For this month’s Music Book Review I am looking at a book that I got out of our local library (more about libraries a bit later in this post, but my TLDR about libraries is that they are a brilliant resource that are currently under threat, please use them!!), from a series of books under the banner of Soundbites. This one introduces you to many of the various musical groups there are to play in.
Blurb from the back of the book:
- Why is a conductor an important member of an orchestra?
- Where might you find a Cajun band?
- How has technology helped people to make music together?
Soundbites explores the variety of musical instruments in use around the world. The books look at how each group of instruments makes music, how the instruments have developed, how and where they are used today and the ways in which they combine to create the music we hear.
Groups, Bands and Orchestras covers a range of musical groups and ensembles from classical orchestras to the Caribbean steal band. It looks the many ways in which musicians combine to create the music we hear every day. [sic]
What is this book about?
Groups, Bands & Orchestras by Roger Thomas is a non-fiction book about, yes you guessed it, various musical groups, bands and orchestras that people can play in.
As you might expect from a book in a series entitled “Soundbites” this book does provide you with little more than a soundbite about the different groups it discusses. It is very much an introduction to those different musical groups. The book starts at the very beginning (it’s a very good place to start…) by discussing the fact that as long as we have had music, people have played in groups and moves through different types of musical groups starting with discussing orchestras – the history of the orchestra, their musical make up etc. There are double page spreads discussing chamber music ensembles, rock ensembles, folk ensembles, “informal” groups (kids forming a band for example), ensembles across the world and there is even a short discussion about the possible future of group music-making. This is a particularly interesting section given that the book was published in 2002 where the author mentions the future of music making via the internet despite not having any possible way of knowing how much any of us would rely on the internet in the 2020s (for obvious reasons).
There is a Glossary at the end of the book which defines much of the musical terminology in the book, the words it defines appear in bold type throughout the book.
As mentioned above, this is a whistle stop tour of a number of different musical groups. The book aims to give the reader an overview of musical ensembles, not to discuss any of those particular groups in any detail. The only grouping that really has room for a little more information about it is the orchestra and even there, we only learn the rudiments of the orchestra’s musical history and a little information about what instruments feature in an orchestra. For most of the other groups, there is little more information there than naming the different groups, the instruments that form those groups and the style of music they play. But bearing in mind the age range that this book is aimed at, this is not a criticism of the book at all. It aims to give readers and introduction to the different ensembles around the world, and it does exactly that.
Who is this book for?
This is a non-fiction book for children interested in music. I would say that it is aimed squarely at the older end of primary school. These are readers who are becoming more fluent in reading independently, finding their own interests, thirsty for as much information as they can get on the subjects that interest them, but not yet ready for more in depth discussion on a topic. On Amazon, the suggested age range for this book is 9-12. For me, personally I would shift that just a little to 8-11. I am not hugely disagreeing with them, but I feel that this is a primary school level book rather than senior school (using UK schooling here as children move on to senior school at the age of 11). I think that the book does exactly what it sets out to do and is engaging, with plenty of pictures in. But I think for children older than 11, they may find the level of detail in the book a little sparse, and maybe for some 10 and 11 year olds too. This would be a good book to maybe spark an interest in the topic, but older children who were interested in this topic would definitely be left wanting to know more. I shall caveat this by saying, as I always do when discussing what age child I think this book is for, that you know your children far better than anyone else. You know what they are interested in, and their reading ability.
Where to buy the book
While I got this book out of the library (more about libraries below), at the time of writing this review, the book was available on Amazon priced at £3.69 for a second hand copy (it was published in 2002, so is now a 20 year old book), but do bear in mind that prices on Amazon can fluctuate depending on demand.
Would I recommend this book?
Yes, I would. Especially if it was a book that you or your child found in the library. I do think it is a nice introduction to the huge variety of musical ensembles that perform together. I think that this book is perfectly pitched for primary ages children. to give them a taste of musical ensembles and to spark that interest and thirst to find out more, and maybe even join an ensemble to your children. It is a 20 year old book, but in terms of what ensembles are available to play with in the world today, that hasn’t changed too much so it is just as relevant today.
If you enjoyed this book and can get hold of them, there are more books in this series, each of which concentrates on a different family of musical instruments – Brass; Woodwind; Strings; Percussion; Keyboard
A quick word about libraries
I mentioned above that this was a book that I found in the music section of our local library. If you have read this blog before you will know that I currently live in Birmingham in the UK. And you will know from the news that Birmingham’s Council is in quite a bad state in terms of its finances. As well as massively cutting the funding to lots of different departments, including making a 100% cut to its funding for cultural institutions and organisations, 25 out of the city’s 36 libraries are due to close. It has never been more important to go into and support your local library.
If you have enjoyed reading my blog post, thank you. I am always looking for ideas for the blog, so would love to hear from you with suggestions for topics you would like me to cover in the future. Also, if you would be interested in supporting me to keep this blog running, buying the books to review here, and supplies to make the DIY instruments, for example, I would be absolutely delighted if you would consider buying me a coffee using the following link: Buy Me A Coffee Thank you!!
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