Proof that not all corporations are pure evil: Casio has, out of the goodness of its own heart, donated a brand-new keyboard to 13-year-old Jason Cordero, a subway busker who goes by the name "The World's Happiest Boy." Oh, and the good publicity doesn't hurt, either.
Cordero, an Elmhurst resident, has spent the past two years collecting money for his college fund (his #1 choice? Julliard) by playing classic tunes for straphangers, usually under the watchful eye of his father. When a Casio exec read an article about Cordero and noticed he was playing on an older model, the exec sent over a brand-new make. He seemed like a nice kid," he said. "He never owned a new piano, only used. I thought a new digital piano would be a good idea," said the Casio rep.
Cordero, whose family hails from Ecuador, began playing piano at age six. He's usually camped out at Herald Square or Times Square, and has business cards identifying him as "Pianist, a Music Star, and the World's Happiest Boy."
Here's a look at Cordero in action:
