Holiday Giveaways # 3 – Grand Piano

Some of my earliest memories involve sitting at the piano next to my mother. She could play beautifully, and I remember wishing I could make music like that. In spite of my musical upbringing (and an avid love of singing), I was tragically inept at playing the piano — a severe handicap as a music major in college. Yes, I took lessons. I took lessons as a child with Katie, a remarkably soft-spoken Russian woman. I took lessons in college with several reproachful graduate students. I even took lessons as an adult with Julie, who was warm and encouraging, but she favored recitals, the thought of which gave me uncharacteristic stage fright.

Lack of talent notwithstanding, I do believe my lifelong ambition to play piano came from early exposure to the instrument. A toy piano doesn’t have the same mystique as the real thing, and most of them have painfully poor tuning. The Melissa & Doug Grand Piano is no Steinway, but the tone quality is head and shoulders above others I’ve tried, and the diatonic scale is recognizable. Plus, the design is both sturdy and beautiful.

This is an excellent playroom investment that will pay dividends for many years. Toddlers will bang, while preschoolers explore the musical scales. Older children will construct make-believe concert halls and stage full-fledged performances (for which they may or may not demand actual admission fees – this has happened to me).

The Melissa & Doug Grand Piano is our 3rd giveaway. Enter to win.

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