Listen to the Birds: an Introduction to Classical Music by Ana Gerhard, with illustrations by Cecilia Varela

The singing of birds: that was perhaps the first music people ever heard, and today children and adults still hear the songs of bird every day. That makes introducing the vast and at times complex ideas of classical music through pieces in which the composers themselves reference or were inspired by birdsong an interesting and useful perspective, and a natural way to pique the interest of listeners of all ages.

There are twenty tracks of music on the CD which accompanies the book, each one a minute or two in length. Within the text, each piece of music is featured across two pages which comprise several paragraphs discussing the music and often explaining the ways the composer was inspired by bird song, along with an illustration which adds dimension to what is being discussed.  Then there is a section called listening notes, which is what the title suggests, a sentence or three pointing out particular things to listen for in each piece of music, such as the way certain instruments work together to create a sound or when to listen for a flute that might suggest the sound of a bird -- basically quick notes. Helpful for those reading and listening on their own, this section also  might be of particular use to teachers and adults sharing the music with younger children. There is also a section on composers, which offers brief biographical notes on each musician. Quite a range of composers and music is represented too. Mozart, Saint Saens, Vivaldi, and Tchaikovsky are there, as are Handel and Stravinsky. One of the most haunting selections comes from Finnish composer Einojuhani Rautavaara.

Orchestras, conductors, and soloists are identified in the listening notes. A timeline of composers and a glossary are also provided.

Author Gerhard studied classical music at the Mexican National Conservatory, and illustrator Varela studied fine arts in Buenos Aires.

Listen to the Birds: an Introduction to Classical Music by Ana Gerhard, with illustrations by Cecilia Varela

The Secret Mountain Press http://www.thesecretmountain.com

Kerry Dexter is the music editor for Wandering Educators, You may reach her at music at wanderingeducators dot com and find more of her work at Music Road http://musicroad.blogspot.com