Murphy's Law

Murphy's Laws Of Music

Murphy's Music Stand Principle ~ The music stand you get will wobble

Murphy's Law of Clapping ~ If the audience can clap at the wrong time, they will
http://www.murphys-laws.com/murphy/murphy-music.html

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The Red Piano

Kirkus Reviews finds ‘The Red Piano’ beautiful

A nice, positive, preview of The Red Piano from U.S. review source Kirkus Reviews:

It’s 1975 in Communist China.  For five years, a young girl has endured manual labor, filth and hunger in exile at a re-education camp.

But tonight she will engage, once again, in an illicit act, the playing of the piano.  In a place where musicians are criminals, she risks it all and is caught.

The piano is smashed.  Her sentence is lengthened – yet the music lives on.  Based on international concert pianist Zhu Xiao-Mei’s life, Leblancs' story gives insight into the Cultural Revolution and its impact. The text may be heavy-handed at times, but the story is ripe for discussion, with themes of self-expression and freedom, the affirmation of the individual through art and music as a form of resistance.  Dazzling collage, pencil and paint illustrations from Barroux create a beautiful chiaroscuro of tension and release.  Well-controlled expressive marks portray the young musician’s isolation.  The limited palette of black, white and red-the latter of which is used to create a sense of intensity-is evocative of Communist China propaganda. A worthy and beautiful tale for historical and cultural studies.  Picture book for ages 6 & up will apparently be available January 2011.

http://wilkinsfarago.wordpress.com/2010/11/10/kirkus-reviews-finds-the-red-piano-beautiful/