"A bear finds a piano in the woods, learns to play it, and travels to the big city to become rich and famous, but ultimately discovers that his old friends in the forest back home are still the best audience of all"--

Seventeen-year-old Claire Alalay likes herself best when she plays her father's old piano, a welcome escape from the sadness of missing him -- and from her traditional Filipino mother's prayer groups. After placing third in a local competition, and with hopes of earning a college scholarship, Claire auditions for Paul Avon, a prominent piano teacher, who agrees to take Claire as a pupil. Soon Claire loses herself in Paul's world and his way of digging...

Teach Yourself introduces a new way to make learning music easy. These new Teach Yourself titles offer a creative and hands-on approach to learning music--perfect for either a complete beginner or anyone who wants a second chance at music. Based on modern teaching methods, these books focus on doing and discovering, not merely repeating and memorizing. Each title comes with its own CD, so budding musicians can listen and learn by example. The CD is...

Mrs. Merriwether takes in a stray cat that proves to have an amazing effect on her piano students.