This piano book, for beginners from children to adults, is the first in a series of piano study books. This series is to teach the student hymns and African-American spirituals. It will cover sight-reading and later will help to incorporate the musical knowledge for playing chordally, or by ear. This book is for Christians and non-Christians alike. Those who are not yet Christians may hopefully be led to the knowledge or further knowledge of Jesus Christ through the teachings of Sacred Music. Brenda A. McGee has over forty-five years of teaching piano as well as music composition experience. She graduated from Fiorello LaGuardia High School of Music and Art and the school of Performing Arts in New York City; Mercy College/Westchester Conservatory of Music in Dobbs Ferry, New York; and the California Institute of the Arts (CalArts) in Valencia, California. While a graduate student at CalArts, Ms. McGee created the piano program at the Watts Towers Arts Center, which is still functioning today with one of her former students as one of the piano instructors.
Ms. McGee states, "I pray that this book, and all the other piano books in this series be a launching pad for those piano students whom God may purpose for future church musicians and worship leaders in the Christian Church worldwide, part of the body of Christ. This first book is a small beginning, but an extremely important beginning for a young child.
"For the adults that are starting with this first book, you may not have started early in childhood, but it is never too late to start learning hymns for piano, as it is never too late to come to Christ."
"O God, thou art my God; early will I seek thee." Psalm 63:1a KJV