In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Derek Paravicini [Import] [Hardcover]

Adam Ockelford (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 25, 2007

Derek Paravicini is blind, doesn’t know his fingers from his thumbs and needs round-the-clock care. But he has an rare gift — he is a musical prodigy who amazes all who hear him play.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

Adam Ockelford was born in Nottingham in 1959, grew up on the Isle of Wight, and, when he left school, studied at the Royal Academy of Music in London. It was at this time, in the late 1970s, that he first started working with blind children, including those with additional disabilities. He was fascinated by just how musical many of them seemed to be. Trying to understand how these young people could 'hear' and understand music so effectively led him to develop a theory of how music makes sense - not just to them, but to all of us - a theory for which he was awarded a PhD by London University in 1993, and that has since been published in a number of academic journals and books. But Adam believes that theories are of little value unless they're put into practice, and he continues to work with a number of the young people - now adults - whom he first started to teach over twenty years ago, including Derek. Adam is Director of Rushton School and Children's Home run by the Royal National Institute of the Blind; a Research Fellow at Roehampton University and the Institute of Education, London; Secretary of the Society for Education, Music and Psychology Research; Chair of 'Soundabout', an Oxford-based charity that supports music provision children with complex needs; and founder of The AMBER Trust, which provides bursaries for blind and partially sighted children to have music lessons.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Hutchinson; 1st ed edition (September 25, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0091796121
• ISBN-13: 978-0091796129
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.7 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 14.1 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,041,039 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating story, April 19, 2010

By 

Shoe Freak (Maine) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Derek Paravicini (Paperback)

The story of Derek Paravicini was a fascinating read with regard to his development as a person, a pianist and a performer. His teacher's sensitivity and attention to detail draws you and in and makes you feel like you know the people in the story personally. And it is inspiring to anyone who wants to further develop skills and creativity in the arts! Read it and pass it on to another lover of music and stories of human triumph over adversity!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspiring story of a handicapped genius, and his teacher, December 6, 2010

By 

R. Ward (Mountain View, CA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Derek Paravicini (Paperback)

Derek was featured on "60 Minutes", and I was so intrigued by his life story that I bought the book. It is the story of a young English man who has several handicaps,including being blind since birth. But he is a musical genius. He became inspired by the piano when he was a very young child, and he developed the talent to play practically any music that he heard, even if it was only once. Not only can he play complicated pieces of music with no practice, but he can re-arrange the music on the fly. He is also an excellent composer.

The other great story here is the role of Derek's teacher. He is a leader and an inspiration on how to develop children--with handicaps or not.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An outstanding Book, September 3, 2010

By 

Dulverton (USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: In the Key of Genius: The Extraordinary Life of Derek Paravicini (Paperback)

This is an astonishing account of a young man who is without doubt a musical Genius and should be read by everyone with a child who is any way handicapped.