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Children dealing with loss during Covid 19 

How do children deal with the abrupt loss of family members who pass away from Covid 19?  

The music storybook, Bananas Hardly Say Anything during the Day gently addresses separation, loss, death and renewed life.  This book, painted with beautiful watercolors, centers around Grandnana, a ripe old banana, who tells her “Grandbaninis” a cosmic story about their “Banancestors” and the cycle of life.

This is a beginning piano book that also can be read as a story: it inspires piano students–and future piano students– of all ages, and holds them in their natural state of questioning wonder.  

The story begins when Borgibanini asks, “from where do we come?”  Grandnana tells her little ones the story of the five Banana Souls who floated in Oob.  One of the souls, Borgy, longed to return to Earth, yet asked, “How Will I Get Back?”.  The five souls realize that in order to get back to Earth, they have to find something to give.  

The piano student makes a connection with the souls of Aah, Borgy, Camlak, Dissy Wassy and Elfsplight.  The first letters of each of their names are the first five letters of the alphabet.  They are also the first 5 music notes that they learn, because this piano book begins on the note “A”. 

We all need to find a soul connection with ones whom we have lost–even when we could not say good-bye. Bananas Hardly Say Anything During the Day is a perfect book for children who want to find–and hold onto–this connection.

A Unique Piano Book

Bananas Hardly Say Anything During the Day comes with 36 piano pieces with original water colors, and is written for the beginning piano student.  Many parents and grandparents love to teach their grandchildren piano from Bananas Hardly Say Anthing During the Day, or read it to them to spike their interest in learning piano.  Youngsters want to know what the songs sound like, because the songs express the story.  

The songs progress incrementally so that the student can learn rhythm, coordinate movement and sight reading at an appropriate tempo. Beginning Adults love to learn from this book, as well, because it is uncluttered and keeps them smiling. is

Beginning on “A” instead of “Middle C”

Most beginning piano books begin on middle C.   Based on the alphabet, this book begin on “A”.  

Quintessential watercolor paintings

The colorful paintings of characters and places add depth, levity and beauty as we journey with the banana souls to Planet Plum Tum, Nectune and Starturn Fruit. These colorful images enliven the words of the story, and playing the songs transforms the student into an actor of the story.

My wife Alison Cheroff composed and painted this piano book after teaching in New York City for twenty years.  She was discouraged by the commercial looking illustrations in piano books, and felt that children deserved better.  She was tired of crossing out pictures of curled hands and twisted wrists and explaining to her students that these were incoordinate positions that often lead to pain.

Alison studied the Taubman Approach in New York City with Edna Golandsky for fourteen years. Bananas Hardly Say Anything During the Day is specifically composed with the principles of the Taubman Approach in mind: that playing piano ought to feel free and wonderful in the body, never by stretching or curling the fingers or twisting the wrist.

Exercises that isolate the fingers or are supposed to “build strength” are unnecessary and often lead to weakness and musicians’ injuries. This book encourages the student to shift their forearm behind each finger, and to keep their hands, wrists and forearms aligned. The instructions in the beginning of the book talk briefly about coordinate movement and positions, with a couple illustrations.