Whimsical illustrations and simple, kid-friendly texts make this a fun tour through the lives of the orchestra's most famous composers and instruments. The composers are presented in chronological order with trivia facts, a brief biography, dates of their lives and information on the accompanying track. Amusing drawings and colorful border keep interest peaked, and side boxes are filled with fun and informative tidbits about their lives, music and personality. The orchestral instruments are also examined; we see how each instrument works, where it is situated during a concert, special effects, the sound it makes, a history of it and trivia; information on the accompanying track is also included here. 96 pages, hardcover with dustjacket. CD included with selections for each composer & instrument.
My husband, Daniel, comes from a family of 10. Since we live nearby, I was asked to help teach his younger siblings music appreciation.
The Story of the Orchestra was just the tool I needed to get started.
Did you know that Bach wasn’t famous until 100 years after his death? Or that Vivaldi was a redheaded Italian priest who taught in a school for orphaned girls? Part 1 of this book summarizes information about the greatest composers throughout the centuries, while the accompanying CD plays professional orchestral selections from their music.
Did you know that the tuba would be 18 feet long if it was unwound? Or that the cello is considered one of the most expressive of all instruments? (This is the instrument I play.) Part 2 focuses on introducing the instruments of the orchestra while providing samplings of each on the CD. With its witty quotes, unusual facts, and many humorous color illustrations, this book entertains while it informs. 96 pages, hardcover from Workman.
—Yolanda
Average Rating: 4 out of 5 stars(4 out of 5 stars)
3 of 3 Reviews Showing:
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Misty Caira (Springfield, TN), September 08, 2009
I bought this to use as our homeschool music curriculum this year. My children and I are loving it so far. I've always loved classical music, but my kids, not so much. So anything that gets them to listen to this type of music and actually enjoy it is awesome! They get really excited when they listen to a piece and recognize it from a movie or tv show.
5 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Taylor Bartz (California), May 25, 2009
I am a music teacher, and this book was wonderful for teaching kids of any elementary school age about the orchestra and different instrument families. There were also conducting patterns and I felt that the clips of music were the appropriate length and generally good musical choices.
1 out of 5 stars
Reviewed by Gina Kuest (Ferndale, WA), April 25, 2009
I was disappointed in the CD which only played very short snips of the music and ended the songs abruptly in the middle. It was also unclear as to which song was playing to coordinate with the book itself. Maybe it is just not for younger kids like my 1st grader, she couldn't follow along. It is now collecting dust on our bookshelf.
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