N4L 177: "House of Music" by Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason

Nonfiction4Life

SUMMARY

In her breakout memoir “HOUSE OF MUSIC,” Kadiatu Kanneh-Mason, opens up about what it takes to create a family of Black classical musicians in a Britain divided by class and race. Mother to seven extremely gifted children, she describes the difficulties of navigating the professional world of classical music while raising a musical family in a normal home in Nottingham, England.

Rising above a family history pocked by prejudice and riddled with racism, she and her husband Stuart pour their love and support into their children through unwavering emotional, financial, and intellectual commitment. Although lacking the privilege and polish of elite music schools, all seven children have developed exceptional skills and brilliant stage presence, catapulting them into the toughest musical competitions, providing extraordinary opportunities, and earning undisputed world fame.

The Kanneh-Masons are a remarkable family. But what truly sparkles in this eloquent memoir is the joyous affirmation that children are a gift and we must do all we can to nurture them.

KEY MOMENTS

• “I saw from my [unwed] sister and my mother that motherhood was a state of determination and constancy, and that love of one’s children was the single urgent mission of life."
• “When over two billion people already agog at an English prince marrying an African-American, tuned into the wedding and saw this teenage Black cellist framed between the flowering arches and playing with all the love and passion he knew, it was clear the world was going to change.”
• [When the oldest six children played on "Britain’s Got Talent"], “they were determined to bring the message that the power and depth of classical music can be accessed by everyone.”

QUOTES FROM KANNEH-MASON

• “Playing music was an organic part of family life, rooted in the routine of the wildness of every day."
• “Children who are gifted are often gifted with more than one direction, and these gifts have to be discovered and chosen. We were keenly aware of how responsible we were for giving our children access to who they needed to be.”
• “Music encompasses a vast emotional and intellectual world, and spending time to know it and to be its instrument is a great privilege. But the cost is high.”
• “The family home has evolved almost organically into a house of music. Our conversations are about music: listening, playing, concerts, practice. Most of the jokes and teasing insults are musical, and no day can be planned or imagined without first working out the logistics of each music commitment.”
• “To become a classical musician is similar to training as an athlete. It demands intense physical discipline, being alert to injury and being mentally strong.”
• “It has taken generations of love and sacrifice to create the conditions and the confidence for our children to be classical performers.”

BUY House of Music

RECOMMENDATION

Watch and listen to Sheku Kanneh-Mason play “Shostakovich Cello Concerto No. 1” as he wins his title as 2016 BBC Young Musician.

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Special thanks…

• Music Credit
• Sound Editing Credit