TO TEACHERS

The books from the series My Friend the Piano have come about from a deep desire to help children enter the world of the piano and music in a gentle and spontaneous way, awakening and preserving their inner intuitive desire to be creative and to express their feeling for honesty and beauty.

Thus the books encompass numerous areas of musical creativity: playing written music, playing by ear, transposition, improvisation, sight reading, harmonisation, theory, etc., so that we can take the child’s own inner nature as our point of departure and nurture and build upon that which is already blossoming.

We hope that some of the innovations in the books bring you joy, freshness and perhaps also a challenge to further enrich your own musical pedagogical creativity.

We invite you to absorb that which appeals to you and sparks your creativity, that which completes the enhances the areas where your inner power is most abundant and vital.

Thus you will constantly preserve your own integrity, and the children you teach will always be able to find fresh, healthy nourishment at your source.

TO PARENTS

It seems to us that lovingly accepting children just as they are and supporting the life in them is one of the greatest challenges we face on a daily basis with our own three sons.

Without regular practice and discipline it is perhaps difficult to become a musician, and enthusiasm for the instrument can sometimes fade if there is no sense of progress. However, relying purely on a sense of obligation and enforced will, without taking account of the child’s deep inner shifts, can be harmful.

We believe exaggerated discipline that is not derived from an inner desire, a need to play, to create, can damage the child’s personality. Thus we invite you, with the help of a sensitive teacher, to find in our books or in other books that which awakens enthusiasm, joy and happiness in your child, so that you can support him/her and enjoy his/her search for musical expression and discovery of the depths of the art of music.

TO CHILDREN

It is our hope and wish that in these books you will find as much as possible that you like, that you like listening to and playing, that you like creating, and that preserves your spirit, so that you can overcome obstacles, enjoy your own achievements, and enjoy sharing with others your musical discoveries, experiences, adventures, etc. Thus everyday practice can be an exciting lifelong adventure.

Ilonka & Jaka