Jeff Rollins- The Wheels on the School Bus

The Wheels on the School Bus

Written by Mary-Alice Moore

Illustrated by Laura Huliska-Beith

This book has the words to the song “The Wheels on the School Bus” set to some beautiful art. There are many verses, with each verse incorporating a new school official saying something about what they do in the school. This could be used as a way to introduce other school officials into a music classroom. The vocabulary is appropriate for children in the early elementary school age level, and it certainly would be a good way to introduce the lyrics to the song before trying to teach the actual song. On the last page there is the sheet music to the song, so you could segue perfectly from teaching the vocabulary, to music reading as well.

Alison LeBeda - Ben's Trumpet

Ben's Trumpet by Rachel Isadora is another wonderful kid's book about how music is for everyone. It focuses on a little boy named Ben who is absolutely fascinated with Jazz and often spends his evenings listening to the sounds of the nearby jazz club. He walks around with his "trumpet" and pretends to play music for everyone to hear. He becomes discouraged when a group of other kids make fun of him because his horn is imaginary, but one of the musicians from the Jazz club offers to help Ben learn how to play a real instrument. Instruments can be expensive, but the moral of this story is to not let that discourage you from submerging yourself in music. It is a valuable lesson that can be taught to young people especially, and it's important to remind kids that they should always be motivated to continue their passions, no matter what they are.

Alison LeBeda - Violet's Music

Violet's Music by Angela Johnson is a great book for young kids who may not have had the opportunity to play "organized music" yet. This book centers around a young girl named Violet who even from when she was just hours old, was banging her rattle around because she just loved music. She made music everywhere she went, but she could never find anybody to play music with her (until the end of the story, of course). This story gives kids a great message of individuality. It teaches them that they don't need to be in an organized group of people in order to make music, nor do they need to do it a certain way. They can make music with anything they can get their hands on, as long as they're having fun doing it! We put so much emphasis on joining choirs and orchestras and bands, but music is for everyone and music is for everywhere, too.

M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet - Taylor Strom

M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet by Kathy- jo Wargin gives a music lesson is alphabetical form. The book contains the many different melodies of the brass section to the melodies of the keyboard.
Instruments, composers, terms, and even musical styles are examined from A-Z in easy, read-aloud rhymes all accompanied by colorful and vivid artwork. Teachers will find this very useful because it is not only teaching the alphabet to students, but it also making the students think about a bunch of different musical terms and how some of these terms can be related. 

I Know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello - Taylor Strom

I know a Shy Fellow Who Swallowed a Cello by Barbara S. Garriel is a musical take on the old book, There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly. However, this take on the old classic has a surprise ending. In the book, a shy fellow ends up swallowing a cello, followed by many more musical instruments. He finally burps, belches, and bellows, creating music in a very unusual way. This book also has the illustrations of John O'Brien whose crazy and imaginative drawings really bring everything to life. This book would be beneficial for students to read because it would help the recognize the sounds of all of the different instruments. 

Alison LeBeda - Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin!

Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin by Lloyd Moss is an entertaining musical instrument story for children. It starts off with a single trombone, and with each page it gradually adds more instruments until by the end of the story, there is an entire orchestra. By using rhymes and the sounds of the musical instruments, it is a fun way to teach kids about the different instruments of the orchestra and what they sound like. While it is only a brief introduction of each instrument, it could very well spark some interest and encourage kids to maybe want to play a musical instrument in the near future. After reading this book, it might also be helpful to play recordings of each of the instruments measured so in addition to the onomatopoeias in the book, they have real life examples to associate with each instrument.

My First Classical Music Book - Taylor Strom

My First Classical Music Book by Genevieve Helsby is a colorful introduction to classical music, designed to bring out the imagination of children in elementary school. The readers (students) are asked to think about the different places in which they might hear music. As the book continues, each of the major composers and musical instrument families are introduced and brought to life in a vivid way. The book also comes with an accompanying CD so that the students will be able to hear the musical examples as they read. I think that this will really help with the students recognizing composers and the style in which each composer writes their music. This book would also be really useful because it will not only have the students recognizing the sound with the composer, but also using pictures as well. 

Wally Meets Mozart - Taylor Strom

Wally meets Mozart by Isgar Bos is a picture book for preschool children. Wally hears a beautiful melody coming from above the water, and he curiously follows the sound of the music. However, as Wally is following the tune, he is straying further and further from his home. Wally finally discovers who is making this beautiful music, and it is Mozart himself, playing the violin. When Wally decides to go back home, he realizes that he can not find his way back and he is lost and afraid. Wally comes up with an unexpected solution that is sure to warm the hearts of both children and teachers alike.  

Alison LeBeda - A is for Alliguitar

A is for Alliguitar by Nancy Day is a fabulous book for young children. By creatively combining animals with musical instruments, it gives the children a fun way to learn about the musical instruments and simultaneously learn animals. It also helps with the alphabet because it goes through the "musical alphabeasts" from A to Z. The illustrations are fabulous and fun as well! Reading this book could also help the students get creative because after reading the book, you could ask the students to create their own musical animals. Overall, this book is lots of fun and combines musical knowledge and literacy in more ways than one might initially think.

Vance Bollinger – Jazz A-B-Z: an A to Z collection of jazz portraits

By Wynton Marsalis

Illustrated by Paul Rodgers

Biographical sketches by Phil Schaap

As the title suggests, it is an A-Z collection of portraits done of many jazz artists, with an individualized illustration of each artist done by Paul Rodgers.  Each work of art reflects the musical style and personality of each individual musician.

Each illustration has a uniquely composed poem by Wynton Marsalis.  Very interestingly done, Marsalis wrote a poem in a different form for each individual, meaning there are 26 different types of poems in the book.  Not only that, but the poems correspond in some manner to the musical style of each artist.  For example, Basie loved the blues, so Marsalis wrote a blues poem to go along with the portrait of Count Basie. 

At the end of the book, there are biographical sketches of approximately 200 words for  This an amazingly educational book, because it ties together various poetry, art, and musical styles, along with biographical content.

each artist.

I See a Song by Eric Carle

This book is called I See A Song and it's by Eric Carle.  This book has wonderful illustrations that would keep kids interested and would spark their imaginations.  The book is about a boy who starts playing violin and sees the power of music and the color it creates in his life.  This would be a good book for children because it exposes them to the possibilities music creates.  Children would be seeing a positive influence music has on a person, inspiring them to experience music themselves.

Carissa Yau, "Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite" by Anna Harwell Celenza

In another book by Anna Harwell Celenza, she rehashes the cretion of Duke Ellington's "Nutcracker Suite," a take on Tchaikovsky's classic ballet. It talks about how Ellington would only agree to sign a contract if he would be allowed to record his take on the Nutcracker Suite, and with a hesitant yes, the suite was born. I think this book would go well in a middle school general music class in a unit about jazz. There are a lot of fun jazz words tossed into the writing, as well as introductions to instruments that are commonly found in a big band, so the kids could keep track of those on a sheet of paper or something. The book also comes with a CD, so the kids can listen as the book is read. The book is wordy, but the illustrations are captivating, and the language used illustrates and sets the scene really well. It gives the readers an idea of what Ellington might have been thinking.

"Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue"

Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue by Anna Harwell Celenza tells the story of how George Gershwin found inspiration for and penned his notable piece, often cited as a quintessential American sound, the Rhapsody in Blue. This is a very wordy picture book, so I think it'd be suitable for higher level Elementary genreal music classes or a middle school general music class. If one was to do a unit on Americn music and the creation of the American "classical" canon, this would be a good book to read. It tells the story of how it was a surprise premier for the audience, and Gershwin, and the stress that came with the short due date, how he found inspiration, and the effect it had on music history. It has fun illustrations, and tells the story in a way that'd keep readers engaged. The book comes with a CD that contains the rhapsody in blue, so that could be playing as soon as class starts to set the kids up.

Carissa Yau, "The Composer is Dead" by Lemony Snicket

In Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead, Snicket introduces the main sections and instruments of an orchestra through an engaging murder mystery format. I think this book would work best in a band/orchestra class, on a day where the students have a day after a concert or something. It is better suited for beginners, but more experienced musicians may appreciate the humor in it as well, becuse it digs into stereotypes about the instruments and sections that I found entrtaining, and I know others would as well. It comes with a CD to accompany it, so there is also that option, which would possibly engage the students more.

James McNair - Should I play the trumpet?

This book, similarly to the books in this series, does a good job of introducing the instrument, and spotlighting its place in the musical traditions it is associated with. It discusses how tones are produced on the instrument, both in learner-friendly physics and musicianship. This would be a great resource to allow students access to at the beginning of an academic year, when band students are exploring and deciding on instruments. In addition to trying the instrument themselves, students could explore this book to get an idea of how it is played, its function in an ensemble, and what genres/traditions of music the instrument is associated with. It is surprisingly detailed, which could be overwhelming to some students, however, it is also organized very well, allowing students to take in as much info as they feel comfortable with/are interested in on any aspect surrounding the instrument.

James McNair - Jazz Baby Jazz Baby

This story tries to inform its readers of some very important jazz history and jargon, however it does it in a way that I feel many many readers will miss. 'Jitterbug', 'You've got rhythm', and 'be-bop' are all mentioned in the text, referencing the tunes Jitterbug Waltz and I've got Rhythm, and also referencing the Be-bop era of jazz. However the story does nothing to elaborate on the history of the tunes or how they sound. Therefore, it becomes, at heart, the story of different children playing instruments and then falling asleep. It describes the different sounds each instrument produces, but does not describe any ways they are different in the context of jazz music or describes how each instrument interacts with the others. It uses a very symmetrical stanza rhythm which can be attributed to music, however it does not equate to jazz in any way. A great exploration of different instruments and musical ideas, but not jazz.

James McNair - Zin Zin Zin! A violin

This book's greatest attribute is the ability to detail a general but valuable history of Western orchestral literature practice, both in performance and creation, while still providing an opportunity for to allow children's imaginations to flourish. The story uses a consistent structural rhythm which will allow for quick identification of patterns in the story, both in theme and text. The diction is occasionally heightened slightly above its intended audience of late early readers, but does so with plenty of context, allowing for easier acquisition of the ideas/terms. Furthermore, these words are consistently valuable to understanding the musical traditions associated with a violin, and in being able to distinguish them. This is a great resource for introducing musical concepts in a whimsical fashion, but still allowing for free thought and exploration. 

Vance Bollinger – Can You Hear It?

William Lach

One of the many duties of a general music teacher is to ensure that their students come away from their teaching with a basic understanding of common musical instruments and what they sound like.  This book is a perfect way to work on identifying instrumental timbres.  At the beginning of the book, there is an overview of the most common musical instruments in Western music, and the second part of the book takes the readers and listeners through various classical music classics.  Lach challenges the listener to hear the “bees” in Flight of the Bumblebee, as portrayed by the flute, and to hear the honking horns in An American in Paris, as portrayed by the French horns.  Exercises like this will be fun, and the associated art in the book makes the book very aesthetically pleasing.

Vance Bollinger – Monster Mash

David Catrow

When the leaves begin to turn orange in the fall, and when it’s getting to be time for pumpkin pie and costumes, I think this book could be a big hit with a general music class.  Elementary school children will love this book because of its lovely illustrations, and because it’s likely to activate their prior musical knowledge.  “Monster Mash” is a Halloween party classic, and they’re almost definitely going to be familiar with the song.  Therefore, I would use this to be the basis of a movement and dancing-based lesson.  I could teach them about body awareness and coordination through locomotor and non-locomotor motions, and these in turn could be done in unison with the form of the music.  Changing dances in time with music is one of the best ways to learn about the formal structure of a piece of music.