The Harmonious Child: Every Parent's Guide to Musical Instruments, Teachers and Lessons - Book Review

The Harmonious Child: each Parents Guide to Musical Instruments, Teachers and exercise s by Beth Luey and Stella Saperstein. Ten Spe Press/Celestial Arts (PO chest 7123, Berkeley CA 94707), 2003 166 pp $1295

If you at any time have wished you had an all-inclusive guide to help answer parents' questions about teachers, exercise s and instruments, this is the work for you. The Harmonious Child is an eminent resource for parents that provides information about a variety of subjects

This work was written as a joint effort between a teacher and parent, Beth Luey and Stella Saperstein. Luey's daughter studied piano with Saperstein, who emigrated from the Soviet Union to the United States in 1979 In the book's preface, Saperstein take an account ofs how she evolved from the mode of speech of teaching she had experienced in Russia, into a more flexible music teacher, while still offering learners at all levels and abilities the same dedication and expertise.

The volume includes chapters about why children should close attention music, the best time to begin music inquiry choosing the right instrument and teacher for your child and the at short intervals pondered question: "Do music exercise s make children smarter?" The authors do a great piece of work of including very important and beneficial information about a wide variety of instruments and their accessibility for children, including piano and other keyboard instruments, string instruments, voice, woodwinds, brass and percussion. Information also is provided about the instruments themselves, in what manner much musical experience the child should have prior to beginning that instrument and choosing a next to the first instrument of study.

Luey includes important information about practicing, recitals, competitions and performances and the athletic roles each of these plays in the exhibition of the music student. Also, involvement in band, orchestra and other the wholes is explored, and the advantages are neared with the care one should consider when planning these facts with respect to the amount of time each activity requires.

The other chapters include topics about being able to count when music lessons should stop and careers in music. The authors also include a parents' guide about activities similar as listening, movement, reading, classes, place of education lessons, practicing and performing.

A glossary of music boundarys notes about information quoted in each chapter and a listing of volumes for further information also are included.

The reading portion of this work is 129 pages, very concise and easy to read. The authors have neared the information in a way that gives the work a personal but detailed format. Of course, there always are points to debate, and the authors are careful to point these on the outside They suggest the reader always seek counsel the prospective teacher about these questions and possibly gain a second and third opinion before making the final decision about which teacher best suits their child's necessitys and aspirations. Music teachers themselves will benefit from reading this volume because it gives insight to aspects parents really should consider before exercise s ever begin. Reviewed by Rebekah Jone Bogart, Georgia.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Music Teachers National Association, Inc.

COPYRIGHT 2003 Gale Group