Book Description
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.
Customer Reviews:
Will a 2 1/2 year-old like this? YES!.......2007-03-23
Our 2 1/2 year-old daughter loved Zin Zin the Violin (another book-on-tape about an orchestra), so we also bought Story of the Orchestra for her, hoping she would keep learning more about music. We initially thought this one may be a little advanced for her since most descriptions list it for 6+ year-olds. Nope. We've had this book for a few weeks, and she reads the book (with the CD) multiple times a day, citing the name of each composer and instrument. There's nothing better than hearing your child say "Tchaichovsky" or "glockenspiel". Other side benefits are that she's learned how to use her CD player and how count and recognize numbers up to 37 - how many tracks there are on the CD.
The book contains kid-friendly illustrations, quotes, and stories about each composer and instrument that make kids (and parents) easily learn a lot of information about the orchestra. Then, about 80% of the composers and instruments have an accompanying CD track (about 2 minutes/track) that you can play on each page, in order to hear an example. It's usually a prominent composer's example where this instrument is featured. So, your child will actually be well-versed in some classical tunes by the end.
There are a few other books about orchestra's and instruments out there, but we rank this book/CD at the top for young children. My wife's a teacher, and she says this book would be a great part of a lesson plan or two.
Great book-Kids love it.......2007-01-09
My family just loves this book. The music is enchanting and well picked and the page layout allows my young reader to read as much as he wants or just a little, yet he still gets great information either way.
should have this if you teach music.......2007-01-08
This book is great for teaching elementary school kids about instruments! Comes with pictures and facts! must have!
Great book, BUT...........2006-09-22
I play violin & viola and purchased this book for a lesson plan for one of my education courses. The only "issue" you could say, that I have with this book is the example that is given for the viola track. 45 seconds of a concerto that makes it sound like a violin (the Bartok finale!). They could have chosen a better clip to use (like say the Telemann). haha! Maybe I'm a bit bias.
The book is great with all things aside, and very informative for those that know nothing of the orchestra. It's too bad they don't list the performers on the CD! Don't let my bias deter you from purchasing this book! It's great for kids!
Story of the Orchestra.......2006-03-19
An engaging and entertaining way to teach children about individual musical instruments and the four families of instruments.
Book Description
Poetry can be fun-especially when we can read it, hear it, and discover its many delights with the help of cartoon character Professor Driscoll, delightful illustrations, and the poetry read aloud on CD.
This wide-ranging journey through the history and highlights of the world's poetry covers everything from epics and odes to nonsense verse and haikus, and is filled with examples of every style.
The multimedia package encourages children to listen, read, and learn-and opens the door to a lifetime of appreciation of a rich literary tradition.
It painlessly introduces kids (and parents, too) to the greatest poets in history, from Homer and Shakespeare to Robert Frost and Ogden Nash-and provides excellent examples of their work and commentary on what makes it so special. In short, this is a galloping tour through poetic history loaded with all of our most significant and beloved poems. In addition to charming illustrations on every lively page, A CHILD'S INTRODUCTION TO POETRY contains a full-length CD with wonderful renditions of the poems read by professional actors.
Customer Reviews:
Wonderful! My 6 & 8 year old boys love this!.......2007-04-22
Wow! I have been trying to introduce poetry to my boys since they were toddlers and the only feedback I ever received was blank stares - maybe it was my reading style. But, for some reason, they just LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this CD. We listen to it in the car and fight over which poem we listen to first. Some of our favorites are The Pied Piper, Thomas' Do Not Go Gently into that Good Night, the limericks (I was a bit worried when it started with There was an old man from Nantucket. . . . - but it is actually the children's version, obviously) and Kit Marlowe's The Passionate Shepard to His Love. My 8 year old has several of the classics almost memorized.
Our only complaint is the reading of Lewis Carroll's Jabberwocky. It is somewhat flat and not at all as exciting as it could be.
Nonetheless, it is a great, rich, collection of beautiful poetry that your kids will enjoy. It truly is one of our favorites.
Whimsically Thorough.......2007-04-15
I found this book through a bookstore display, and am very pleased with it. This is a well thought out, thorough introduction to basic poetry forms, with familiar poems--a comfort to the parent who may want to read this material to the younger child. The drawings are really fun, with enough on the page for the jaded 21st century eye to look at. If that weren't enough, there's a CD of the poems, so the reader can also hear them spoken, an important element of poetry.
I think the breadth of the poetry styles chosen, including the nursery rhymes and limericks, is just right, and can be expanded on by the parent or teacher by reaching beyond the book. I plan to use this book as a basis for some directed summertime reading for my grandkids, but this book is easily enjoyed by the adult.
A nice resource for homeschoolers (or any parent who would like their children to read and enjoy poetry).......2006-11-20
I homeschool my children (ages 7 and 9), and I wanted to add poetry to their literature curriculum. I found this book at the library, and it was a perfect introduction to the many forms of poetry, with great examples for each. The biographies of famous poets in the second half of the book were also a very useful teaching tool. They were short, informative and interesting. (I learned a few things myself...)
I kept the book in the car, and my children took turns reading (aloud and to themselves). They looked forward to their poetry lessons, and even memorized a few poems on their own accord. My son read Poe's "The Raven," and commented, "I don't understand it, but it's scary, somehow." I found it fascinating that a poem writeen almost 200 years ago could frighten a modern-day child.
This book was a wonderful tool to pique my children's interest in poetry. I plan to buy or borrow other books on poetry to cultivate their budding interest.
I can't comment on the CD as it was no longer included in the library book. However, my children and I enjoyed this book so much that I will definitely purchase it soon.
Engaging for both child and parent.......2006-04-15
My son is only in preschool and has a lot of fun with this book, and I think it has enough variety and range that we'll return to it for years. There is great background material for parents to read and think about, and perhaps share with their kids as they get older. The performance of the poems on the CD is lackluster, but the overall quality of the book's text and selections is superb.
A great collection.......2004-12-17
My daughter's only 3, but her latest routine is to pick poems from this book to read before bed. Which is great, it's something we both can enjoy. I like the book's entertaining illustrations and helpful, down-to-earth writing style. I'd recommend it to anyone!
Book Description
Knowing how to listen is essential to learning, growing, and getting along with others. Simple words and inviting illustrations help children develop skills for listening, understand why it's important to listen, and recognize the positive results of listening. Includes a note to teachers and parents, additional information for adults, and activities.
Customer Reviews:
Teach your child how to pay attention BEFORE even starting school!.......2006-08-18
I think this one is our favorite. The little boy looks so intently at his teacher. He learns how to pay attention even when there are distractions. These books are cleverly written and I just love the illustrations. Nice representation of all ethnic groups.
All the books in the 'Learning to Get Along' series are fantastic. They teach vital social skills (paying attention, sharing, respecting others property, etc) to children in a way that they can understand.
You can't go wrong with any of these books!
Realistic situations, child-friendly text.......2006-01-11
I would highly recommend any of the books in this series by Cheri Meiners. My just-turned-5-year-old son asks for them at storytime, and the writing is just right for pre-K and kindergarten children. Truthful without being preachy, the series shows children and family members from many different ethnic groups in the colorful illustrations, and each book addresses issues which are developmentally critical to this particular age group: sharing, taking turns, being afraid, listening, respecting others, helping out at home, etc. These books have given us a starting point to discuss problems at school or interacting with others, and have helped my son to have more empathy for his peers....I am hopeful that this quality will serve him well as he continues on to kindergarten and elementary school. It is exciting to hear him use ideas from this series to problem solve.
Great book!.......2005-03-23
Book is colorful, keeps childrens attention, I would advise it best for a 3-5 yr old, depending on maturity of the child. (Basically if they can be still and listen) it has nice big words so a beginning reader could try to read some by themself. I love good books that teach manners! We got this book from the library, but I would love the hardback version of this book as well as most of them in this series!
Customer Reviews:
Great for preparing for college-level listening .......2005-03-11
I am currently student-teaching in an ESL class that prepares non-native English speakers for entrance into US universities and we use this book. The course title is "College Listening Skills". I love this book. It focuses on preparing the student to enter into a university and be prepared to hear and understand college lectures. The book concentrates on good note-taking skills and teaches a variety of skills, tips, and pointers on how to enhanse note-taking skills. There is an optional CD available to listen to the lectures. I think the book would be useless wihtout access to the CD or listening materials.
Book Description
This language-learning system is designed for people with limited study time to learn quickly and efficiently the practical French needed for travel. Includes 2 CDs with 90 minutes of recorded speech by native speakers in both English and French and a convenient 64-page manual containing a phonetic pronunciation guide and an index.
Customer Reviews:
just phrases, phrases, phrases - best bang for $10.......2007-05-02
I used this in conjunction with the Berlitz Essential French book to learn pronunciation/phrases and written French, respectively, in preparation for a 3-month organic-farm work-abroad stay in France. This combination turned out to be perfect. I had no background and couldn't conjugate or put sentences together, but Listen & Learn's rote memorization of standard phrases got me pronouncing and small-talking quickly. After 3 months in France, I could shoot the breeze with the barber.
PROs: Once you know that this is just a list of phrases, spoken once in English and once in (rather dramatic) French, you will probably agree that within this simple category it is mega hella awesome, and hella cheap. The overdramatic Francophone is difficult to imitate at first, but once you can mock him well, you'll be able to convey _real_feeling_ when you speak, bashful though you may be. It's rare to see personality and humor like this in the rush-hour-2-minute-learn-now-textbook-cramathon culture of other audio programs.
CONs: The French is native-speed and only uttered once (with space afterwards for your attempt). Two repetitions would have drilled it better and made this a five-star product. Also, upon closer examination, you will notice that 1. the booklet looks suspiciously like a xerox, and 2. the recordings come from analog tape (audiophiles will note the giveaway hiss and print-thru echo), dating it back to the 70s/80s. Actually, the inner cover reveals the source phrases to be from 1956. This just means that the phrases are a bit campy ("How should you like to dine?") and you will learn NO PHRASES related to the information age, i.e. internet, cell phones, etc. This is just a minor downside, but a major DISHONESTY on the part of Listen & Learn, who go to great lengths to modernize the packaging (outside of the box has a 2004 copyright) without modernizing the content.
HIGHLIGHTS: The Anglophone is a riot in general, but for maximum entertainment, listen to the first 2 seconds of "Numbers" (as many times as you can stand). Also, in the final "Restaurant" chapter, all of the phrases are lambasting the waiter for the mediocre soup, overcharging the bill, and ruining everything; the last phrase, however, is this: "La cuisine et le service étaient excellents!"
Don't Buy It!.......2006-11-10
Don't waste your money on "Listen and Learn French" - the "teacher" actually sounds like an old voice over from the 50's or 60's (and sounds kind of angry). I couldn't listen for more than 10 minutes - no value added. Spend the extra couple bucks for Drive Time French - those cd's are awesome!
french cd review.......2006-08-31
I really enjoy the french tapes, I listen to them on my headphones at work. I am studying abroad next year,and these cd's have helped me to learn easy conversation french.
Straightforward, Useful, No Gimmicks - Great Value.......2006-04-21
I've been listening to a number of French language audio CDs over the past year. It is a crowded field. I'm not complaining, because they are all good in different ways, but this is my current favorite. I have been listening to these two short CDs for weeks at 5-10 minute intervals driving my car. The 700 phrases are spoken in English and then repeated in French. The voices (male and female) that repeat the English phrases in French are very clear. The simplicity of the presentation will likely catch you off guard if you are used to listening to cutesy music or sound effect gimmicks in other language packages. This straightforward presentation is precisely why the material is easy to listen to again and again. It is what it is: Useful English phrases and their French equivalency. There is the obligatory booklet, but it repeats all the words and phrases exactly as they are heard on the two discs. So it is very easy to check what you have heard later on (as I need to). The packaging is slim and easy to slip into my jacket side pocket. When I have mastered these phrases I won't be reading Camus or Proust, but I will be appreciative. Maybe the producers should consider a sequel.
Did what I thought it would.......2006-03-01
It was fine for wanting to learn some basic French. The only thing I wish was that they would say the Frech phrase 2 times after the English instead of only once.
Average customer rating:
- My Little One Loves This Book
- Read it before, now I'm writing about it!
- ;God who?
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Larry Learns to Listen (Big Idea Books® / VeggieTales®)
Inc., Big Idea , and
Karen Poth
Manufacturer: Zonderkidz
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Board book
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Peas and Thank You! (Big Idea Books® / VeggieTales®)
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Bob Lends a Helping . . . Hand?
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God Loves You Very Much (Big Idea Books® / VeggieTales®)
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God Made You Special
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Junior and Laura Share the Year Together (Big Idea Books® / VeggieTales®)
ASIN: 0310705398 |
Book Description
Kids will love this board book about Larry the Cucumber as he encourages kids to be a good listener all week long.
Customer Reviews:
My Little One Loves This Book.......2007-06-11
This puts the lesson of being a good listerner on a 2 or 3 year olds level. It explains to the children that God wants you to listen to friends and family and that you do need the help of others making your way through life.
Read it before, now I'm writing about it!.......2006-04-30
This book so far is the best! I've read it since 2003 and still, Big Idea has never been this fun before! Since Larry was so excited about playing the game, he didn't listen to his friends and claims he knows how. Wrong! The game goes "KER-POW!" My main thing about the "KER-POW!" sound is that the very young kids might shout it out as their first word, so be prepared! Anyway, he finally listens to his friends when Joe helps him out on lining up the batteries the same. So Larry did, and the game started up again and from now on, he listens to them. God wants us all to listen to friends and family, so we don't miss what they have to say! I recommend this book for anyone with even the littlest kids!
Sharilyn Mutulo
Age: 15
;God who?.......2005-03-06
After being rude and ignoring his friends who were trying to help, he finally HAD to listen after he ended up breaking his toy. There's no proof he learned anything, and the last page that throws in the "personal creator" that makes all this possible is a quick little marketing scheme for evangelicals. What a waste of trees.
Book Description
This teacher-tested and approved system for learning Spanish will bring remarkable results, even if the student has never studied a foreign language. Includes 2 CDs with 90 minutes of recorded speech in both English and Spanish, and an 68-page manual containing a phonetic pronunciation guide and an index for locating words and phrases.
Customer Reviews:
CD is too fast.......2006-03-28
Within a few minutes, the tape gives examples of long phrases, and does not repeat any word or phrase. This CD is way too advance for someone who does not already know some Spanish.
es muy buena.......2006-01-15
Estas cassettas sao muito bem para mim por que eu sou portugues e j'aime beaucoup cette cassettee!
translation: I have heard Spanish is no longer spoken in almost all of Latin America, is a language used inn Spain only during court procedings and circumscisions and is otherwise barely surviving as an underground tongue in remote mountain villages of Andorra - thus learning Spanish is really no longer necessary. I think the yo quiero taco bell dog/rat might explain the precipitious fall of this once beautiful and enchanting lingua.
Excellent on pronunciation of the words given........1999-08-20
I bought this book and it came with a cassette tape. I found it to be extremely good in the pronunciation of the words that are given in the book. It is not a dictionary or a words manual, it is a book that tries to give a sound basic working knowledge of the most commonly used spanish phrases and words to people who speak english. But I have found it exceptional for pronunciation. It gives you a real understanding of the way words should sound and pronounced. The tape also gives the pronunciation and sound of the words. Excellent. Radcliffe.
Average customer rating:
- Fun and natural way to learn
- Listen and read and learn
- Learn to 'live' a language
- Learn to 'live' a language
- Learn to 'live' in a language
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Just Listen 'N Learn Italian (Just Listen N' Learn)
Brian Hill
Manufacturer: McGraw-Hill
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Binding: Paperback
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Rick Steves' Italian Phrase Book and Dictionary
ASIN: 084424676X |
Customer Reviews:
Fun and natural way to learn.......2007-04-30
The real-life street recordings are a bit more challenging than s-l-o-w studio recordings, but ever so much more entertaining. They also attune your ear to what you'll hear in Italy. Syntax, useful phrases, cultural info. and vocabulary introduced inductively and in context through the listening segments.
Some might complain that this approach is too focused on listening, but most second language acquisition experts now emphasize listening a skill the precedes speaking. The "silent period" hypothesis goes so far as to suggest that beginners should be given a chance to assimilate sounds and structures before being pushed to speak.
At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed this book, and likewise for other languages in the series. Most importantly, this book worked for me. I could hold my own in a taxi, albergo, or mercato on my first day in Italy.
Buona Fortuna & Buon Viaggio!
Listen and read and learn.......2002-06-22
If you are looking for a tape/cd to learn by during your commute; this is probably not the right program for you. If you have time to also do the book excerices then this would be good.
The dialogs seem to be authentic and are helpful in learning what an announcement on a train, in the train station, or airport sound like. However, IMHO there's too much time spent on reading you instructions and listening. Since speaking is an essential component, I would have preferred more opportunity to speak/ repeat key phrases.
Learn to 'live' a language.......2001-05-03
While it is true that you can't JUST 'Listen' to learn with these CDs (there is also an audio cassette version), I have found their method the most excellent and fun way to learn to use a language in the country where it is spoken.
The Italian lessons taught me not only the turns of phrase that Italians use (and which you will HEAR spoken in Italy) but also gave me a sense of typical situations and venues in which I would come across those phrases, concepts, and terminology. (A small example, I learnt that you don't always buy by the pound or even the kilogram at a grocers, but by the 100 grams, which are called "etti".)
Learning a language is not just learning how to substitute English words for a foreign one, it is to learn how to THINK and LIVE in a different way. These CDs go with an excellent book which not only gives transcripts of the conversations on which every lesson is organized, but also tells you alot about how shops, travel, food, and life in general is experienced in Italy.
While it would be great to be able to imbibe a language by just listening, the reality is that we learn languages by living in them - and these books guide you through the process of listening - to different accents in real life situations -, then figuring out what words, concepts and phrases people have used and, having understood these to be able to USE THEM ONESELF.
This simulates the process by which, over time, we learnt our native tongue (except we were children then, and MUCH more patient with and less demanding of ourselves). The course also organises the learning better than we would encounter in real life - once in a restaurant you stay there until you can wend your way through undertanding a menu, ordering, making special requests, and paying. Only then does it take you on to, say, boarding urban transportation.
I travel alot, as tourist and also to give lectures and interact with people - in Spanish, French, German and, now, Italian. Before I worked with the Listen 'n Learn courses, I stayed at a preliminary communicative level, from which I regressed during the time I was back to speaking English. Now that I go over old lessons and then do a few new ones before a trip, my level of understanding, communicating, and thus enjoying the experience grows by leaps and bounds as I am able to put what I learned into practice. I love this series and recommend it highly.
Learn to 'live' a language.......2001-05-03
While it is true that you can't JUST 'Listen' to learn with these CDs (there is also an audio cassette version), I have found their method the most excellent and fun way to learn to use a language in the country where it is spoken.
The Italian lessons taught me not only the turns of phrase that Italians use (and which you will HEAR spoken in Italy) but also gave me a sense of typical situations and venues in which I would come across those phrases, concepts, and terminology. (A small example, I learnt that you don't always buy by the pound or even the kilogram at a grocers, but by the 100 grams, which are called "etti".)
Learning a language is not just learning how to substitute English words for a foreign one, it is to learn how to THINK and LIVE in a different way. These CDs go with an excellent book which not only gives transcripts of the conversations on which every lesson is organized, but also tells you alot about how shops, travel, food, and life in general is experienced in Italy.
While it would be great to be able to imbibe a language by just listening, the reality is that we learn languages by living in them - and these books guide you through the process of listening - to different accents in real life situations -, then figuring out what words, concepts and phrases people have used and, having understood these to be able to USE THEM ONESELF.
This simulates the process by which, over time, we learnt our native tongue (except we were children then, and MUCH more patient with and less demanding of ourselves). The course also organises the learning better than we would encounter in real life - once in a restaurant you stay there until you can wend your way through undertanding a menu, ordering, making special requests, and paying. Only then does it take you on to, say, boarding urban transportation.
I travel alot, as tourist and also to give lectures and interact with people - in Spanish, French, German and, now, Italian. Before I worked with the Listen 'n Learn courses, I stayed at a preliminary communicative level, from which I regressed during the time I was back to speaking English. Now that I go over old lessons and then do a few new ones before a trip, my level of understanding, communicating, and thus enjoying the experience grows by leaps and bounds as I am able to put what I learned into practice. I love this series and recommend it highly.
Learn to 'live' in a language.......2001-05-02
I have recommended, and even gifted, this set of tapes and its excellent course book to many friends - particularly those who wish to spend summers in Italy - running a house, dealing with local Italians, and travelling around by car. I also often quote from it - particularly the loving humour with which aspects of Italian life are explained.
It is true that sometimes you have to rewind frequently to match the words on the transcripts and the sounds on the tapes, but this has the pay-off in that it does simulate real-life situations and so prepare you for them. When you speak to someone in Italy, there usually is alot of noise, people have varying accents and there could, moreover, be someone impatient behind you in line who would not enjoy your asking everything to be repeated several times!
Each of the lessons not only deals with a specific situation, but is followed by a "Did You know?" section which explains various aspects of the Italian way of organizing things. These relate to the OCCASIONS on which you would use Italian in Italy: e.g. when buying a train ticket (or a 100 gms of coffee), when lost on the road, or in a garage with a car problem.
Having only got to lesson 6, I was able that summer to shop (and find out about discounts), buy opera tickets (and understand schedule information), and even make friends with people at cafes and in museums. I also knew I must always take a receipt (we're required to produce one by law, within 200 metres of a vendor's location) whenever I bought anything. In fact, I felt I had 'lived' in Italian, not just 'been and seen'.
I recommend this course thoroughly and only wish their CD versions were equally easily available.
Book Description
The groundbreaking program for building conversational language skills
Just Listen ‘n’ Learn French, Second Edition picks up where formal French language studies leave off by giving you a feel for how French is really spoken by the “man on the street.” An engaging way to build basic conversational skills and confidence, this package is based on recordings made on location--in the street, in hotels, bars, pharmacies, shopping centers, and dozens of other everyday settings. You’ll get a full-color course book packed with photographs, illustrations, and cultural information and four 75-minute CDs recorded on location, featuring more than 100 authentic conversations as well as audio exercises. If you’re preparing to travel to a French-speaking country, this is the perfect guide for you.
Book Description
A Well-Tempered Mind investigates the intriguing connection between music education and brain development in children. Peter Perret and Janet Fox use the details of an innovative music education program for elementary school students to explore this fascinating relationship. A Well-Tempered Mind describes how the students of Bolton Elementary in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and a local quintet worked together and then explains the ongoing research that focuses on how music engages the brain’s cognitive capabilities, from memory and language to emotional processing. Music, A Well-Tempered Mind reveals, is a universal language that expands young minds in essential ways.
“The authors put flesh on the feeling shared by all music teachers that the experience of music enhances thought and learning in unexpected directions, well beyond the simple act of enjoying the sound. … It’s exciting and necessary reading for all who are battling to ensure the place of music in the school curriculum."—Times Educational Supplement
Customer Reviews:
The Well - Tempered Mind.......2004-09-21
Peter Perret and Janet Fox have made a worthy contribution to education by telling a story of how music can affect children's ability to learn, to listen and to raise their overall performance in school. This book explores the way musicians teach and the way children and teachers learn from the activities described in the ground-braking Bolton Project in Winston Salem, NC.
The writing is engaging and humorous, but also serious and well researched. The book touches on different models of teacher-student relationship, creative approaches to learning, and the sense of vocation and commitment to continuous improvement. It focuses on the realities of the present moment and the sense of accomplishment that results when there is passion for excellence.
The book also touches on some important questions on whether music instruction affects our cognitive abilities, and gives the reader a good overview on the research that has been going on for the last fifteen years. It tantalizes the reader to know more about the subject and makes a good case for adopting new teaching models through music instruction in the early school years.
I highly recommend this book to teachers, parents and to anyone who is interested on new models for effective teaching.
Patricia A. Dixon
Lecturer in Music
Wake Forest University
Well-Tempered.......2004-09-19
A Well-Tempered Mind, Using Music to Help Children Listen and Learn by Peter Perret and Janet Fox with a foreword by Maya Angelou
March 2004, Dana Press
"That is what I think the woodwind quintet is doing. Our musicians are playing to a fundamental language of the brain. They are evoking a muse that already lives in every child's head."
Harvard's Project Zero was named that because of Howard Gardner's belief in 1967 that "nothing had been firmly established about the link between the arts and cognitive thinking." Thirty-seven years later, the North Carolina Bolton Project creates a new yet ancient paradigm: live music in classrooms of elementary and middle school students, particularly at-risk ones, causes a dramatic increase in students' standardized test scores, perhaps due to the neurological changes the music catalyzes. This book proves it. And, as the authors point out, the link between music and learning dates back to Plato. Current tests, such as the Audio-Visual Integration test (AVI), were used to substantiate the significant success of the Bolton Project. Since we know most "children who fail to master reading in the early grades rarely learn to read later in life", elementary and middle school educators can find a panacea in this book.
Students listening to live music such as a quintet raised their scores by almost 50%. The authors stress that the quintet wasn't there to teach music but to teach through music, the classroom teacher creating the lesson plan with the music coordinator. Frank Wood, Professor of Neurology at Wake Forest University, states it directly in his introduction: "The Bolton curriculum, I can now say from firsthand experience as a research colleague of Peter Perret and a mentor of Shirley Bowles, has proved effective for enhancing cognitive skills, including the skills that support learning to read." Although the book focuses on music, all performing arts have potential to increase learning.
Far from being a dry read like a textbook, the book tells a success story of a ten-year old project that should rivet educational reformers. The authors also reveal insights into cognitive neuroscience and the learning process. Actual dialog of students enhances the book's readability in addition to showing the spatial-temporal reasoning being developed in students. Humor abounds in the titles and heads of the book, such as allusions "Close Encounters of the Musical Kind" and "Raising Arizona". Even the title of the book connects with the essence of the project.
As a high school English teacher of at-risk students, I'm overwhelmed at the difference this kind of classroom would make. The first thing I teach in 9th grade English is how to think back and forth between specifics and generalizations. If my students had been introduced to this type of teaching in elementary school, their struggle to form abstract ideas from specifics would be far less. Part of my job is to raise the reading scores of students, so when I read the chapter "Is Music A Reading Teacher?" I recognized the incredible value of A Well-Tempered Mind in terms of helping students improve thinking, reading, and, of course, writing skills.
Maya Angelou best expresses my thinking after reading Perret and Fox's book: "I pray the gift of this book, along with the gift of music, will herald the return of art in the classroom. The children need that and so does our world."
An Important Book.......2004-09-11
This is an important book for everyone who has a stake in the education of young children, meaning everyone concerned with our country's future. The book demonstrates what happens when a woodwind quintet visits the classroom to play music and actively engages the children in discussions about the music. What happens is the children's brain development is enhanced, together with their ability to learn everything in the curriculum.
This book provides a guide for school administrators and parents to adopt the program in their schools. The program's results are eye-opening: the new listening skills that the program develops help children better anticipate, remember, compare, and imagine. As the musicians and children discuss quarter notes and half notes, the concept of fractions becomes real and tangible. When the children compose music, their self-confidence improves.
The book provides empirical evidence about these results. For those who want it, the evidence is correlated with cutting-edge brain research. To many people, the idea of music in the classroom means music appreciation or learning to play an instrument. This program, far more ambitious, does far more.
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