Piano Played Here
Inspiration Book:
The music of life : Bartolomeo Cristofori & the invention of the piano by Rusch, Elizabeth — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2017. 786.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.6. A biography of Bartolomeo Cristofori of Padua, Italy, whose desire to create a keyboard instrument that could play both softly and loudly resulted in the invention of the pianoforte, or piano.
Rationale: Followers of My Books Alive know that I work very hard getting all staff members to use the library and computer labs. One of the toughest staff members has always been the music teacher. I think the primary reason is that those teachers have jumped buildings, some as many as four buildings, and really didn’t have an office in each building or much time in a building. Some would make the library their office and I rejoiced. I could sneak magazine articles, new books, new videos, new...whatever to the table they were using. There was also the teacher who loved the computer lab, but simply played games on it--the principal soon had other “jobs.” for him.
Then, finally a teacher who could teach both vocal and instrumental music was hired and my school was her only school. Now I knew that I had another potential library user and advocate. She also teaches piano and guitar after school. I started building a relationship by continuing what I had always done--suggesting resources. Then, I suggested the afterschool students could wait for their lesson in the library, could do homework there, could read, could practice their instrument if it was the guitar, etc.
I also started suggesting books about musicians that she could read to the classes and helped her find music by that musician that she could share--if the musician wasn’t represented in her collection. Then I connected her with the art teacher with whom I have had a strong working relationship for many years. I connected the two because I wanted the art teacher to explain the collaborative activities and art appreciation curriculum we had developed, thinking that perhaps the music teacher and I could do something similar. The art teacher and I have chosen assorted media and artists, including book illustrators, who use a given media--it’s different artists for each grade level. By the time the students work through the eight grades plus kindergarten they have a strong knowledge of artists, media, style, and art history.
Guess what, the collaboration has begun. It’s still in a budding stage. Whenever a suitable book arrives, I still need to suggest how it can be used in the music curriculum, but we’re working together. We’ve used this Inspiration Book several different ways.
Grades 3-6--I Wanna Play the Piano
Background: Individual music lessons begin in third grade at my school. This activity is used with those grades.
First, when it is piano lesson recruitment time, we gather the potential new recruits, and use the teacher resource listed below (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1I7KZ43QCU) to teach students a little about the history of the piano and to have them hear a variety of piano music. We add one feature. While the author of the book can be seen and heard reading The Music of Life, the lovely illustrations aren’t visible. Either the music teach or I sit alongside the projection screen and show the illustrations.
Secondly, we have also used the book as part of the year end piano recital. I read a page or two from the book and one of the students follows by playing his/her recital piece. Then, I read again and we proceed through the book. It gives the students a chance to leave the bench and receive applause and the next student time to organize themselves on the bench and take a breath before the student is introduced. The Inspiration Book ends with famous musicians. Here I may fudge a little and mention the musician that the next student will play.
Sometimes we also include video clips of harpsichords and clavichords so the students hear the difference between the older instruments and the piano. Note, especially that the volume is basically the same throughout--one point of author Elizabeth Rusch’s comments in the narrative.
Related Titles:
My brother Charlie by Peete, Holly Robinson — Scholastic Press, 2010 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.2. A girl tells what it is like living with her twin brother who has autism and sometimes finds it hard to communicate with words, but who, in most ways, is just like any other boy.
Feather by Courgeon, Remi — Enchanted Lion Books, 2017 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 2.5. Paulina, nicknamed Feather, leaves her piano to take up boxing, showing her father and brothers that she will stand up for herself.
Marvin makes music by Hamlisch, Marvin — Dial Books for Young Readers, 2012 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.3. Young Marvin loves music and playing the piano but does not like practicing pieces by people named Ludwig or Wolfgang, until he receives valuable advice from his father on the day of a big audition. Includes compact disc.
The piano recital by Miyakoshi, Akiko — Kids Can Press, 2019 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.4. Momo has a piano recital and she is nervous about her performance until she meets a mouse who also has a recital and is nervous.
The bear and the piano by Litchfield, David — Clarion Books, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2016 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3.6. A bear finds a piano in the woods, learns to play it, and travels to the big city to become rich and famous, but ultimately discovers that his old friends in the forest back home are still the best audience of all.
Ketzel, the cat who composed by Newman, Leslea — Candlewick Press, 2015 -E-; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 3. After his kitten walks across a piano keyboard, a composer writes down the notes exactly as he heard them and enters the tune into a competition.
Piano starts here : the young Art Tatum by Parker, Robert Andrew — Dragonfly Books, 2016 786.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 4.5. Explores early twentieth-century jazz pianist and virtuoso Art Tatum's passion and talent for playing the instrument, and includes illustrations and biographical information.
Dancing hands : how Teresa Carreno played the piano for President Lincoln by Engle, Margarita — Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2019 786.2; Int Lvl: K-3; Rd Lvl: 5.0. Tells the story of Teresa Carreno, a child prodigy who played piano for Abraham Lincoln.
A mouse called Wolf by King-Smith, Dick — A Yearling Book, 2017 -Fic-; Int Lvl: 3-6; Rd Lvl: 5.3. A mouse with an unusual name shares his musical gift with a widowed concert pianist.
Teacher Resources:
Complete Video Reading narrated by Elizabeth Rusch on You Tube Channel https://www.teachingbooks.net/book_reading.cgi?id=16055
OR at
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1I7KZ43QCU
View restored Cristofori pianofortes and short music clip https://www.animus-cristofori.com
Music clips at http://denzilwraight.com/crisdisc.htm
Sound of a clavichord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sbVILI4hJ9c
Sound of a harpsichord https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GMoWNSP2gFk
