Life Between the Keys: The (Mis) Adventures of the 5 Browns [With CD (Audio)]

Having no exposure to these artists I was pleasantly surprised how accessible their work is. I'm not a huge fan of classical music but the 5 Browns made it all very enjoyable. The CD that is included seems to be a good sampler and was a very good adjunct to the book. The book itself is very readable with many details of how they achieved success and the struggles along the way (often humorous). Not being a classical music enthusiast I bought this book because I always felt I was missing out on something. This book helped remedy that situation. I now have a glimpse into what makes this music so compelling for so many.

"Life Between the Keys" is a fascinating look into the lives of The 5 Browns, siblings who are now in their 20's and who attended the prestigious Juilliard School at the same time. They have been taking the music world by storm, performing classical music as a quintet (with five-piano music arranged specifically for them) as well as solos, duos, and trios. The Browns aspire to demystify classical music for younger people and to share their love of the music so that youngsters will come to embrace it as well. They have chosen to perform in less formal attire and always try to meet with their audiences after concerts, demystifying themselves as performers, too. In general, the classical music realm does not invite change, so, as a long-time piano teacher, I can't help but cheer them on! Also as a piano teacher, I am blown away by the fact that five children in the same family would have such a common goal and would continue to work so closely together into adulthood, with all of them achieving astounding excellence at the piano. After reading about half of the book, I started looking for videos of them playing together on YouTube, and their performances are breathtaking. The book begins with an introduction by Joel Diamond, the executive at Sony Music who gave The 5 Browns their start. This chapter gives an insightful glimpse into the beginnings of a major career in music and the seemingly random circumstances that got it rolling. The twenty-nine chapters that follow are a rotation of vignettes from each of The 5 Browns, with stories about their lives from childhood until quite recently. Each writer has a distinctive voice, but I especially enjoyed the entries from Gregory and Melody - Gregory for his humor and conversational writing style, and Melody for her frankness and unflinching honesty. Near the end of the book, all five recount their experiences in dealing with 9/11. Four were in New York City at the time, and Ryan, the youngest, had been commuting weekly between the family home in Utah and his pre-college classes at Juilliard. Other chapters talk about childhood adventures and everyday occurrences, the pressure on students and the cut-throat competition at their level of talent and achievement, concert joys and disasters, road stories and television appearances, and the simple joys of being such a close family. What becomes abundantly clear is that these are real people with hopes, fears, and events in their lives that really aren't so different from everyone else's. A significant bonus is that there is a CD included with the book that features eleven of The 5 Browns' most celebrated pieces recorded in a live setting. Since several of these pieces are mentioned in the book, it's wonderful to be able to go right to the CD and hear the music. I thoroughly enjoyed "Life Between the Keys," and highly recommend it to piano students of all ages and anyone who loves music and/or well-crafted and highly entertaining stories about life. Bravo!

"Life Between the Keys" is the story of The 5 Browns - the Juilliard-trained family of piano virtuosos who have taken the classical music scene by storm. The book consists of a series of essays, written by each of the five Brown siblings - Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae. These essays are filled with anecdotes about their childhood, their piano training at Juilliard, their performance tours and other experiences. As a pianist myself and a graduate of a university piano performance program, I found their stories of long hours of practicing, auditioning for college, preparing for degree-required recitals and "living" in the practice rooms to really hit home with me. I definitely could identify with many of their experiences, and I thoroughly enjoyed reading these sometimes humorous/sometimes touching reminiscences. Melody's recollection of long hours in the practice rooms was my favorite: "...looking back on the room with blue velvet curtains, I see a home...I'd visit with friends and argue with enemies. I'd cry my eyes out, throw music across the room, and bang on the piano. I'd laugh until I couldn't breathe and play until I transcended the room. This was what I found in the practice rooms. Razor blades were the least of my worries. For life was between those keys, nothing else." A few other things I loved about this book: -This book illustrates that hard work and dedication really can pay off. I found myself inspired and motivated to practice the piano after reading this book! -The importance of family is a theme that pervades this book. I was very impressed by how close these siblings are. -Their passion and love for music is very evident. These siblings are literally changing the face of classical music, making it "cool" and inspiring young people everywhere. While I would highly recommend this book especially to other pianists and musicians, I am positive that many people, musicians and non-musicians alike, will enjoy this inspiring book.

This review is based upon an uncorrected galley proof. "Life Between the Keys" is the lively, irreverent, hilarious and at times moving story of Ryan, Melody, Gregory, Deondra and Desirae Brown--the 5 Browns--who have transformed the classical music world since the release of their first CD in April of 2005. The Brown siblings have been called "the chosen few" by Oprah Winfrey and the "Fab Five" by people magazine. Haling from Texas by way of Utah, all five of the Browns were admitted to the Julliard School in New York City in the 1990's. The entire family then packed up their five grand pianos and moved to New York from rural Alpine, Utah. Since the release of their three CD's they have played to packed concert halls worldwide, fulfilling up to 120 concert engagements a year. And perhaps not since the days of Franz Liszt have concertgoers been observed dancing in the aisles, as they have been in some of the venues for the 5 Browns. The book consists of a series of chapter-essays featuring or written by each of the five siblings, with an introduction by producer Joel Diamond. As contemporary musical biographies, this is among the best, easily better than Q: The Autobiography of Quincy Jones or My Son, Yo-Yo. What sets this book apart are the performer-written essays, each brimming with life, excitement and occasionally a delightful sense of iconoclasm. For example, Gregory writes of the sometimes cool reception he and his sibling performers have received from old-school classical music critics and teachers: "The stalwarts merely see five punks who are trying to destroy the treasures they hoard, but all we see is beauty being hidden, inspiration being blocked, our favorite amusement park becoming an empty museum, relevance lost in a shrine to irrelevance. Among the best essays in this collection: Melody's marvelous reminiscence of life at the Julliard School entitled "Razor Blades Between the Keys;" Gregory's essay on broken bones and piano competitions entitled "Queen of the Hill;" and Ryan's touching personal reminiscence of the 9/11 attacks entitled "Ground Zero: A Memory From The Sky." Also entertaining is the introduction of Joel Diamond, who first met the Browns after he saw a young Ryan perform on television. At the time he envisioned not a classical music career for Ryan, but wanted to use Ryan as part of a new "boy band" in the mode of the Backstreet Boys. Whether you are a classical music--and particularly a piano--enthusiast, or simply a believer in the much needed virtues of hard work and personal excellence, "Life Between the Keys" is a wonderful read.