Pretty painted pianos in Portland persuade people to play in public

(JULY 8, 2022) If you see a brightly painted piano somewhere in a park or on the street of Portland, chances are it's part of a program called Piano.Push.Play. The pianos were put there intentionally. And the organization that put them there wants you to sit down and play.

According to its website, Piano.Push.Play. is on "a mission to make pianos available to anyone who wants to play them. We work with local piano companies to rescue old pianos that are still in great shape. Every summer, we put pianos out on the sidewalk and let anyone who wants to, enjoy the experience of making music. Experienced musicians and passersby alike help create music in a public space. When summer is over, we place those pianos in schools and community centers for everyone to play all year long."

The organization receives piano donations from many places. The pianos are usually old, but they have to "hold a tune." That means they have to still sound acceptable. They also have to survive on the streets. They will be outside in different kinds of weather. They will be played at all hours of the day.

The appearance of the pianos, however, matters less. That's because the organization invites artists to paint each piano in their own unique style. There is only one rule: Each piano must have the phrase "Please play me."

The organization also offers everyone an opportunity to have fun with music. You can play the pianos. You can listen to others play the piano. You can even get a "passport" from the organization. When you visit each piano around the city, you can stamp your passport with a stamper in the piano bench. (A map of piano locations is below.)

Megan McGeorge started the organization. She says, "I love changing people’s perspective. It’s what I enjoy most about running this project. People are used to seeing pianos looking a certain way, in a certain environment, played by certain type of performer. What I can do by putting these pianos throughout the streets of Portland is allow people to see and experience each other differently. They also experience the city differently when these pianos are around. I think it’s pretty magical, and I know a lot of other folks that do as well."