A reserved Chinese American teen at a Southern performing arts boarding school comes into her own under the tutelage of a glamorous new piano teacher. A moving coming-of-age-novel from a debut novelist about first love, adolescent angst, and academic pressures. Claire Wu isn´t sure that she has what it takes to become a successful concert pianist. It´s the fear of every student at Greenwood School of Performing Arts: becoming a washed-out performer who couldn´t make it big. And Claire´s no Rocky Wong, the ace pianist at their boarding school. Then Dr. Li shows up. She´s like no other teacher at Greenwood: mysterious, sophisticated, fascinating. Under Dr. Li´s tutelage, Claire works harder and dreams bigger than ever. And her crush Rocky finally seems interested. Maybe she´ll even be "Chinese enough" to join the elusive Asian Student Society. Everything is falling into place until eerily personal notes about Claire´s bond with Dr. Li appear. Claire starts to feel the pressure. But she isn´t the only one. Everyone is feeling the strain. Especially Rocky, whose extreme perfectionism hides something more troubling. As the Showcase tension crescendos, Claire must decide if she´s ready to sink or swim. She may discover who she really is as a Chinese American and learn if she´s ready to give her all for a shot at greatness. The Notes is a powerful and poignant debut YA novel from award-winning writer Catherine Con Morse about dealing with academic pressures, falling in love for the first time, and finding yourself.