Classical music has always been a part of our home. My husband and I met at our local Center for the Arts, when we were both attending a ballet. One of my first purchases when Ben was born was one of those Baby Mozart DVDs.
Throughout our homeschooling, the listening to and learning about classical music, while not always a daily subject, has been right there in the schedule. Ben loves it. I love it. Dad loves it.
Maestro Classics produces a classical music CD series for children ages 6-12. Both entertaining and educational, these CDs have won more than 45 national awards. Each CD features performances by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, as well as fun, child-friendly stories and musical explanations.
One of my very favorite composers, and probably by proxy, Ben’s favorite, is Tchaikovsky. Ben even has The Nutcracker Ballet on his iPod. So when we received The Story of Swan Lake, from Maestro Classics, to review, we were both ecstatic. Neither of us had listened to their CDs before.
The Story of Swan Lake, Tchaikovsky’s greatest ballet score, is the tale of a prince who falls in love with a beautiful princess. The princess, however, has been turned into a swan by an evil magician, and only the prince’s love can break the spell. The tracks for this CD include:
- The Story of Swan Lake The story is set to the most famous music from this great ballet.
- Tchaikovsky’s Life Learn about the life of Tchaikovsky, the most loved of all Russian composers.
- Speed Metal Swan World-famous guitarist, Joe Stump, transforms Tchaikovsky’s theme.
- About the Music Discover about the different popular dance music that the composer included.
- “Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” A funny song to help remember the theme.
- Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform Time to get ready and sing.
- “Tchaikovsky Wrote a Great Ballet” Sing-Along A string quartet will accompany you.
You can preview each track on their website.
In The Story of Swan Lake, we learned that Tchaikovsky was “emotional and very tied to his mother” as well as “untidy”. Ben now believes himself to be the next Tchaikovsky. Love.
That track “Speed Metal Swan” . . . I had to rewind and play that no less than 10 times. Ben though it was very cool. I mean how often do you get to hear a loud/rock/bass guitar version of Tchaikovsky? Awesome.
The CD comes with a 24-page educational activity booklet which includes a biography of Tchaikovsky, information on acoustic and electric guitars, sheet music and words for the sing-along song, a crossword puzzle, a maze, and an explanation of major and minor keys.
Maestro Classics has a mission statement: To cultivate a love of music through education and joyful performances. I do believe they are well on their way with this lovely CD.
You can purchase The Story of Swan Lake on CD for $16.98 or in MP3 format for $9.98. Other titles available include: Peter and the Wolf, Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, and The Tortoise and the Hair.
See what other members of the TOS Homeschool Crew thought about The Story of Swan Lake.
Thank you to the folks at Maestro Classics for the giving us a chance to discover beautiful music through your lovely products.
Disclaimer: As a member of the TOS Crew, I received this product, at no cost to me, in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are those of myself and/or my son.
