Back to School with DK Canada–Part 4: Children’s Book of Music

To celebrate the Back to School event in our lives, DK Canada is having a special limited time offer (30% off) on selected titles in their Back to School Boutique.  Consequently, to celebrate the Back to School time of the year, I will present you some of the titles found in the DK Canada Boutique in the week to come. 

To continue this Back to School theme, I present you today the title How to Be a Children’s Book of Music. 

About the book

Music has always been an amazing way for people to connect with each other and to express their ideas and emotions. In this clear and lively introduction to music history, readers take a chronological journey around the world, exploring the sounds and rhythms of different cultures, the development of instruments, and the progression of musical styles. From the beginnings of music for ritual or magical purposes to the technological developments that have taken modern music in new directions, children will discover the fascinating history of music and how it has become an international exchange of ideas. The book also includes a bonus CD, featuring a selection of music from around the world.

My Thoughts

This book is interesting because it will introduce your kids to the world of music through history via text, images and tracks from the CD. 

The book is divided in three major sections:

• Early Music (50,000 BCE – 1600 CE): In this specific section you will discover the world of music at the beginning of time – with the ancient world music, the didgeridoo, the world of wind and strings as well as some other interesting instruments.
• Classical  Music (1600 – 1900): In this section you will get exposed to the Baroque, Classical and Romantic period of music.  You will also learn major composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and others.   You will also have the opportunity to discover operas, national music, and great conductors.
• Modern Music (1900 – )": In this section, you now explore the new styles of music since the 1900 – blues, musicals, Reggae, Hip-Hop and more as well as popular artists like Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin.

The CD contains tracks on various style of music from the different sections mentioned above.  Throughout the book,  you will see an icon of a Cd with headset on it which will inform you of which track you will need to listen after reading a specific part of the book.   In total there are 35 tracks on the CD for your to listen.   I would use the CD only with the book because there isn’t any explanation on it to tell you which era the music sample is from.   Consequently, it is essential that the CD be used with the reading of the book.   I really enjoyed listening to the Gregorian chant on the CD which is sang in Latin as well as the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah by Handel.

Each section of the book will also be illustrated with images, drawings and musical instruments in order to give you an introduction to the world of music through the ages.    This book is the prefect tool to introduce your kids to music and expose them to a variety of styles at the same time.    I am very pleased to have this book in my hands so we can explore the world of music this year.      What I also find interesting in this book is that the kids will have an idea of the different instruments that can be used to make music.   They will also be introduced to the orchestra and learn the various families of instruments that can be played.    Recently, we watched a DVD title Pulse: a Stomp Odyssey which explore how Stomp got some of the ideas for their show throughout the world.  My kids were fascinated with it.  Reading this book and listening to the tracks on the CD will give them a better perspective of the world of music.

If you want to find these titles and many more that could be interesting to supplement school works/studies as well as inform your kids on specific themes, I would suggest that you check out the Back to School Boutique at DK Canada.  Don’t forget that they offer 30% off on titles listed in this specific promotion. Click on the image below to discover the various titles found in the Back To School Boutique at DK Canada!

The title presented in this review are available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

    

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.