BOOKS I OWN THAT I LOAN OUT TO MY ADULT PIANO STUDENTS
Piano Lessons—Music, Love and True Adventures by Noah Adams (Delacorte, 1996)
Former NPR host Adams is an adult beginner on the piano. He tries all sorts of methods to go from a non-musician to a Schumann-playing pianist.
This is Your Brain on Music by Daniel J. Levitan (Penguin 2006)
This book makes you want to immediately step over to the piano and play when you read how important music is to human evolution.
Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
I love Sachs’ books about the strange workings of the brain. This one focuses on musical oddities caused by brain damage or genetics.
The Cello Suites by Eric Siblin (Grove Press, 2009)
J.S. Bach, Pablo Casals, and the Search for a Baroque Masterpiece
A short and enthusiastic history of Bach and Casals. Easy to read and enjoy.
The Piano Shop on the Left Bank by Thad Carhart
A beautifully written memoir by an American in Paris, a man who discovers the secret life of a nearby piano shop.
A Soprano on Her Head by Eloise Ristad (Real People Press, 1982)
Right-side-up reflections on life and other performances
This book is about performance anxiety. It’s thoughtful and funny. My favorite chapter is titled “So You Were a Flop!”