Captivated by his 3 years-old daughter Emma (nickname Chou-Chou), Claude Debussy composed The Children's Corner, both to entertain her and to explore music through the eyes of a child. The Children's Corner isn't for children to play, nor is it exclusively about them: it incorporates both the experience of being young and the nostalgia of watching a child grow up. The Latin phrase Gradus ad Parnassum means "steps to Parnassus" (Parnassus is the tallest part of a mountain range in central Greece). This expression refers not to the mountain, but as a metaphor for the steps one takes to achieve the desired goal. Many method books using this expression as the title have been written by famous composers like Carl Czerny, Muzio Clementi, and others. Doctor Gradus ad Parnassum is a satire on those method books, which the French composer clearly did not like very much, for their sole focus on technique and lack of creativeness or original musical ideas. Debussy was known for being rebellious against institutions and once said that he learned more from poets and painters than from the music conservatory.