yours - It really works!

Last Thursday I got to experience first-hand the great impact Play Me, I’m Yours has on our community! After the great fun the youth at HOME had while painting and decorating the piano, we decided to be the first visitors and musicians to its installation site near the capitol fountain. With nine youth and two staff including myself, we made our way down to the Capitol on one of the hottest afternoons of the year.  After finding their decorations and hand-prints and giving their piano skills a whirl, many of the teens’ eyes quickly fell onto the cool fountain in the distance. Before we knew it, everyone was cooling off, fully-clothed, in the fountains in front of the Capitol! After playing in and enjoying the water and sun we slowly made our way back to HOME. One 11-year old boy turned to me on the walk back and said with a huge smile on his face: “This was the most epic day at the drop-in ever!” All I could think about was how effective Play Me, I’m Yours had been for our organization. Without our piano, the trip to the Capitol might not have happened and although our journey involved more running through water with our clothes on than actual music making, it was a perfect example of how Play Me, I’m Yours enables people to “engage with and take ownership of their urban environment.”