Do not take any classes with Professor Piano.

She is a poor lecturer, and what she discusses in lecture will rarely help you succeed in this course.

Her classes are reading-intensive. The bulk of your grade is your midterm and final (essay exams) and weekly discussion posts --- all of which are based on the readings, so make sure you understand the texts really well.

Also, be good friends with your TA and approach them after the first couple of weeks to get feedback on your discussion posts. They will also likely be the one who grade your essay exams and may be more sympathetic if you showed an interest earlier on in the quarter.

My TA was Lena, and she was really helpful in giving me feedback and making sense out of the readings and concepts. She is no-BS, so come prepared to her sections with 1-2 unique insights/intelligent questions and a general understanding of the readings, and you should be good.