And There I Stood with My Piccolo

Possibly one of the best books I’ve read in a few hours’ time, could not put it down if I tried. The book is a great balance of detailed biography interspersed with fun bits of nostalgic musing that seems straight out of The Music Man (who knew there were so many names for marbles!), down to certain turns of phrase. A must read for all who love a great story with interesting characters and a multifaceted life’s journey!

Meredith Willson is your typical "down-home boy makes good" guy. And this is an interesting and informative book on his early life. I bought it because one of my fave movies is "The Music Man" and I wanted to know something about the author. It's well written but you'd think 'ol Mer never did anything evil or exciting. Or maybe 'down home' Iowa boys just had that kind of life. But it was interesting, if you want just the frosting and not the cake. I'd recommend it to anyone who wants to know about Meredith Willson's early life, his time with Sousa's band and his step into radio. And his "Talking People" idea gives you a glimpse into the opening scene in "The Music Man" and why it was that way.Ya want a frothy insite into Meredith Willson's early life, this is it. And if you ever make it to Mason City, be sure to see the "76 Trombones" room in "Music Man Square". It actually has '76 trombones attached to the ceiling and a "River City" Main Street, including Harold Hill's music shop.

Considering this memoir’s title and the fact that the author performed with both the New York Philharmonic and John Philip Sousa’s band, I was hoping the book would focus mainly on Willson’s experiences playing the flute and piccolo. Well, there are some interesting tidbits about his days as a musician—for instance, that his first flute came via Wells Fargo (as did some maple sugar, perhaps on his birthday, perhaps not); that his first flute teacher was a trumpet player in Mason City, Iowa, and his second one was the renowned Georges Barrère (the first flutist to perform the solo in "Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun"); and that he played for Vladimir Horowitz’s debut in Carnegie Hall and once performed “The Stars and Stripes Forever” with fifteen other piccolo players (!) under Sousa. On balance, though, the book spends a lot more time on Willson’s random childhood memories and his days working on radio programs on the West Coast than on his time as a flutist.Note: I called this a memoir at the beginning, but it is really more of a potpourri of stream-of-consciousness vignettes that often start out on one topic, like grape juice, and then jump to semi-related topics, like the basement where his family kept their grape baskets, ending up on something completely unrelated such as Frank Sinatra’s appeal to bobby-soxers. There is a LOT of dropping of names of people he worked with. Some of them are still famous, like Charlie Chaplin, Arturo Toscanini, Bob Hope, and George Burns and Gracie Allen. Others could definitely benefit from footnotes to identify them. Overall, the book is a quick and enjoyable read, probably of most interest to fans of THE MUSIC MAN and people interested in the history of radio programs in the US.

This memoir of Willson's Iowa boyhood inspired calls to turn it into a Broadway musical. With Iowa stubborn, he resisted as long as he could. The title comes from a joke's punch line. Should be purchased with the sequel memoir But He Doesn't Know the Territory: The Making of Meredith Willson's the Music Man.

I'm a piccolo player - loved the story about the book's title. It's an easy read with funny stories. Sweet.

Meredith Willson produced some of the greatest songs that will always be in style. "Music Man" and "And There I stood with my Piccolo are two great examples. These production pieces liven everyone's life with positive words and sounds.

We are from Iowa (near Mason City) so when we found out Meridith Wilson wrote some books, had to get them. Really like his humor and the Iowaishness. His experiences are worth understanding and applying in our own lives.

For those who are Merideth Wilson fans...this book is a glorious feast!He uses words like he uses music... to create magnificent images in your mind.Very happy to have read it.