Title – The Picture of Music – Author – Lesley Anne Sears – Book Reviews
“The Picture of Music” is an ultimate step-by-step guide to piano playing that not only helps teach the beginner, but can also refresh the advanced player. Lesley Anne Sears has changed my view of sheet music from one of indecipherable symbols with faint recognition to one of order, note patterns, and beauty. For most of us, the adages “How soon we forget” or “Use it or lose it” apply to music. Like many kids, I took piano lessons during my single digit years, played a few other instruments in my teens, but now, decades later, I can’t read a note.
Lesley Anne Sears writes from a humble, non-threatening and clearly entertaining introductory level, unassuming that the reader has no previous musical knowledge or skills. Using the most ingenious examples and simple demonstrations, she starts with the placement on the keyboard and the middle C key. Once she sees C, she gets it. From there, it’s all about intervals: up and down. She calls this “The See C Piano Method”.™
If this sounds too easy to be true, it is true that it is very easy. Work and genius have gone into the herculean effort of creating this book. His teaching skills using the visualization of musical descriptions, the orderly progression of exercises, and the extensive use of drawings, graphs, keyboard diagrams, and kittens make the method exceptionally effective. Yes, kitties – playful cat line art reassures the reader, defuses any frustration, and provides love and support. Plus, you don’t feel like you’re playing music alone!
“The Picture of Music” is not a book to be read, but a philosophy of instruction to be savored, absorbed, assimilated and appreciated. The work that was included in the course syllabus must match the student’s desire to learn. In essence, I will learn to play like I teach my son, what fun!
Lesley Anne Sears selflessly offers her cherished “See C Piano Method”™ of instruction so that the innately human aspiration to play music by converting written music to the keyboard becomes effortlessly possible. Thoughtfully even her book’s spiral binding allows you to place it upright on a piano or music stand so the pages stay open. His variable use of typefaces, fonts, bold, and italics to punctuate her words add expression and feeling to her book, from his common pianissimo (soft) font to a mezzo forte (moderately loud) in bold, larger type.
Loaded with graphics, music notes, and with a spacious, uncluttered amount of space per page, it makes your work a “multimedia” presentation, or as much as a book can get. And Kitty, oh yes, the most playful of relaxing line drawings imaginable, adds the depth of warm, fuzzy feeling and love to her work. I highly recommend this book and will keep it in my music reference library for future instructional use. To Lesley Anne Sears, from the standing ovation of her readers praising her masterpiece, we shout Bravissimo!