“Playground makes learning piano as much fun as playing.” – Quincy Jones
The #1 rated online and app-based piano instruction software, Playground Sessions; Multi-Grammy Award-winning composer/record producer/humanitarian and co-creator of Playground Sessions Quincy Jones; and the world’s largest source for music publications, Hal Leonard, are inviting participants from all over the world to come together to learn how to play “You Raise Me Up” as part of the largest virtual piano recital launches today. As part of the “You Raise Me Up Global Piano Recital,” Playground Sessions will offer free lessons that begin today, and will include instructor-led classes for beginner, intermediate, and advanced players. New lessons will be released every day until the full song is learned. A 30-day free trial to the complete Playground Sessions app, and a newly designed ‘kids course’ available for 90 days is also being offered as part of the “You Raise Me Up” campaign. All levels of piano players will learn to play different sections of “You Raise Me Up,” in which participants will be invited to upload a video of themselves playing their parts to Instagram or Facebook using hashtag #GlobalPianoRecital, or to playgroundsessions.com.” At the end of the 30-day period, on June 16, all of the parts from the different levels will culminate in the “You Raise Me Up Global Piano Recital” – a video compilation of all of the recital submissions from around the globe which will be featured on the homepage of playgroundsessions.com and shared on social media.
Says Jones: “In the midst of uncertainty, I hope this gift of music can do for you what it’s done for me time and time again: shed some light, hope, and provide a space for expression when it’s difficult to find the right words.” Adds Larry Morton, CEO of Hal Leonard, “Music has the power to heal and to bring joy into our lives. We are delighted to support Quincy and Playground Sessions in this wonderful event.”
Says Chris Vance, Founder & CEO of Playground Sessions: “The song choice of ‘You Raise Me Up’ is reflective of a growing desire to provide inspiration through music. My hope is that people will take something positive away from the quarantine, and what’s better than learning to play the piano which can last a lifetime.”
Adds Brendan Graham, composer of “You Raise Me Up”: “In these times of great affliction for people everywhere, the ‘you’ can be each of us through what we do to help each other, to keep each other safe…to raise each other up. ‘I am strong when I am on your shoulders, You Raise Me Up…to more than I can be.’”
While people are mandated to stay at home and kids can’t go to school, online education is currently a top way to make productive use of time. People are turning now more than ever to learn music in a time of need for joy, stress relief, and creative self-expression as evidenced by a recent surge in the popularity of Playground Sessions. Playground Sessions is anticipating thousands of participants of all ages to join in – from non-musicians to advanced players, and even celebrity musicians. Please visit www.playgroundsessions.com for more info.
User Testimonial
“I would recommend Playground because the concept is genius…the visual teaching, the real-time feedback and the gradient approach to learning is brilliant and is really going to change the ability to make piano lessons fun, interesting, and less expensive.” – Dan Brown, Kentucky, USA
About Playground Sessions, Inc.
Co-created by music legend Quincy Jones, Playground Sessions is the #1 rated app-based piano/keyboard learning program. The company pioneered a sophisticated but easy-to-use learning platform combining video
tutorials, gamification and real-time feedback. Fun and easy-to-follow video lessons from world-class and celebrity musicians guide users through the process, from one lesson to another, so anyone can seamlessly discover the joy of music.” Aspiring piano players can learn from iconic artist Harry Connick, Jr. who shares his love for music and the piano in lessons.
About Quincy Jones
Named by Time Magazine as one of the most influential jazz musicians of the 20th century, Quincy Jones is an impresario in the broadest and most creative sense of the word. His career has encompassed the roles of composer, record producer, artist, film producer, arranger, conductor, instrumentalist, TV producer, record company executive, television station owner, magazine founder, multi-media entrepreneur, and humanitarian. Jones is also the all-time most Grammy-nominated artist with a total of 80 nominations.
About Hal Leonard
Hal Leonard is the world’s largest publisher and distributor of music performance and instructional materials, with a catalog of over one million products in both physical and digital form. Hal Leonard represents many of the world’s best known and most respected publishers, artists, songwriters, and arrangers.
