Advantages: Very cute design. Perfect introduction to music. Introduces idea of performance...
Disadvantages: The piano uses annoy American accents

...I first came across this amazing little piano last year. I was on the hunt for something special for my nephew's birthday and with his Mum being a performing arts teacher, I knew this would be perfect as a tiny introduction into the world of the arts and playing music. In my opinion, the Fisher Price Laugh & Learn Piano is perfect for the budding little musician. The piano is so easy to use, with prerecorded sections (as with most regular keyboards) that a child can hear music from it, without having to understand that he or she would need to press different keys in order to get a desired note. This is a piano in its most basic, infant friendly version, with 8 keys (C,D,E,F,G,A,B,C). Some of the songs that are programmed into the piano are 'Twinkle twinkle little star' and 'Row row row your boat', so they obviously very infant... Read review

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Advantages: Beautifully hypnotic music from the master of floating ambient piano
Disadvantages: It is a very short CD indeed

...Effortlessly graceful and dreamlike, Music for 3 Pianos is quintessentially Harold Budd. Admittedly his two partners in music should not be ignored but it is clearly Budd's input that is the greatest: the floating, hauntingly minimalist piano style and lyrical drift is his alone. I have nothing by either Ruben Garcia or Daniel Lentz, though Lentz has recorded on the Cold Blue Music label (as I believe did Budd briefly in the early 80s), the music of which mirrors Budd's slightly in its haunting simplicity and minimalist approach, with soloist often multi-tracking their recordings (similarly they are usually about 20 minutes per CD). In many ways Music for 3 Pianos sounds like a multi-tracked album. The three pianos could often be Budd's playing overlaid on two base recordings to generate additional depth. Thus the sound... Read review

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Advantages: fun
Disadvantages: none

...Fisher Price Miracles & Milestone - Peek a Boo Piano Even though Jack is now only approaching his tenth week of life I seem to already have a whole room full of toys for him. To be honest I am a big kid at heart and just can't wait to play with him properly and for his to really appreciate my love of his toys!!! Not only have I sent a lot of money on toys we have had quite a few things bought for us from my parent and my other half's parents. This Peek a Boo Piano from Fisher Price is one of the few toys that Jack can really appreciate now and plays with on a regular basis. It was one that my partners mum bought for Jack so I am not too sure how much was actually paid for it but after look up on Amazon how much they retail for I found out that the RRP is £24.99p a price that I think is well worth it. What you get... Read review

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Advantages: Quality and cost.
Disadvantages: Doesn't quite have the status of the similar size Steinway piano.

...I have been able to compare the largest Yamaha Upright with the equivalent pianos from Steinway and the mass produced Boston (marketed by Steinway) These pianos look identical in size and shape. If you are a serious musician, and you keep in practice, you will probably prefer the Steinway. This has a firm touch, giving an experienced player a wider dynamic range and range of expression. The Boston is identical, but about half the price of the Steinway, and has a lighter touch. The largest Yamaha upright is also identical, and has a lighter touch than the Boston. It is between a quarter and a third of the price of the Steinway. Used Steinways and Bostons are rather difficult to locate, and if they have been reconditioned it is important to establish who has done the work, as a used piano is only as good as the technician... Read review

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Advantages: A great film to watch, a very emotional film which is gripping to watch..
Disadvantages: none

...The film, The Piano, is a film that tells a story about a young woman’s journey from oppression to freedom. The main character, Ada McGrath (Holly Hunter), is sold off in marriage to marry Alisdair Stewart (Sam Neil) and is thus sent away from her home to New Zealand. She is accompanied by her 9 year old daughter, Flora (Anna Paquin) and her beloved piano. When Ada arrives on the beach of the New Zealand coast she is dressed in black dress and bonnet standing beside her beloved piano (her daughter on top), Ada provides a stark contrast with the vast backdrop of the crashing sea and grey skies. Ada has not spoken ever since her lover was killed by lightning. She communicates through her piano and sign language, understood by her daughter. The way in which she uses the piano reflects her mood in a very strong and clear manner... Read review

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Advantages: Bright, Musical, Great Fun
Disadvantages: More pre-programmed tunes would be nice

...I saw this Piano in Toys R Us before my daughter's first birthday. Because she seemed so attracted to it, I was tempted to buy it for her first birthday. However, as it was suited to children over 18 months, I decided to leave it. I was delighted though when she received it as a gift a few months later for Christmas. She immediately took to it and it's still one of her favourite toys, several months on. Being a typical baby/toddler, my daughter gets easily bored with her toys. She has so many and it is very difficult for her to keep constantly amused with her toys. She often gets distracted and moves on to the next one (and then the next!!). However, with the Froggy & Friends Piano, she will quite happily sit with it resting on her lap and pressing the piano keys or other buttons for quite a while. Froggy & Friends Piano... Read review

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Advantages: Great tunes
Disadvantages: Recorded quality and overall blandness

...Jane Campion's The Piano is about a mute-by-choice Scotswoman Ada played by Holly Hunter (who won an Oscar for her performance). She journeys to the jungles of nineteenth-century New Zealand to marry a man she's never met, played by Sam Neill. Once there, she is horrified to find her beloved piano left on the beach until a man named Baines (Harvey Keitel) offers to let her play it in exchange for romantic favours. The music was composed by Michael Nyman, noted as a modernist and a minimalist. This is by far the most popular of Nyman's compositions, because of its easily accessible melodies and especially for the solo piano music. Nyman writes: "I began creating Ada a folio of material that I imagined she had in her head, that her fingers carried around with her, almost as if she had been the composer of it. It had to be "possible" mid... Read review

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Advantages: Excellent physcological study of character.
Disadvantages: Grim, brutal, shocking scenes of a sexual nature.

... The Piano Teacher The Piano Teacher is a subtitled film of the Phycological Drama genre. Released in 2001 it is also known by it's French name La pianiste. Directed by Michael Haneke, it is based on the novel by Die Klavierspielerin which won a Nobel Prize for Literature in 2004. Graphic in it's content this film delves into the darker side of sex, including fetishism, bondage, and sado/masochism. It also touches on the delicate subject of genitalia self harm. This is not a light film, and is not recommended for family viewing. ~ I will be reviewing FILM ONLY Synopsis This is a tale revolving around a professor at a music conservatory in Vienna. Her name is Erica and she is played played by the wonderful actress Isabelle Huppert, Who has an impressive 75+ films unde