Fun, fun, fun! I've been waiting for a chance to incorporate a bit of music appreciation into our schooling (the years go so quickly, and I always find there wasn't time to do all I wanted to do in a particular school year.) We got the perfect intro in the mail a few weeks ago.
Maestro Classics sent us their CD lesson of Peter and the Wolf. I loved this, truly. It was such a perfect and easy way to introduce my children to classical music. The CD includes a 24 page booklet full of puzzles, games and additional information that accompany the story and music, which can take the lessons just a wee bit further, but the CD itself was the real jewel. Let me walk you through it just a bit:
Track 1: Introduction. Storyteller Yadu leads us through the characters of our story, the instruments used to represent them, and a sample of their individual musical scores. My children were enthralled by the way the instruments gave personality to the characters, and it wasn't long before they were all prancing and prowling around the livingroom, giving their own interpretations of how they might act or move based on the music we were hearing. I can think of no better way to get them interested in music than this FULL immersion that drew them in so easily.
Track 2: Peter and the Wolf. The story is told with the music playing in the background and a storyteller narrating what is happening. Having the narrator lead them through the events of the story was a help to picture it in their minds... and preparation for later...
Track 3: About the Composer - Prokofiev. Another narrator gives us a brief, but informative and entertaining biography of the composer and author of our story. Beyond just his life story, she explains how he came to pen this particular work, story and music in just two weeks!
Track 4: A Russian Peter. Peter's tune, played on Russian folk instruments.
Track 5: About the Music. More information is given on the music itself, and about the themes of the individual characters and how they change based on what is happening throughout the story (with example clips.)
Track 6: Peter and the Wolf, Instrumental Version. Here we get to lay back, close our eyes and imagine the story again, this time without the narration, and appreciate the brilliance of the way it all comes together.
Track 7: Invitation to Grandfather's Party. A short dramatic "invitation" to imagine yourself in the setting of Grandfather's home for the final piece.
Track 8: Kalinka. Another song by a Russian composer, Ivan Larionov.
Not much else to say - we thoroughly enjoyed it, it required ZERO preparation on my part, and I will likely be ordering a few more, as they also offer similar CD lessons on the classics "The Story of Swan Lake" and "The Sorcerer's Apprentice." To tie in fun stories with other classical songs, they also offer "Casey at the Bat", "Juanita the Spanish Lobster", "The Tortoise and the Hare" and "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel." Each CD costs $16.95 and can be ordered from the Maestro Classics website. All of my children are between 7 and 9, but it would have been easily understandable for children a few years younger than mine, and I found it interesting and fun even as an adult!
I had a little trouble with some of the links on their website this evening (particularly those offering "more info" on the individual CDs), but it was working fine a few days ago, and I assume it's a temporary glitch. You'll still see plenty of content there, including the answers to all of the puzzles in the accompanying booklet (in the "Kids Club" section), and samples of most of the tracks from each CD story set.
And for the record, I was listening to a few clips from the CD this evening to refresh my memory for writing this review, and my children BEGGED from their beds for me to turn it up so they could listen again.
(Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this product in exchange for my honest review. I have not been compensated in any other way.)
Hilary,
Thanks for the wonderful review of our Peter and the Wolf CD this winter. I just wanted to let you know that since you reveiwed our CD we've made a Facebook page so that our fans can participate in monthly giveaways (June was Peter and the Wolf, as a matter of fact) and get coupons. We'd love to invite you and your readers to join our page by visiting http://www.Facebook.com/MaestroClassics and thanks again for the lovely review!
Ruth
Social Media Coordinator
Maestro Classics
Posted by: Maestro Classics | 06/22/2011 at 11:48 AM