Summer Reading Review: Piano Lessons

I am trying to squeeze in some extra reading during the summer - since I never really have time for it the rest of the year! One book I read recently was Piano Lessons: A Memoir by Anna Goldsworthy. This book is written from Anna's perspective and describes her lessons with her piano teacher, Elinora Sivan, over a period of several years. Anna began taking lessons as a precocious child and gradually falls in love with the piano and decides to become a concert pianist. Her teacher offers her words of wisdom on not only how to play the piano but also on how to live life. She is an exceptional teacher, who doesn't settle for simply playing the notes but insists on true artistry. I really enjoyed this book. Mrs. Sivan reminds me of my own teacher Louise Barfield. Mrs. Sivan studied in Russia, and Ms. Barfield studied with a Russian teacher at Juilliard, Adele Marcus. Ms. Barfield says some of the same things Mrs. Sivan says like, "Listen with your eyes, see with your ears" and "What makes the difference between being good and being great is the little details." They both want their students to get beyond merely playing all of the correct notes with good technique and seek to get inside the composer's mind and determine what he or she what trying to convey through the music. I found this book inspirational, riveting, and easy to relate to. I would recommend it to anyone interested in music and especially to those pursuing a career in it. For me, it motivated me to practice harder and be more dedicated to being a true artist. Any book that does that is well worth the time it takes to read it!