Maestro Classics joins classic stories that children love with the beautiful music of the London Philharmonic Orchestra.
When I popped in the cd to listen to our new Maestro Classics: The Tortoise and the Hare, Munchkin was less than enthusiastic. You see, she knew this story all too well. Thankfully, she was willing to sit and listen as she liked the music that livened up the story.
The classical music with the narrator took me back to when my sister and I were little. We use to put records on the record player. (Uh, did I just date myself???) Sometimes, we would listen to orchestra music and put on our own productions. Other times, we would just listen to stories. We just had a good time pretending. The music in the background brought the story to life. You could see the hare running and jumping. You could image the tortoise slowly moving along.
Since Munchkin enjoyed the music portion, I do believe that she would have enjoyed the whole thing if it would have been a different story. That being said, she liked the activity book that came with the cd. She had fun working on that while listening to the story. It includes pictures of the instruments in the orchestra, music theory information, information on the animals (turtles & tortoises and hares & rabbits), fun activities, music and words for the Pretzel Vendor of Paris song, and information about the conductor/composer, the executive producer, and the narrator.
On the cd, which has a playing time of nearly 54 minutes, you get more than just the original story put to music. There is also:
- Information about the story itself
- A song, Pretzel Vendor of Paris
- Information about the music to help you listen more closely to what you are hearing
- Another round of the Tortoise and the Hare now that you know what you are listening to
- Getting ready to perform the Pretzel Vendor of Paris song
- Pretzel Vendor of Paris Sing-Along
Listening to these types of productions can help the listener (child or adult) develop better listening skills. Plus, it’s a great opportunity for the family to sit down and listen to music and a story together. The targeted age range for the Maestro Classics is 5+ and their families.
Maesto Classics: The Tortoise and the Hare is available to purchase for $16.98.
No other compensation was received. All opinions are my own.
What a beautiful CD this sounds like – it's a pity that our children are too old for it. That sounds awful, doesn't it, for children are never too old for fun, but our children would see it that way. 😛
Have a great week,
Blessings,
Jillian