My First Classical Music Book: Book & CD (Naxos My First... Series)

My first thought on looking at the book was that I had made a mistake and it was too advanced for the three year old twins. I was so wrong. This has information older kids will retain, but it also has simple bits the littles took hold of. One of the twins joins me in acting out what is happening in the music or dancing. The other sits mesmerized by the music, and he will ask for pieces again and again. "I want the one better than fireworks." (Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks ) "Can we hear where he sneaks into the castle?" (Grieg's Hall of the Mountain King) A new favorite is John Adam's Short Ride in a Fast Machine where the other twin and I bounced on the couch holding steering wheels like we were careening down the road, but our music lover again looked wide-eyed at the awesome sound. We also have simple kids songs they can sing along with, but this is a great way to introduce that music can have more depth and speak without words.

I am using this with my twin grandchildren, who are in first grade, as part of their at home school curriculum. They love the "music lessons" I am providing through this book and are quickly developing a considerable interest in both classical music and in the instruments of the orchestra. We have finished this book and plan to continue our lessons with both the orchestra book and the piano book in the Naxos series. I would highly recommend these books as a great way to teach grade school children about classical music and the instruments used to play it. My grandchildren love this book and are now talking about learning to play instruments. They have also recognized several of the musical pieces and composers when they've heard them in other settings.

I introduced my nearly 3yo to Peter and the Wolf a few months ago, and he loved it. It became the only thing we listened to in the car, and after a few months I was ready for a change. We have both really enjoyed this book! The song selection is varied and excellent, and it buys us a full 70 minutes of peace on long car trips, which makes it worth much more than I paid for it :) He has even identified his favorite songs and requests them by name.If you have a child ages 3-9 with an interest in classical music, this is a great introductory book. I also recommend a CD with Peter and the Wolf and Britten's Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra. For older children there are other books that go into more detail about the composers and instruments.

The quality of the recordings on the accompanying CD is first rate! All live instruments, big orchestras, world-class performances, awesome sound. With musical products for children you never know what you'll get. Too often unfortunately I've encountered synthesized MIDI instruments used in children's music. Not so here. Which is even more remarkable considering the low price point. The book alone is easily worth double of what I paid for on Amazon. Fantastic print, beautiful illustrations. There is a dedicated double page for each composer as well as all the most common instruments. And for each composer and each instrument there is a piece of music on the CD. This product is an unbelievable value, both musically and educationally.

I ordered this as a gift for a friend. As a professional classical musician, I wanted to find something that wasn't dumbed down and included real reputable recordings. This book is beautifully illustrated, has funny anecdotes and great listening guides to accompany the CD. It also exposes you to composers of many time periods and all the instruments in the orchestra. It is probably best suited for ages 5+, but younger children could still enjoy the music while looking at pictures. It would even be great for adults who have no classical music background! At $8 for a book with CD, this is a steal! I highly recommend it to all!

What an outstanding book for the home, for school, for little and big children! The included CD demonstrates each instrument, each family with excellent selections, played by professional performers. The pictures appeal to children because of their color, action, and witty humor. I have been teaching music for over fifty years, and always ran around selecting various CD's to demonstrate the orchestral families and their individual instruments. Aside from Benjamin Britten's "Young Persons' Guide to the Orchestra" and Prokoviev's "Peter and the Wolf", there wasn't much out there that addressed the needs of the "child ear". This is a book which should be in every classroom and every home. P. Hamill

This is a wonderful book if your child or grand child is just starting to know "classical music". My grand daughter is 5 and a half and just love it.

I purchased this to use with my homeschooled preschooler. Many composer studies are too advanced for preschool, but the mommy and me style classes are too babyish. This book is a decent fit for preschoolers as it presents the information in a fun way and relates classic music to their world. I foresee using this book being in our home library for a long time. It can definitely grow with your child beyond the preschool years.