MMTA NOTES
Spring 2000
Vol. XXXI No. 3
Information
MMTA Piano Pedagogy Chair ReportREAD ANY GOOD BOOKS LATELY?I've always admired those who talk about the book they are currently reading. However, I had fallen into the habit of reading only the newspaper, the Sunday New York Times and professional journals. At present, I am in a Book Club with a regular assignment of a book to complete during a given time, and find that it is a good feeling to be in touch with a good book.I would like to recommend to you a charming book about the piano. Many of you have probably already purchased this book, The Music Box, by Suzanne Guy and Donna Lacy. An excellent review of it is in the December-January issue of the American Music Teacher. The book is published by Brunswick Publishing Corporation in Lawrenceville, VA. It celebrates Cristofori's experiments which led to the first pianos 300 years ago. The evolution of the instrument makes an interesting story between l698 and l709. An interesting feature of the book is the presence of a cat on nearly every page, helping to depict the story-line with its expressions. What a lovely book to have in your studio or to give as a gift! The word should be spread that the anniversary years of the piano should be celebrated. The Smithsonian recently formed a special education committee called Piano 300 to plan a year-long exhibit about the history of our beloved instrument. Cheers, and more cheers!!!!
Jane McDaniel
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