TAMPA, Fla. — Music made its way to the streets of Downtown Tampa on Monday, and now visitors can play their own symphony this month.
The Tampa Downtown Partnership celebrated National Music Month across downtown Tampa’s seven neighborhoods with students playing seven pianos simultaneously.
"We are super, super excited to kick off our new month-long program that we've partnered with Tampa Tunes to bring to life and seven local artists, and we have a piano in each of the seven neighborhoods of Tampa's downtown that is uniquely painted to the identity and brand of that neighborhood," said Ivy Lupco with the Tampa Downtown Partnership. "We have a student from Blake High School at each of them playing tunes for the public."
Local artists made the pianos into works of art. The Tampa Downtown Partnership said Tampa Tunes, a nonprofit dedicated to giving used pianos new life, restored and tuned them before inviting artists to create new designs.
Blake High School students Schwyn Ratanakarn and Isabella Scolaro played at pianos stationed on South Florida Avenue and North Franklin Street on Monday.
"I'd really like to just share the world of piano with people that walk past," said Ratanakarn.
"I hope it brings people closer together as like a community because I feel like music has the capability to do that," said Scolaro. "Anyone can walk up and just start playing and bring a piece of like their heart to the world."
The pianos will stay in the downtown neighborhoods for anyone to play any time all month long at the following locations:
- Water Street: Pam Iorio Garage Pedestrian Entrance (640 S. Florida Ave.)
- Tampa Heights: YMCA Administrative Building (110 E Oak Ave)
- Central Park: Courtyard of Tampa's Black History Museum (1213 N. Central Ave.)
- West Riverfront: Snow Park (W. Kennedy Blvd. at W. Grand Central Ave.)
- Downtown River Arts: 719 N. Franklin Street
- Downtown Core: 211 Patio of Hilton Tampa Downtown (211 N. Tampa St.)
- Channel District: Washington Street Park (114 N. 12th St.)
"Let's encourage the public for an entire month to come out and play, make music accessible, and bring a little more life and color to our downtown," said Lupco.
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