How to Build an Orchestra

by Mary Auld, Sir Simon Rattle (Foreword), Elisa Paganelli (Illustrator)

Find out what makes up an orchestra and learn about its different instruments! A beautifully illustrated book produced in association with the London Symphony Orchestra.

This wonderfully illustrated story follows a conductor who is auditioning each instrument for his orchestra, building to a performance of two pieces of classical music. With links to downloadable music, follow our conductor on his journey and discover the beautiful music of an orchestra.

With pictograms of a full-size symphony orchestra and information on all of the instruments and music featured, as well as a foreword by Sir Simon Rattle, renowned Music Director of the London Symphony Orchestra, this is the must-have book on the makeup of an orchestra and its instruments for children aged 7+.

Genres: Music, Picture Books, Nonfiction

48 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2020

Reviews

[Tamar...playing hooky for a few hours today · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is beautiful, informative, and enticing. Orchestral music can be a little mystifying to someone who is unfamiliar with the artistic discipline. The wonderful illustrations and text show how the orchestra conductor does his or her magic, so that all the musicians perform their instrumental parts according to his/her interpretation of a musical composition. The young reader is exposed to all the instruments in a western orchestra, their tenors, auditions, and rehearsals. The book has an accompanying repertoire of parts, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra, that can be listened to in demonstration while reading the book. Since I received an advance reader copy, I did not have the link, but I am familiar with most of the pieces and enjoyed the music in my head. Music appreciation is an enriching experience and I think every child should have the opportunity to be exposed to music performance from a very young age, since it can seem incomprehensible when introduced in its classical form only later in life (I speak from personal experience!). There is nothing quite like watching a live orchestral performance - or being a part of an orchestra or choir surrounded by and creating a magnificent sound (yes, even the enthusiastic rudimentary performances of the novice). Performing in an orchestra (or singing in a choir) is also a very social and cooperative experience for children and adults, alike. Many thanks to Edelweiss for this beautiful book by Mary Auld, illustrated by Elisa Paganelli, and produced in cooperation with the London Symphony Orchestra. There is a lovely introduction by Sir Simon Denis Rattle, Musical Director of the LSO, who bears an uncanny resemblance 😉 to Simon, the likable orchestra Conductor in this story.

[Helin Puksand · Rating 5 out of 5]

Huvitav raamat, mis tutvustab lapsele orkestri koosseisu, erinevaid pille ja muusikat. Lisaks saavad lapsed veebilehelt kuulata eri pillide kõla ja kogu orkestri mängu.

[Hannah Lewczynski · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh boy, this book has A LOT of information in it. Almost more than my college Music Appreciation class! They have names of all the instruments in an orchestra, accompanied by songs that you can listen along with online! I didn't listen to the accompaniment, however, I believe this would be a great book for music teachers to share with their kids to bring literature into their classroom. They even include how many of each instrument is needed for the orchestra! They describe the different instruments beautifully and discuss different techniques for changing the sound of the instrument. The book is divided up by different categories of instruments needed, such as woodwind, brass, strings, and percussion. I love that this book follows from conceptualization, to auditions, to rehearsals, to the big night! Page 44-45 is a double-spread page that illustrates where the people playing each instrument sits in an orchestra and I like that they added this. I also like how they added descriptions on pages 46-47 of the different pieces that accompanied the pages of the book. The glossary page is a wonderful addition as well. Overall I rate this book 4 stars because I feel there is too much to look at on each page for a young child to stay engaged. This is why I recommend for an older age range.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

First sentence: This is Simon. Simon loves music. He loves to listen to it, and loves to make it. Sometimes Simon hums to himself, sometimes he sings and occasionally he whistles. But that really isn't enough for him--he wants to share music with everyone. That's why he is a conductor. A conductor is the person who leads an orchestra.

Premise/plot: What you see is what you get. The premise of this one is that Simon, the conductor, is holding auditions for the London Symphony Orchestra. The readers "listen in" on these auditions and subsequently have the opportunity to learn all about how to build an orchestra.

My thoughts: Packed with facts--that's how I'd describe this one. The story is very loosely structured. The story holds up, I suppose, to a certain degree. But plenty will be able to guess this is just a "fun" way to teach young(er) readers to orchestra and orchestral music. I appreciate the layout and organization of this one. It is so structured. There are facts here, there, and everywhere. I'm definitely leaning towards this one being for older readers (upper elementary school).

[Jenny · Rating 4 out of 5]

A cute little introduction to the Orchestra that includes a music download so you can listen along if you like. My kids have a pretty decent understanding of the string section (and were quick to shout out when the author used the wrong term, which happened once or twice), but the rest of the orchestra is a little fuzzy for them. So it was nice to walk through the other sections and get an idea of the process, from auditions to performance.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is VERY DETAILED with music that accompanies the descriptions of how to choose an orchestra and the music. We got the book from the library and didn't get the CD with it. There is a lot of music to show the different instruments and how they go together.

[Mindy Baker · Rating 5 out of 5]

Want to pass on your love of music to your children? This is a book you should try! Each page spread is full of fascinating details and treasures to discover. It comes with a QR code to unlock so that your child can listen to the sounds of the London Symphony Orchestra.

[The Library Lady · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is an excellent book with tons of information--NOT a picture book for your toddler. In fact, it belongs in the non-fiction section, but since some cataloging genius decided that it's fiction, it is not going to be on my music shelf when the right kid comes along. Sigh......

[Tiina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Üks viimase aja parimaid lugemiselamusi. Lastele suunatud teos sümfooniaorkestri loomisest. Tekstiga käivad kaasa helikirjeldused, pildid ja klipid muusikapaladest.
Tekitas tahtmise kontserdile minna!

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit wordy, but my music teacher may just read parts as she shares it with her classes.
Large book, multicultural representation, clear illustrations.

[Reelika Raimet · Rating 5 out of 5]

https://raamaturiiulike.wordpress.com...

[Ellon · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great explanation and love letter to orchestras. I didn’t listen to the music though because I had to make an account to download it and I didn’t feel like doing that. I wish the music was housed on a website where I could just put the code in and listen straight from the site without downloading anything, especially since some pages were pretty interactive. Oh well!

[Leigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this e-ARC from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I love this and NEED this for my elementary music classroom! This does such a great job breaking down the orchestra into small manageable parts. I can't wait to hear the accompanying tracks.

[Andréa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.