Have you seen the Welcome to… series of books by Carolyn Sloan?
I used this Welcome to the Symphony story a couple years ago as part of our To Russia with Mussorgsky and His Exhibition piano camp, and the students loved it!
So when I was looking for a book this year to go along with our To the Grand Canyon with Grofé and His Suite piano camp, I was thrilled to discover another book in the series: Welcome to Jazz. Since we’re focusing on America with the theme, I figured an introduction to the history and musicians of Jazz music would be a perfect fit.
There’s also a Welcome to the Opera book in the series that I haven’t used yet, but I checked it out from our library and it’s just as engaging as the others. I love the interactive element that the recorded musical snippets provide, and the author does a fabulous job weaving in educational information while some kind of animal (mice in Welcome to the Symphony, cats in Welcome to Jazz, and dogs in Welcome to the Opera) takes the reader on a journey through the story. Even if you don’t offer piano camps or group classes, I highly recommend these books as a great addition to any studio library!
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