I have always been a huge supporter of music. Music can push me through practically anything. It can capture an emotion, melt a heart and give goosebumps. When you find that one song that fits your life perfectly, it's the most amazing feeling ever. It is an unbelievably powerful force.
But I have never seen this force move as powerfully as it did when Donald Gould sat down at a piano in downtown Sarasota, Florida. You’ve probably heard the story by now.
In January 2014, Sarasota, Florida started the Sarasota Keys Piano Project, a public arts initiative which placed six refurbished pianos around downtown Sarasota. There was initial uncertainty about the disturbance these would cause. These pianos are completely unrestricted. Anyone can use them. They are open for kids to bang on as they walk by. They are open for teenagers to use in order to make obnoxious noises. They are open for homeless people to sit on. And thank goodness for that.
A few weeks ago, homeless Gould broke the Internet when he sat down at one of these public pianos to play Styx’s “Come Sail Away.” In one of those rare instances where social media is used for good, onlooker Aroar Natasha whipped out her phone to record him. Her Facebook post alone has over five million views.
Gould, a Marines veteran, was studying at Spring Arbor University to become a music teacher before he ran out of tuition money. After the death of his wife, he fell to addiction and homelessness, causing him to lose custody of his son. When he sat down to play piano in downtown Sarasota that fateful afternoon, he wasn’t expecting anything to happen. According to Gould’s interview with WWSB, "I was thinking I could just put my hat on the piano and make a couple dollars and get tips.”
Little did he know he was going to get more than just a handful of pocket change. Since the video went viral, Spring Arbor University has offered Gould a full scholarship to finish his music education. A GoFundMe account was also made, which currently totals over $30,000. Gould has already checked into a rehab facility to tackle his addiction. As if that weren't incredible enough, Gould has also been reunited with his son. Last week, Florida’s WFLA-TV and Michigan’s WOOD-TV (Gould’s son currently lives in Michigan) reunited the family over the phone. After years of searching for his son, a simple song was able to bring the two together. Another truly heart-warming chapter in this developing story.
What started as a simple initiative to bring music to a downtown center has changed a man’s life and captured all of our hearts. The openness of the public pianos turned out to be a beautiful thing, and it is something that more cities should invest in. Sarasota has showed us what can happen when you make music and the arts available to everyone. Music is something we should be spreading, not cutting.
Music is a powerful force, more powerful than simply cheering you up on a bad day. Music is a universal language that reminds us all how similar we really are. It transcends borders and stereotypes. We forget race, gender and economic status. The boundaries disappear. We feel united.
Music is a catalyst to bring us together. We need to stop looking at each other with predetermined character types in our heads. Homeless or not, we all have a gift to share. We are all human. We feel the same emotions. We can tell the same stories.
And with one Styx song, we can all see the true power of music.
