Grammy winning pianist makes major investment in Philly school music program

NORTHEAST PHILADELPHIA (WPVI) -- Some budding young Philadelphia musicians got the lesson of a lifetime on Friday.

World renowned, Grammy nominated Chinese pianist Lang Lang performed a duet with one very lucky middle school student.

Lang Lang was at Thomas Holme Elementary School in Northeast Philadelphia to announce a three year, $780,000 dollar investment in music education across the School District of Philadelphia.

Lang Lang, who was educated at the Curtis Institute, says he simply saw a need for this.

"Public schools have kind of left out art and music as part of the system and I felt pretty sad because music and art inspire people the most," he said.

The grant money will go to build a state of the art piano lab and provide a curriculum at three elementary schools over the next six years.

Other schools are expected to follow.

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