Story Of The Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About The Instruments, The Music And The Composers Who Wrote The Music! Read Free Books and Download eBooks

                
              
Story Of The Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About The Instruments, The Music And The Composers Who Wrote The Music! Read Free Books and Download eBooks
Eye-catching illustrations, engaging text and delightful musical selections on the accompanying 70-minute CD lead children ages 8 to 12 (and parents, too!) on an exciting and educational tour through the instruments and music of the orchestra. Illustrated in exquisite and colorful detail with over 100 original drawings and photographs, this package is a fun and exciting musical journey for children. The engaging text is broken into three sections: an introduction to each instrument of the orchestra from the cello to the timpani, the stories of famous composers from Bach to Stravinsky and an explanation of different musical styles from Baroque to Modern. Each step of the way, children can listen to actual musical examples of what they are learning about. Young readers will hear the sound of an actual violin as they study the instrument and enjoy the playful tune of a Mozart minuet as they read about the composer's precocious exploits as a child.
Lexile Measure: 1220L (What's this?)
Hardcover: 96 pages
Publisher: Black Dog & Leventhal; Har/Com edition (October 2, 2000)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1579121489
ISBN-13: 978-1579121488
Product Dimensions:  10.4 x 0.6 x 10.4 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review:  4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (101 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #16,234 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)   #1 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > History   #6 in Books > Humor & Entertainment > Sheet Music & Scores > Instrumentation > Orchestra
Age Range: 8 - 13 years
Grade Level: 4 and up
The enthusiasm for classical music without ever getting high-brow leaps off the pages of this book. Noting a few classical composers, conveying facts on how an instrument is held, how it sounds and where it fits into its niche in the orchestra are the strongest features of this book. The cd is weak but it works.This book is for kids somewhat older and even adults really, it's a thicker book but no less colorful than "Meet the Orchestra" by Ann Hayes and Karmen Thompson which is a perfect complement to "Story of the Orchestra" but "Meet the Orchestra" is definitely for younger kids in primary grades.
A wonderful resource! After a recent visit to our symphony, my 5-year-old son wanted to know more about "the big thing with strings." With this book and CD, he has learned about the bass and so many more instruments. Two-page spreads complete with photos describe each of the main orchestral instuments and are keyed to musical selections on the CD highlighting that instrument. The combination of both seeing and hearing the instrument has fascinated my son, and he now likes to listen to the classical radio station and try to identify the instruments he hears. The CD is also lovely as background music during our day.
We took Story of the Orchestra with us on a long road trip. Every hour or so, I would read a page and play the accompanying track on the CD player. My husband and I really enjoyed it, as did our 8-year-old. Our 13-year-old acted disinterested, but later I overheard him passing some of the information on to a friend. The book was entertaining, informative (even for my husband and I), and really helped pass the time. I think it would also be a good bedtime read--doing a page or two a night.
Reading three chapters from this book is our new bedtime ritual with my 5 year old daughter. And in the morning, she repeats everything she heard to her grandma and grandpa. The book is well-written, informative and entertaining, and the music samples are a great introduction to the classical masterpieces.
There aren't any better books that I can find for introducing the instruments of the orchestra, however I didn't like this one and I would not use it for teaching. The tone is jaunty but snide. It makes fun of certain instruments and the players of those instruments (there's a big "quack" next to the oboe, and the trumpets are referred to as being obnoxious in some way). I have known several obnoxious trumpet players, but this is not inherent in the instrument, and many of them are very pleasant, thoughtful people.Also, the text does not cover the essentials of each instrument. It puts them in categories (brass, percussion, etc.) but does not identify what these families mean, what they have in common or what makes each instrument distinct within their category. It includes silly things about composers, like what they looked like (Debussy had horns...who knew? and who cares?) and very little of substance.The only alternative I can think to recommend is Benjamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra, a piece of music that separates the instruments and families so kids can hear what they sound like in isolation before being expected to pick the sound out of the texture.
The Story of the Orchestra is an excellent book for. Adults would probably know most of the information covered in the book, but still a good read. Covers famous composers and highlights of their lives, orchestra history, instruments used in orchestras and bands. All information is true, and is a good source if you are doing any reports on instruments. Context is good and fits childrens' appetites- the Viola is the "violin's big brother." Good book. I highly recommend it.
I was looking for resources to help make teaching about classical music and composers to primary grade children more entertaining and I found what I needed all wrapped up in this book and CD combination.Part I of the book concerns composers and is separated into the periods in which they composed, ie., Baroque, etc., with a brief description of art, architecture and feeling of the period. The composers covered for all periods are Vivaldi, Bach, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, Brahms, Mahler, Debussy, Stravinsky, Schoenberg, Gershwin, Copland and Bernstein.Part II of the book is about the instruments of the orchestra. Again, this is further broken down into the different sections of the orchestra such as strings, woodwinds, etc. Then within each of those sections a feature on the individual instruments.The accompanying CD has brief examples of the compositions introduced in the composers section and for each instrument. It really helps the kids hear what they've been discussing.One of the best things about this book are the illustrations. They are colorful and entertaining. Sometimes there are humorous illustrations such as a drawing of the ideal Baroque instrumentalist needing 2 right hands, 3 left hands, and 3 eyes which really had my 3rd grade kids in giggles after hearing the intricacies of "Spring" by Vivaldi. There are also entertaining illustrations showing how an instrument produces its sound and they are mixed with photographs of the instrument itself. I highly recommend this book for music teachers to use as a reference and for parents who have children interested in learning an instrument.
One of the most delightful, informative books about music for children (an adults too!). Lots of neat facts about the composers and fun facts about the instruments in the orchestra. The whimsical illustrations make the book come alive!!!!
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