Book Highlight: Guido D'Arezzo and Early Music Notation

Introducing: The First Notes: The Story of DO, RE, MI

(Written by Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton; Illustrated by Chiara Fedele)

Have you ever heard the song "Doe, a deer, a female deer?" Perhaps you know it from the movie "The Sound of Music," in which Julie Andrews sings it. Have you ever wondered what all those syllables known as solfège--"Do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, ti, do"--have to do with music? Or who decided that music should be notated with dots, lines, and other squiggly symbols?

Meet the medieval monk Guido D'Arezzo, who developed both an innovative style of music notation and the solfège syllables to teach it.

Explore the world of Guido D'Arezzo with your children in the book The First Notes: The Story of DO, RE, MI, written by Julie Andrews and her daughter, Emma Walton Hamilton. The book tells the story of Guido's life as a monk and his dream to write music down. While Guido D'Arezzo was not the only person to develop notation using neumes (square notes and other symbols used in medieval notation), his use of a staff (lines and spaces) and syllables allowed people to learn songs they had never heard before. His ideas were rejected at first, but they eventually were widely used and became the basis of our modern music notation system. With cheerful prose and charming illustrations, this book will introduce you and your child to Guido D'Arezzo and the history of music notation.

The First Notes is used in our Elementary A curriculum for Grades 3-5. Alongside the story of Guido, this book weaves in the words of "Doe, a deer" to explore solfége syllables, and it contains informative back matter with more about Guido and solfége. The First Notes is just one example of the many beautiful and informative books that make up the core of Music Comes Alive.

Wondering how to acquire the books for Music Comes Alive? We encourage you to start with your local library system, where many of these books may be found. In many cases, you may also find these books through second-hand book stores/websites. For your convenience, we also sell the books for our curricula on our website. You can purchase them individually or as a course bundle.

Check out Elementary A: Medieval to Modern or Shop Elementary A (Grades 3-5)

Check out Primary A: Medieval Melodies to Musical Theater or Shop Primary A (Grades K-2)

Bring music to life at home with Music Comes Alive. Our easy-to-use, literature-based curriculum empowers YOU, the parent, to teach music in your homeschool!

Shop Music Comes Alive Curriculum

Book Highlight: Marian Anderson, Singer and Barrier Breaker

Introducing: When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson

(Written by Pam Muñoz Ryan; Illustrated by Brian Selznick)

Are you familiar with Marian Anderson? She was an African American opera singer who lived through most of the twentieth century, astonishing her audience with her emotive singing and forging a pathway to opera for other people of color.

Enter the world of Marian Anderson with your children in the award-winning book, When Marian Sang: The True Recital of Marian Anderson. The book opens as if it were a staged performance, with scenes from Anderson's childhood. The story showcases her determined pursuit of vocal training and opportunities to perform, in spite of rejections by music schools and by the American public because of her skin color. Learn about Anderson's unique talent, her rise to fame, and her tours of Europe. Experience the triumph of Anderson's Lincoln Memorial concert and her debut at the Metropolitan Opera. With engaging prose and beautiful, sepia-toned illustrations, this book will immerse you and your child in the life and music of Marian Anderson.

When Marian Sang is used in our Primary A curriculum for Grades K-2. In addition to the "true recital" of Marian Anderson's life in the main text, the book also contains informative author's notes about Anderson, if you would like to dive deeper. When Marian Sang is just one example of the many beautiful and informative books that make up the core of Music Comes Alive.

Wondering how to acquire the books for Music Comes Alive? We encourage you to start with your local library system, where many of these books may be found. In many cases, you may also find these books through second-hand book stores/websites. For your convenience, we also sell the books for our curricula on our website. You can purchase them individually or as a course bundle.

Check out Primary A: Medieval Melodies to Musical Theater or Shop Primary A (Grades K-2)

Check out Elementary A: Medieval to Modern or Shop Elementary A (Grades 3-5)

Bring music to life at home with Music Comes Alive. Our easy-to-use, literature-based curriculum empowers YOU, the parent, to teach music in your homeschool!

Book Highlight: Beethoven and His Piano Builder

Introducing: What Music! The Fifty-Year Friendship between Beethoven and Nannette Streicher, Who Built His Pianos

(Written by Laurie Lawlor; Illustrated by Becca Stadtlander)

Did you know that the way Beethoven performed at the piano changed the way pianos are built? Enter the world of Ludwig van Beethoven with your children in What Music! The Fifty-Year Friendship between Beethoven and Nannette Streicher, Who Built His Pianos. Learn about Beethoven's rise to fame and descent into deafness and experience the joy of his triumphant Symphony No. 9 through the lens of his friendship with Nannette Streicher. An enduring friend whom Beethoven called "an uncommonly good influence" on his life, Striecher was an innovative piano builder. Her pianos, which were louder and sturdier than earlier instruments, were among Beethoven's favorites. With expressive text and lively illustrations, this book will immerse you and your child in the life and music of Beethoven.

What Music!, the book highlighted above, is used in our Elementary A curriculum for Grades 3-5. Featuring a compelling story and evocative illustrations, the book also contains informative author's notes about Beethoven, Nannette Streicher, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. What Music! is just one example of the many beautiful and informative books that make up the core of Music Comes Alive.

Wondering how to acquire the books for Music Comes Alive? Many of these books can be found through your local library system or through second-hand book stores/websites. For your convenience, we also sell the books for our curricula on our website. You can purchase them individually or as a course bundle.

Check out Elementary A: Medieval to Modern or Shop Elementary A (Grades 3-5)

Check out Primary A: Medieval Melodies to Musical Theater or Shop Primary A (Grades K-2)

Bring music to life at home with Music Comes Alive. Our easy-to-use, literature-based curriculum empowers YOU, the parent, to teach music in your homeschool!