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Home | Book (and Music) Review: My First Classical Music Book from Naxos

Book (and Music) Review: My First Classical Music Book from Naxos

My First Classical Music Book from NaxosOne of the best and certainly one of the most innovative classical music labels out there is Naxos, the producer of budget price (but definitely not low budget) recordings. I'm a big fan of Naxos—we often play their CDs here at home—as well as a classical music enthusiast who tries to instill an appreciation of it in my children, so when I got ahold of a copy of Naxos' new My First Classical Music Book , I was pretty excited.

In case you're not familiar with Naxos, they issue low priced CDs (and downloads, available via iTunes) of everything from the standard classical music repertoire like Beethoven's symphonies to cutting edge modern music to really arcane but wonderful period instrument performances of baroque and renaissance music. They eschew slick graphic design and fancy marketing campaigns in favor of great recording quality and top notch performances. I like them because you can build a quality basic music library for not much money, and can take a chance and explore new areas of music without investing too much capital.

Naxos' My First Classical Music Book, written by Genevieve Helsby and illustrated by Jason Chapman, is a fantastic introduction to classical music aimed at children ages 5–7. It's divided into several different sections, each highlighting the work of a different composer, including Bach, Handel, Beethoven, Stravinsky, and even Bay Area resident John Adams, as well as instruments and musical genres. It's colorfully illustrated with amusing animal characters and depictions of the compers and instruments, and clearly and humorously written. It's actually one of those children's books that's a lot of fun for adults to read, too.

Additionally, it includes a CD with over an hour of music that ties into the different sections of the book. Cues are given in the text to indicate what track should be played and when, and the 28 kid friendly musical selections range from an excerpt from John Williams' score for Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone to Wagner's Ride of the Valkyries to Handel's Music for the Royal Fireworks. Perfomances on the CD are sourced from Naxos' extensive catalogue.

Of course my opinion doesn't matter as much as that of the intended audience! My kids were both entranced by both My First Music Book and the CD, and it was the bedtime book of choice for several days running, which is high praise indeed. It's highly recommended for any family that wants to learn more about music and enjoy themselves while doing so.

My First Classical Music Book (hardbound, 68 pages) retails for $12.99, and you can buy it at Amazon.com.