Welcome to the Symphony by Carolyn Sloan

Who knew you could introduce children to orchestral music through a book?  The sound reproduction on this book is just short of amazing.  I'm sure you  have all heard the musical greeting cards but this is at least a step or few above them in sound quality.   This is a book that a parent is going to want to read with their child.  It is an interactive experience which will please both parent and child.  


I recommend it. 

From the vendor:WELCOME TO THE SYMPHONY includes a sound panel with 19 buttons that allow young readers to explore the intricate differences and relationships among the instruments. Through the narration of three mice, readers are taught the basics: What is a symphony? What is a conductor? Who was Beethoven? They learn elements of music: melody, harmony, and tempo. And they are introduced to the families of instruments: strings, woodwinds, brass, and percussion.

Author Carolyn Sloan

But the best part is that every critical idea is illustrated in gorgeous sound. The sound panel allows readers to hear the different parts of the symphony and voices of the music -- the famous beginning of Beethoven’s Fifth Symphony, what a clarinet sounds like, the difference between a violin and a viola, what a musical conversation is. Kids will want to match their voices to the A note that tunes the orchestra, dance to the rhythmic passages—and, of course, sing along to da-da-da-daah! 

The book is written by Carolyn Sloan, a music educator at the Berkeley Carroll School in Brooklyn, songwriter and musician. Ms. Sloan has been writing music for theater, television, and children for the past 20 years. 

This book may have been received free of charge from a publisher or a publicist. That will NEVER have a bearing on my recommendations.