Peter and the Wolf

I remember as a young child listening to Peter and the Wolf on a record. Yes, that was a long time ago! So when I found out I would be getting Peter and the Wolf to review from Maestro Classics, I was thrilled.

What it is:

Maestro Classics has a series of CD stories that introduce children to classical music through these stories. The music is performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra and each CD  contains an activity booklet with information pertaining to the story, composer, and musical piece.

The three main goals of Stories in Music are:

1. To expand listening horizons.

2. To develop listening skills and accumulate musical memories.

3. To encourage adults and children to listen to music together.

What We Thought:

We loved it! I know the importance of introducing children to classical music, but I admit that often takes a backseat in our homeschool. I just never seem to get around to it. With this CD we were able to have a complete mini-unit at our fingertips. All my kids enjoyed listening to the story. We listened to how the instruments portrayed each character. The CD had additional tracks that were a cool addition to the story: the life of the composer, a Russian Peter, The Magic Maestro Talks about Peter and the Wolf, Peter and the Wolf without Narration, Invitation to Grandfather’s Party and Kalinka ~ dance along. Tucked in the CD case was a 24-page activity booklet with information about the composer, a short music piece, music terms, fun activities and more. I felt that Maestro Classics made it so easy for me to enjoy and talk about this musical piece with my kids. I hope to add more of these CD’s to our collection soon.

These are the current Stories in Music available:

• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel – timeless classic story
• Peter and the Wolf – every child should own this great work
• Tortoise and the Hare – a very fun version of this tale
• Juanita the Spanish Lobster – sassy and funny from an English composer
• Swan Lake – some of Tchaikovsky’s most beautiful music
• Casey at the Bat – everybody loves baseball, right?
• Sorcerer’s Apprentice – magical story and exciting music
• Juanita la langosta española – great for anyone speaking or studying Spanish

You can listen to a sample and see what the activity booklet looks like for each of these cd’s on the homepage of Maestro Classics (click the image above).

For More Maestro Classics Reviews See:

Disclosure: I am a member of TOS and I was given this product free for review purposes only. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own.