Kids Get an Inside Look at the Piano and its Parts at Attleboro Public Library

It was an hour filled with piano facts, listening pleasure and time well invested during a scorching-hot July afternoon in a cool room at the Attleboro Public Library.

The former children's room of the  was the setting Thursday afternoon for a musical appreciation class centered on the library's vintage piano.

The musical group, Cranberry Coast Concerts, represented by duo pianists, Kirk Whipple and Marilyn Morales of Wareham, presented an hour of structured programming while using a variety of musical pieces to help emphasize to children the actual mechanical workings of a piano. They also provided the kids with samples of music types made possible with the piano.

Essential Mozart was used as a teaching aid to encourage proper group etiquette while listening to classical music as well as polite attention afforded the instructor during the lesson - no easy task with toddlers participating along with expected interruptions. However, fun prevailed with a bit of patient tolerance - a good lesson for young and old alike.

The parts of the piano were introduced with the audience actually gathered around the musical instrument to better observe the piano works - piano part terms were repeated throughout the program to help imprint the lesson on young minds. And as for the “whys?” - some piano parts remain stationary, some move while others vibrate and all most necessary for the piano to function properly.

Moms and toddlers danced in the aisles to the beat of traditional Mexican folk music made famous by Ritchie Valens', La Bamba. The young musical ear feasted on George Gershwin's duet, "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" along with Gershwin's mentor, Felix Arndt's composition, "Nola.

The Vince Guaraldi inspiration, "Linus and Lucy" was popular with the audience who related to "Charlie Brown."

And not to be forgotten through a question from one eager young participant, "Who invented the piano?" 

"Great question," Whipple said to the child before going on to explain in basic terms the early development of the piano and best attributed to Bartolomeo Christofori around 1709.

Cranberry Coast Concerts are scheduled to return to the Attleboro Public Library on Thursday, August 18 – 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. Children will be admitted for free and adults may attend when accompanied by a child.