Maria Canals opens the door to music for underprivileged children

The social project "Soy clave!" (I'm Key!), promoted by the Maria Canals International Piano Competition Association, with the support of the Occidente Foundation, reinforces its commitment to offering a real opportunity to vulnerable children to engage with music through the piano. The program is part of OFF Concurs, a set of educational and outreach initiatives that aim to bring piano playing to the wider community and make it accessible beyond traditional channels. Aimed at children aged six and up, "Soy clave!" facilitates access to musical learning for children who, due to economic or social reasons, would otherwise have little contact with an instrument. The piano—traditionally associated with academic settings or certain social classes—thus becomes a tool for inclusion and discovery. The goal is to awaken vocations, but also to foster confidence, creativity, and, most importantly, to provide opportunities for those who lack them.

Break down barriers

Universal figures such as Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Ludwig van Beethoven, and Frédéric Chopin have contributed to making the piano one of the great symbols of European musical history. During the 18th and 19th centuries, especially in the Romantic period, this instrument was often associated with the wealthy classes and private salons, which solidified an elitist image that still persists in part of the collective imagination today. Maria Canals' social project works precisely to reverse this perception. The goal is to demonstrate that musical talent and sensitivity are not determined by origins or social contexts, and that access to culture can become a powerful tool for equal opportunities. The initiative will be rolled out again this year in Barcelona, ​​Madrid, Seville, and Bilbao, in neighborhoods with high rates of social vulnerability. In Barcelona, ​​the districts of Ciutat Meridiana and La Verneda; in Madrid, Usera; In Seville, the Macarena district; and in Bilbao, Otxarkoaga-Txurdinaga, form the program's area of ​​operation. In these environments, the piano becomes an instrument of community cohesion capable of breaking down cultural, economic, and social barriers.

With this project, the Maria Canals International Piano Competition reinforces its commitment to accessibility and the democratization of music, creating new spaces for artistic discovery and bringing the piano to realities often far removed from conventional cultural circuits.

A grand piano in the street

The powerful staging of this initiative, which will place a grand piano in the street at the start of the school year in various districts, speaks for itself. Near selected public elementary schools, boys and girls will be able to approach, listen to, and play the piano, with the aim of making an instrument inaccessible to most of them a part of their new musical world. The goal is to make the experience unforgettable for those who have this first opportunity to encounter it. A specialized educator will lead the sessions with the students. All elementary classes in the district's schools will participate.

The proposal aims to introduce and awaken a love of music among children and expand the pool of future musicians. The children selected—a minimum of two students per class group—will receive piano lessons throughout the school year. Selection will be based on family needs, talent, and motivation, in collaboration with each school. As a final project, the scholarship recipients will perform a final concert with their families and receive a diploma from the Fundación Occidente Scholarships certifying their participation. The Fundació Occident grant has a minimum duration of three years.

"I am key!" emphasizes the need to make music education and the piano an illustrious instrument accessible to everyone. The project focuses on the most vulnerable children with the aim of opening doors to a world they would otherwise likely not have access to.