Once again, we’ve had the pleasure to review a title from Maestro Classics. This time, we’ve gotten to enjoy Peter and the Wolf.
We also love the downloadable curriculum guide available for free that goes along with this. It includes history, science, math, and more so you can make this a bit of a unit study if you’d like.
I loved that on the CD, there was an introduction to the story of Peter and the Wolf by Yadu, the narrator. He let us hear the differences in each of the characters, focusing on the tempo and the instruments within the piece. He even pointed out how characters could have the same basic sound, but minor differences convey different emotions or actions within the story.
I’m sad to say that I don’t believe I’ve ever heard this beautiful piece of music as “Peter and the Wolf” – and I had never heard the story either! I recognized the melody when the disc began. So did my kids! It is a familiar one to most people, I think. I loved hearing the story that goes along with it.
Hearing the music tell the story was really neat! While it was narrated with the actual story written by Sergei Prokofiev himself, we were able to follow along with the music as well. That character introduction at the beginning of the recording brought the music and story to life in a new way.
My kids and I really loved the biographical information about Sergei Prokofiev. That track was awesome, because it opened up a discussion about the time period. They loved hearing that he wrote the story himself after being frustrated and annoyed with someone else’s version that had been written in rhyme! My son thought it was cool that when something wasn’t good enough, it was okay to just redo it and do it right.
We listened to this CD in our van on the way to an event in Dallas and back. We looked through the activity book some, but mostly just enjoyed the CD while we were in the vehicle.
They thought the track with the Russian folk instruments sounded so weird, but they also thought it was neat because it had so many uncommon instruments. The also thought Yadu had a fun and entertaining voice and looked forward to what else he was going to say!
My kids were very open to learning from this CD, just like they loved our other Maestro Classics. Whether you are musical or not, I highly recommend grabbing this, or any other, Maestro Classics CD. You’ll not only enjoy the beautiful classic music, played by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, but you’ll learn a thing or two while you’re at it!
Find out how other homeschool families used this awesome homeschool resource for Peter and the Wolf, or what others thought of The Nutcracker. Click the banner below: