Free Piano Music for November
It’s just about time for Thanksgiving! Here’s some things perhaps you didn’t know about the holiday:
Interesting Thanksgiving-Time Facts:
1. According to the Guinness Book of World Records, how much does the heaviest turkey on record weigh?
Answer: 86 pounds
Yes, you read that right — a whopping 86 pounds. According to Guinness, a turkey named Tyson who weighed 86 pounds was sold at a charity auction in London in 1989 for about $6,692. For comparison, a typical Thanksgiving turkey usually weighs around 15 pounds.
2. What did President Calvin Coolidge famously receive as a Thanksgiving gift?
Answer: A live raccoon
In November 1926, Vinnie Joyce of Nitta Yuma, Mississippi, sent the 30th President of the United States a live raccoon to be served as Thanksgiving dinner. However, the President became so smitten with the furry animal that he pardoned it and adopted it as a pet. He named it Rebecca.
3. How many turkeys do Americans prepare each Thanksgiving?
Answer: 46 million
Thanksgiving without turkey would be like Christmas without a tree, and most American families wouldn’t dream of foregoing the almighty bird. While not super popular the rest of the year, turkey is a huge hit for holidays, probably because it can serve large gatherings. On Christmas, an additional 22 million families host an encore with their Thanksgiving turkey recipes.
4. What do Thanksgiving and the song “Mary Had A Little Lamb” have in common?
Answer: They were both created by the same woman — sort of.
Writer and editor Sarah Josepha Hale convinced President Abraham Lincoln to officially declare Thanksgiving a national holiday after three decades of persistent lobbying. The author also founded the American Ladies Magazine, which promoted women’s issues long before suffrage. She wrote countless articles and letters, advocating for Thanksgiving to help unify the Northern and Southern states amid gathering divisions. Hale kept at it, even after the Civil War broke out, and Lincoln actually wrote the proclamation just a week after her last letter in 1863, earning her the name the Mother of Thanksgiving.
Back to Music
The Shakers were guided by core values of conviction, integrity, inclusion, and innovation. They were successful entrepreneurs known for their various manufacturing enterprises, their creation of beautiful objects that have fascinated generations of admirers, and their significant impact on modern design and architecture. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Shakers made important contributions to religious thought, progressive causes, music, craft, agriculture, and industry.
Here’s a popular hymn associated with this religious group and just perfect for the month of November and Thanksgiving! This is a free download, but you can view the original in Level 3 for the Mature Student.
REMEMBER TO THANK THE COOK/S, and be glad you don’t have Charlie Brown for your chef, since he said,
“I can’t cook a Thanksgiving dinner.
All I can make is cold cereal and maybe toast.”
Any and all comments are welcome about the topics that are published; love feedback! I will try to accommodate as many as possible in future articles – and thank you for your input!
What Would the First Lesson for a Young Student Look Like?
What Would the First Lesson for a 6 to Teen Look Like (video)?
View sample pages of all the books for students
ages 6 to teen:
View sample pages of all the books for students
4 to 5 years old:
View sample pages of all the books for older
teens and adults:
View the books on Amazon:
About the Author, Composer, Illustrator,
Educator, and Eternal Optimist
Leslie Young is the author/composer/illustrator of the Revolutionary Piano Method. She co-founded a K-12th grade charter school in Texas and has been a piano teacher for about 40 years. She has had experience teaching a variety of students tackling piano for the first time or as returning students.
Leslie believes that “learning to play the piano is more about diligence and perseverance” – but would add that just as critical to success is the method that is used, the pattern of critical thinking, and the instructional principles that promote immediate success.
She states: “In teaching piano to students of varying ages, what also varies is a commitment of time and the amount of dedication. Children of certain ages may do very well with a parent as teacher; others may need someone who is not family to instruct them. Some older children and adults prefer to make progress on their own, and this method is designed to act as a meticulous guide through new material. Some adults and teens insist on professional teachers, which also encourages continuity. Because these books are self-explanatory, a new or experienced professional teacher will have no trouble using the Revolutionary Piano Method with students. It’s an easy and effective way to learn piano.”
Previous Post