First Keys of Inspiration music program in California unveiled

The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, headed by prolific pianist, Lang Lang, unveiled Keys of Inspiration with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan at the High Tech Elementary Explorer in San Diego, California. [Photo/China Daily USA]

The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, headed by prolific pianist, Lang Lang, unveiled Keys of Inspiration with a ribbon cutting ceremony on Jan at the High Tech Elementary Explorer in San Diego, California. This is the first Keys of Inspiration program in California. Lukas Barwinski, the CEO of The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony for the program that also featured a performance by the young rising pianist, Elliot Wuu.

Keys of Inspiration, a three-year public school partnership program that has established a replicable pathway into the world of music for grades 2-5, will serve as a model for urban public school music programs across the country. Keys of Inspiration encourages piano performance at all levels as a means of social development for youth by providing students with a safe, creative outlet in school. Selected schools receive a fully equipped piano lab, teaching materials and workbooks, and a full-time piano teacher.

"Music makes life better," said Lang Lang, who is on a mission to educate and inspire the next generation of classical music lovers to change their lives. To date, more than 40 million children have been inspired to play piano because of Lang Lang.

The Lang Lang International Music Foundation, a vehicle for what the artist calls his "second career," seeks to transform the way children relate to the world. In essence, its goal is to create leaders, opportunities and healing, all through music.

High Tech Elementary Explorer is the first public school that launched the Keys of Inspiration program in California. The school received a three-year grant to develop music lessons and to build a piano lab. During the 2015 academic year, 120 students from this school have attended the Keys of Inspiration program. In the following academic year, the student enrollment is projected to increase to 229. Currently, the Keys of Inspiration has launched in six schools in different cities, including New York City, Boston and others, benefiting 1,223 students. The Keys of Inspiration program plans to expand and serve over 6,200 students in 2019.

The unveiling at High Tech Elementary Explorer started with a ribbon cutting ceremony, followed by a Piano Lab demonstration. The demonstration featured a selection of Keys of Inspiration students who shared what they had learned since the beginning of the school year.

After the demonstration, Barwinski hosted a presentation about Lang Lang's initiatives and the foundation's progress. "Today is a celebration of musical learning! Our students have a chance to be inspired, and understand that they're a part of something special," he said. "They get to see that they are special. Keys of Inspiration is about inspiring and educating our students so that they can build self-confidence, develop a drive for excellence and a sense of achievement. We believe that by encouraging music study in the public school setting, we are laying the groundwork for a brighter tomorrow."