Wide Eyed Editions ISBN 9781847808608 £14.99
Music in some form or other pervades our lives, yet for many who neither sing nor play an instrument, it remains a subject they feel they know little about. How fortunate, therefore, that 7-12 year olds can now access this excitingly ambitious introduction to the subject in a creative and imaginative picture book. Written by musical experts, this book ‘enrols’ the reader in the School of Music. We are introduced to six professors including Sergio Trunk, the Maestro, Rory Mojo the percussionist, Rufus Vibrato the head of strings and Diva Venus the opera singer. We then embark on three terms of study: ‘Listen Up!’, ‘Your Musical Toolbox’ and ‘Make it Yourself!’ This ‘study’ involves single or double page spreads exploring types of music, how music and movies or theatre go together, notation, staves, harmony and how we can make music at home, to mention just a few. Along with explanations, there are appropriate activity boxes to reinforce the subject and quirky illustrations of the musical professors at every stage. This is an ideal book to share with a KS2 class, in sections, during music lessons, as there is the opportunity to use the QR code readers to access musical samples online. Children can hear special recordings for the book from Nicola Benedetto, Evelyn Glennie, Bryan Terfel alongside instruments as diverse as the Armenian duduk or the Chinese guzheng. Or, send this home with music-loving able readers to share and delight in with their families. Explanations are clear (but probably require mediation for younger readers) and terms are demystified, while the recordings bring the whole book alive. Brilliant.
Sue Barrett, retired teacher and lecturer