Update for 2025. This post references visiting somewhere in the United States. While I’ve had great visits to the U.S. in the past I don’t recommend travelling there at this time. This post is my current stance on U.S. travel. Information regarding prices, operating hours, or other details in may have changed since the original publication.
I started taking piano lessons when I was eight years old. Playing the piano wasn’t easy for me. I have always been musical, but I relied on my ears to pick out melodies more than sight-reading (a.k.a reading the notes on the page and playing what was composed). It took me months to learn some of the songs I played.
Playing the piano was a significant part of my life for about 12 years. Taking piano lessons for so long shaped who I am today. Studies show taking music lessons gives kids many benefits, beyond having an appreciation for music. Even taking lessons as an adult can give you many benefits as well.
A few times in my travels (and at home too) I’ve noticed colourful street pianos. Most are available for anyone to play. I always love seeing these pianos. They show how music and art can come together in a public setting. Here are a few that I’ve seen.
New York City
New Orleans
Denver
Edmonton
Have you seen any colourful pianos during your travels?
I love this post. Who knew that there were so many colorful pianos all over the world? My favorite is the one painted like a box of animal crackers in Denver. So cute! Thanks for sharing.
What FUN!!! I would love to play ANY of them!
Such a great idea, they are in my home town (Melbourne) at the moment.
http://streetpianos.com/melbourne2014/
These are great- what a nice idea to allow anyone to play them too!
I cannot believe this is real. So many great pianos right there in the middle of the street. Amazing.
What a fun and quirky post! This is a lovely idea! I think there are a couple floating about in London too, though not sure how colourful!
That animal cracker piano was my favorite too. It even had the nutritional information painted on the side, although the photos I took of that part didn’t turn out so well.
They were so much fun to see, and I’m sure they’d be fun to play too.
Yes. I loved seeing something encouraging public music performance and art.
I had heard that some of the pianos tour. Hope you are able to check them out while they’re in Melbourne.
It was very fun to see, and I hope it’s not the last time I see such fun pianos.
Even if the pianos in London aren’t that colorful it’s still nice to have something encourage music performance is pretty cool.
This is such a fun way to get music out into public places, and the artsiness of these pianos is an extra special touch. My favorite is the one that looks like a box of animal crackers. I’m not sure if I’ll ever make to leap to decorating my own piano like this, but you’ve planted the seed in my brain. Does it not rain often in Denver? That would be my one concern with an outdoor piano. It wouldn’t last long outdoors in Malaysia.
I know that animal cracker piano is fantastic. The year I was in Denver it was really dry (there were wildfire warnings for certain areas of Colorado), but I know the pianos are only out during the summer, and I’m sure they get covered up or moved inside when it rains.