Maestro Classics Review

I'm so pleased to bring Maestro Classics for review here at A Rup Life.  These cds feature a mix of narration and beautiful classical music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  For this review we received two different cds to enjoy!

What:

My Name is Handel:  The Story of Handel's "Water Music"
$16.98 cd or $9.99 mp3 download
Ages 5+


This CD features The London Philharmonic Orchestra performing music from Water Music, Messiah and Rinaldo while telling a story!


Tracks:

• The Story of Water Music
• About Handel and the Story
• "My Name is Handel" Song
• About the Music with the Maestro
• Perepare to Perform
• "My Name is Handel" Sing Along

For this cd we listened to it pretty much straight through.  The story of the boat ride was so fascinating!  I decided it was a great time for the kids to draw the story.  My 3 year old was excited so I broke out the markers and a big piece of poster board and asked him to draw a boat.

For my bigger kids I think the fascinating story was pretty awesome - but the thought of Handel being a spy was even better!  This cd gave a fantastic over view of the history of King George I, how he takes the throne and his boat ride on the River Thames. 




Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
$16.98 on cd and $9.98 mp3 download
ages 4+

On this cd Virginia Lee Burton's children's book is brought to life with a beautiful music score by Stephen Simon.  Featuring the London Philharmonic Orchestra.  Narration and Sing-Along really add to this classic tale!

Tracks:

• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel
• About the Author
• Mike Mulligan Song
• About the Music
• Now That You Know a Little More...
• Want To Have Some Fun?  Prepare to Perform
• Mike Mulligan Song - Sing-Along

We had never read Mike Mulligan before this review.  I've seen in on many homeschooling must read lists but I just hadn't picked it up yet.  I actually thought I had a copy on my shelf but didn't so we hit the library!  My little guy is a car, train, truck lover so it was a big hit.  First we read the book then we listened to the CD.  It is actually perfect because Jace can hold the book and listen to the track.  The music brings the story to life in a way just reading it really can't!

My Thoughts:

I loved these CDs.  I love introducing my kids to new music.  Maestro Classics brings classical music in a way that kid's can really relate by mixing the narration and music together.  Each cd came with a great interactive booklet that is jammed packed with information.  My bigger kid's are big readers so this appealed to them both.  There was even some music in each which is perfect for piano play time at the Rup house.

Another thing I liked is that while there is a suggested age I really felt like you could use these for all ages.  They are also easy to incorporate many times - it is not a one and done product.  My little guy really identified with Mike Mulligan so I'm going to be putting that on in the car so he can listen to the story over and over again. 

Be sure to visit Maestro Classic's site because they have a huge list of resources for each of their titles.  Things including music, lesson plans and other educational resources!