Those Amazing Musical Instruments! [With CDROM]

This book gives a lot of simply stated but very interesting information about mucsical instruments including how they came about and what makes them work. It tells what pitch range they are in and how they are arranged in the orchestra. Musicians and composers are highlighted with the instruments as well. The CDrom gives visual and audio examples of the instruments. I bought it to enhance music classes in elementary school. all of the children love it. I enjoy exploring it myself! It's a great set for anyone to have!

I am a home schooling mother who needed a way to introduce the orchestra to my children without spending a fortune. This book gives great information about the instruments, as well as historical facts. The best part is being able to let my kids actually HEAR the instruments being played on the cd-rom (included). There are famous pieces of music featuring each instrument, as well as the ability to hear each one played alone. I highly recommend this book/cd-rom set.

Most of us either fiddled or tootled as youngsters. Grammar school bands and orchestras sounded all the better for our efforts. Now, in this amazing book, author Genevieve Helsby explains how that happened (or was supposed to happen). Under the direction of noted conductor Marin Alsop, musical instruments are described, their history explored, the complexity of their construction is illustrated and then the sounds are heard on the accompanying CD-ROM. They are heard alone, in groups, and finally in full orchestral glory. The book contains beautiful illustrations and captivating narrative and, together with the CD-ROM, makes a wonderful read aloud opportunity for youngsters of all ages. All the reader needs is a DVD player or laptop computer to present a wonderful program guaranteed to captivate the audience. Each family of musical instruments--string, woodwind, brass, percussion, and keyboard--is explained through word, illustration, and sound. The reader and audience will learn what inspired the shape of stringed instruments or the construction of woodwind mouthpieces, and that the nose was once used to play the flute instead of the mouth. And who knew that paper bags, toy frogs, tin foil, metal trash cans, or trays of dishes have all been used in the percussion section? These are just some of the tidbits of information that add to the joy of reading this book, either to self or aloud. Talented artists worked with the author to develop and design the book and the final product is a work of art. Don't miss this one.

This book/CD is REALLY AMAZING! I couldn't believe the information in this book and the accuracy. I teach music in a public school and ordered this for a unit I will be teaching on the orchestra. The interactive CD-ROM can be used with a projector so the entire class can view it. The book is set up in sections: Introduction/Orchestra/Seating/Sound Waves; Strings; Woodwinds; Brass; Percussion; Keyboards; Voice; Electronic Instruments; Conductor; and even a Dictionary! An overview is given for each of the sections and each instrument has sound files on the CD-ROM. The photographs of each instrument are colorful, with the parts labeled. The descriptions include famous people who learned to play that instrument, how it is played, different genres where it is used; ranges of the instrument and it's relationship to the range of the entire orchestra. This book not only includes orchestral instruments, but some folk instruments such as guitar (acoustic and electric) and mandolin. The Woodwind section includes 5 of the recorders, great bass, bass, tenor, alto, soprano, and sopranino! Awe shucks, they left out the little garklien! I let children check out materials from my room and I want more copies of this book for them and one for myself!

This book is absolutely fantastic. My 3 year old is getting interested in music and I came across this by chance. It has really clear explanations and pictures of all the instruments in the orchestra (and their obscure relatives you don't often see)and very clever and humorous narrative for when they get older. It also has a CD rom to demonstrate the instruments. I can't recommend this highly enough.