Edna Mae Burnam

 My girls are DESPERATE to learn to play musical instruments and, as Grandma and Papa have a piano (which I am playing almost obsessively every day..... one of the things I have missed the most in our current house has been my piano. 2+ yrs without one has been too long!), J, especially, is anxious to get started. B wants to do the violin but i am hoping that teaching them both the basics on piano will
 A: Be a good foundation for whatever instrument they want to play 
 B: Save me money because piano is the only thing I really know anything about (my little bit of guitar knowledge is too minuscule to count)
 C: Be enjoyable for them
 D: Build their confidence and help teach them perseverance

Earlier this week I had made my own "work page' for them and they really enjoyed it. Not being very confident in my skills as a teacher, I decided to look through my folks' stash of beginner books. Having 7 children who have all had various amounts of piano training means she has a pretty decent stash of pre-loved (or hated haha) level A/1 books. As I was sorting through I stumbled across an absolute gem (that I am going to beg and plead for).  It is Edna Mae Burnam's (you were wondering when I was getting to that name, weren't you? :o) Piano Course 'Step by Step' book 1. It is copyrighted 1960 (copyright is actually in roman numerals) and it appears from the scribbles that my Grandma taught her kids and her grand-kids with it. Opening it and seeing the familiar pages, the wonderful illustrations, Grandma's little scribbles and notations, the colored stars she always put on for us, the names of so may of us written in it, etc.....  brought back so many memories. I could vividly recall sitting on the bench next to Grandma, hammering away at the "hard" exercises while her parrot "Emily" screamed in the background and her little Yorkie hid in her bedroom.  Her house was always tidy but every nook and cranny was filled with plants, birds in their cages, a little dog and a sleek, well fed kitty. I can remember the sounds and smells, the softness of her blue sweater, the hardness of the bench and how hard it was to keep from fidgeting.  The cupboards were filled with lucky charms and other sugary treats and, as her labor of love to the grand-kids, she would teach us piano. Her patience with us(and our impatience with her) and her love for the piano are so vivid in my memory. She played so beautifully until arthritis robbed her of the ability. I can remember lurking outside her house (where she couldn't see me) to hear her play. I always hoped that someday I could play as beautifully but now I realize just how gifted she was/is and so I don't hold out much hope for that. She loved to teach- be it piano, horticulture, or her life story, she loved to share what she knew.  Another thing that stuck out to me in the book was how often Nathan's name was in it.... then I realized that he was probably the last grand-kid that she taught music to, and Nathan loved music.  He could play pretty much anything he picked up, he was just naturally gifted in music.

  Anyhow, I think that I will be using the Step by Step book to teach my girls. It just seems right somehow. Now I need to call and talk to my Grandma..... :o)