The best ideas are the product of many. I can’t remember where I heard that or read it, but I certainly subscribe to it. Building something amazing not only has a better chance of success when it’s not a solo endeavor, but it’s also way more rewarding when it’s done as a much larger unit.
That’s why at Playground Sessions, we’ve made partnerships not only a foundational element but strategically central to our growth plan. We’ve done this by teaming up with music legends, leading manufacturers, and major publishers who believe in our mission to revolutionize piano education.
When we first committed to helping solve the problem that 9 out of 10 keyboards are under the bed in less than 30 days, we knew we needed more than just innovative technology and new approaches to learning a subject in the digital age. We would need to bring together the right mix of talent, expertise, and industry reach to create something truly special. This vision started at the board level, where we were fortunate to partner with the former CEO of Guitar Center and the former Executive Vice President of Yamaha.
Soon after it was with recruiting David Sides, the original YouTube piano influencer who would become our lead teacher. And shortly thereafter it was with music legend Quincy Jones agreeing to join the company as our co-creator, investor, and ambassador. All of their deep industry knowledge and connections helped lay the foundation for the extensive network of partnerships we’d go on to build along the way.
Our Founding Partners
David Sides brought something truly inspiring to Playground Sessions. As the original piano influencer on YouTube, he had already captured the imagination of aspiring piano players from all over the world, amassing over 400,000 subscribers and generating millions of views with his beautiful arrangements.
His ability to transform popular songs into stunning piano pieces inspired countless people to want to learn piano. This gift for making piano playing both accessible and aspirational made him the perfect partner to become our first and most important piano teacher at Playground.
David’s impact was so profound that he quickly became more than just a partner – he joined Playground Sessions as a co-founder, helping shape both our learning path, community building, and marketing strategies for years to come.
With Quincy Jones joining as our co-creator, we gained not just a music industry icon, but a passionate advocate for music education. His vision for democratizing music education has been our guiding light from day one. Quincy opened countless doors for us, from publishing relationships to manufacturers, and his involvement helped attract other celebrity teachers to the Playground Sessions platform.
Plus, his name is so trusted that he converted so many users who were considering our platform because they simply trusted Quincy.
Quincy was instrumental (pun intended) in recruiting Harry Connick Jr. as a Playground Sessions teacher. Harry proved to be an incredible addition to our team – bringing a fun, easy-to-follow teaching style backed by a genuine passion to give back what he had learned from his own inspiring teachers. As both a brand ambassador and teacher, his authentic enthusiasm and deep commitment to his student’s success perfectly embodied our mission.
Harry truly cared about results, wanting to pass on the gift of music that had such an incredible impact on his own life.
Hardware Industry Leaders Join Our Mission
Our mission to transform piano education resonated strongly with the two largest keyboard manufacturers in the world – Yamaha and Casio. Both companies recognized that while they made incredible instruments, the key to long-term success was ensuring their customers actually learned to play. This led to groundbreaking partnerships where new keyboard purchases would come bundled with a free trial of Playground Sessions right out of the box.
This collaboration proved to be the definition of a win-win strategy. For Playground Sessions, it significantly lowered our customer acquisition costs while connecting us with motivated learners at the perfect moment – when they first got their keyboards. For Yamaha and Casio, it helped solve that persistent problem of keyboards ending up under beds or in closets.
Even better, as users progress in their musical journey through Playground Sessions, many would eventually upgrade to more advanced digital pianos – creating long-term value for both our companies.
Creating Historic Moments
When the pandemic forced people to stay home and children couldn’t attend school, we saw an opportunity to bring people together through music. Playground Sessions teamed up with Quincy Jones and Hal Leonard to offer a free online piano course teaching the uplifting song “You Raise Me Up.” What happened next exceeded all our expectations: over 7,000 people learned the song, and an incredible 1,000 videos were uploaded from 52 countries, creating the largest virtual piano recital in history. The Piano Guys joined the performance and helped promote the video, which went viral, showcasing the unifying power of music during challenging times.
This collaboration with Hal Leonard, the world’s largest print music publisher, demonstrated how strategic partnerships could create meaningful moments that bring the global music community together. What started as a way to help people cope with isolation transformed into a historic musical event that touched lives across the world.
The event generated unprecedented press coverage and social media buzz, with features in major news outlets and millions of views across platforms, dramatically expanding Playground Sessions’ reach and awareness globally.
The Power of Published Content
Our ability to offer an exciting and diverse library of music wouldn’t be possible without our incredible publishing partners. Through relationships with Universal, Sony, Warner, Disney, Alfred, Hal Leonard, and many more, we’ve built a comprehensive collection of songs and educational content that our users love.
These partnerships ensure that our students can learn to play the music they’re passionate about while supporting the artists and songwriters who created them. It’s a win-win situation that benefits everyone in the music ecosystem.
Looking to the Future
As we continue to grow, we’re reminded that successful partnerships are about more than just business arrangements – they’re about shared values and a common vision. Each partnership we’ve built has added a unique dimension to Playground Sessions, whether it’s through
world-class instruction, innovative marketing collaborations, hardware integration, or expanded access to beloved music.
These strategic relationships have helped us reduce customer acquisition costs, expand our reach, and most importantly, enhance the learning experience for our users.
The future of music education is collaborative, and we’re proud to be working with partners who share our vision of bringing the joy of playing piano to people around the world. Together, we’re not just teaching people to play piano – we’re building a community that celebrates the universal language of music.