This vendor is one of the ones I have been really looking forward to. A few years ago, we were blessed to review their production of “The Tortoise and the Hare”. We loved, loved, loved it. If you are not familiar with Maestro Classics, then you are really in for a treat. If you know and love them as we do, stick around. You may learn something new.
Maestro Classics CDs are “Stories in Music”™ A well known story is paired with great classical music and is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The CD we reviewed is Swan Lake–the beautiful ballet composed by Tchaikovsky. As with all of the audio CDs in the series, the story is narrated by Yadu. The time tested stories, captivating narration and wonderful classical music are a winning combination.
We all love listening to classical music. Pieces that are strong and encourage movement are favorites in our home. We also enjoy listening to the quiet, subtle pieces. I often will just put the music on and not do anything besides listen. Thanks to Maestro Classics, we can do so much more. The CD contains more than just the recording of the story. There is also a segment about the composer and another about the music among others. All together you will find 54 minutes covered in 7 tracks. There is also a booklet included with some additional activities.
The learning doesn’t end there. The CD is only the beginning. On the website, under the heading of Educational Materials, there are Music Teacher Lesson Plans (grades 1-5), Home Projects (I saw a recipe for pretzels!) and our favorite, Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides. When you click here, you will find suggested books and activities to go with each CD. The subject areas included are History, Science, Geography, Language Arts, Art, Music and Math. There are many things under each heading. Links are included to build your own unit study.
For our selection of Swan Lake, we talked about kings and queens, monarchies and how that style of government compares to our government. We are currently studying medieval times in our history curriculum so this all tied in very neatly (love that!!). We also talked a bit about ballet. There are numerous links for games and other activities to learn about Russia and France. We are just kicking of our study of Russia for geography so the timing has been perfect. The topics for science? Swans, the Bernoulli principle, health and fitness (those ballet dancers are fit people, you know!) are what we studied. There is so much more available (FREE) You could truly do a week long study just with the information shared here.
The suggested age for Maestro Classics is 5+ Much of the extended activities are middle elementary level. This could easily be adapted for any age child/ren. To purchase a CD ($16.98) or an MP3 download ($9.98) or listen to a sample, check out this page of their website. There are bundle packs available for all 9 currently available CDs, or a Classic Pack or Story Pack each with 4 CDs.
I cannot recommend Maestro Classics highly enough for any family. Whether you are music lovers or want to be music lovers, these CDs are a great way to get your family listening to classics. All of the extra activities are “the icing on the cake”. Check out what my fellow Crew mates thought of Swan Lake by following the link on the Crew blog.
As a member of the TOS Crew, I received a CD of Swan Lake in order to do this review. I was not required to write a favorable review and the opinions expressed are my own.