Don Gillmor

It is a wonderful story about a little boy, Frederic Pipkin, who was born in a musical family that hoped for Frederic to play an instrument. But Frederic was not interested in any instruments or playing music at all, until he encountered a live orchestra concert and saw a conductor at work. Frederic was fascinated with the conductor, and then he himself conducted a song at a family gathering when everyone was playing a different instrument; he found his calling. This book is about not forcing kids to pursue an instrument, and let them fall in love with what moves them. I myself played piano as a child, and watched a lot of my peers suffer from mandatory piano lessons. My parents never did make me, and they let me finish lessons when I felt it was getting too much on top of my school. I still miss playing!… (meer)