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*Picture book, contemporary, for preschoolers through 2nd graders
*Dan, the Taxi Man and a band as main characters
*Rating: Dan, the Taxi Man (Publisher: Kane Miller) follows a classic children’s book form that I happen to love. There’s sound effects that are easy to read aloud AND there’s repeating text. Think The House that Jack Built crossed with Charlie Parker Played Be Bop.

Short, short summary:

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Dan, the Taxi Man begs to be read out loud! Once Dan picks up a musician, that person’s instrument sound is repeated on each page. So, children can repeat the sound with the reader. If you have a large classroom, you can have children divided into groups, and each group can be a different instrument. Have fun reading this book aloud.

2. Before reading the ending to children, ask them to predict what is missing from the band’s performance. Ask children to explain their prediction based on the text or other books they have read.

3. If possible, bring in real instruments or real musicians and have them play the instruments that are mentioned in the story. This is actually a great book for a music teacher to use with young children!

Nationally regarded music education teacher and advocate Sharon Burch is the author of Freddie the Frog® - a fantastical 4-book with companion CD series that helps young children learn musical concepts while they are duly immersed in Freddie’s colorfully illustrated adventures. She may be reached online at www.FreddieTheFrogBooks.com.

Music Key to Raising Kids’ IQ
by Sharon Burch

In past generations, singing and playing instruments was an integral part of family life. A great way to express and entertain yourself and others. We did not realize it, but we were also exercising our brain while we played, causing us to be creative, more vibrant, smarter, etc. In our current generation, we tend to be passive listeners and consumers as a society, and as a result, shorting our mental development and our children the opportunity to reach their mental potential.

Humans are “wired” for music. Until recently, scientists did not know how music affected the brain. The advancement in technology allows scientists to actually “see” brain activity via PET scans and MRI imaging scanning the blood flow in the brain. Our brains are “wired” with neural pathways. Most activities only cause a portion of the brain to “light up” with activity; thus, the saying, right brain/left brain, etc. But there are actually four parts to the brain and music makes ALL of the areas “light up” and create new neural pathways as a person is learning and playing an instrument. Those neural pathways remain in tact and can be used for other things besides music.

Norman Doidge, in his book, The Brain That Changes Itself, shares case after case of people forcing their brain to change and adapt either voluntarily with discipline, or involuntarily due to odd incidences. Studies confirm that our brain has plasticity. “You can’t teach an old dog new tricks” is proven to be a case of “can’t want to,” rather than too old to change.

Daniel Levitin passionately explores the connection between music and the brain in his book of the same name. Google his name, watch video clips on YouTube, or go to his website. It’s an exciting time of discovering how little we know and how much there is to learn. There is definitely enough evidence to recognize it is not in a music teacher’s imagination. Music has a huge impact on activity in the brain. You can physically/visually see the growth and changes that happen inside the brain. The possibilities are endless. The implications for music therapy and music education are profound. Just check out PBS video The Music Instinct. Neurologist and author, Oliver Sacks, relays a true story from his book, Musicophilia, where a man was indirectly struck by lightning through a telephone and three weeks later composing and playing the piano for the first time. Sacks believes the man was “re-wired” through that experience. The list goes on and on.

But even if you are still skeptical about music making kids smarter, let’s look at the other benefits. Socially, music is an ageless hobby creating interaction with great people. Take a look at any school band or orchestra or top-ranking choir, and you will find a huge percentage of the members are in the top 10 percent of their class and college bound. Striving for excellence is a given in a musical group. Everyone has to perfect their part for the group to perform at their best–Nobody “sits on the bench.” Everyone has to pull their weight or the whole g

I am very excited to let people know about this book! It is perfect for music teachers and kids who love music. The best part is the author, Mayra Calvani, is giving away one copy of this book to a lucky commenter. So, for a chance to win this book, leave a comment below by Sunday, Feb. 20 at 8pm CST. Please only United States and Canada addresses. Now, on to the book. . .

*Picture book for preschool through second grade, fantasy
*A mouse as the main character
*Rating: What a clever idea for a picture book, and the illustrations by K.C. Snider are so cute, too!

Short, short summary:

So what do I do with this book?

1. Use the material in the back of the book for extension activities. There’s a bio about Stradivari, a search-a-word puzzle, violin vocabulary, and a matching game.

2. Let students predict what they think Stradivari is working on. Ask them to support their predictions with clues from the text.

3. Study instruments in the string family. Ask students to create posters and make a list of distinguishing characteristics. Listen to the string family if possible!

Don’t forget to leave a comment below for the contest!

*Picture book for preschoolers through third graders, contemporary fiction
*Elementary-school-aged boy as main character
*You will want to be-bop with Doo-Wop Pop over and over again!

Short, short summary: Doo-Wop Pop by Roni Schotter tells the story of Elijah Earl, who is a shy kid who keeps to himself. He knows there are a few other shy kids in the school like Alishah and Jacob. He likes the janitor, Doo-Wop Pop, who used to sing a cappella be-pop music on stage when he was younger. Doo-Wop Pop notices Elijah and the four other quiet students at the school. One day, he gathers them all after school and teaches them some be-bop moves and talks to them about finding their song. They begin to notice the beats and rhythms around them; and before long, these five friends are performing! A rhythmic tale about self-esteem, friendship, music, and art illustrated beautifully by Caldecott Honor-winning Bryan Collier.

So, what do I do with this book?

1. Read it aloud, read it aloud, read it aloud! This picture book was written for the spoken word. Your students or your children will love to be-pop with you while this book sings to them. This book is a perfect choice when wanting to show children a good example of word choice and finding the perfect words to convey a book’s message and tone!

2. Shy students unite! That’s one of the themes of this book, but it’s also about having confidence in yourself and making friends. Ask students to choose a character in the book that they most relate to. Do they ever feel like Elijah? What about Doo-Wop Pop? Students who can write should journal about the character they are most like. Students who are still at the drawing stage can draw an illustration about themselves being like one of the characters.

3. Doo-Wop Pop is the perfect picture book to use in a music class or to introduce your students to this type of music. You can also talk to students about singing a cappella since that is also mentioned in the story.

Have you read Doo-Wop Pop by Roni Schotter?

A murder mystery for the kids!  It should come as no surprise that the diabolical Lemony Snicket is involved.   The Composer Is Dead, but the inspector is on the case, interrogating the entire orchestra to get to the bottom of this hideous crime.  For all its wicked humor (the composer is "decomposing"), this book has a lot to teach children about the workings of the orchestra.  It comes with a wonderful narrated symphony recording of the story with music by Nathaniel Stookey.  The old-timey illustrations by Carson Ellis are pitch-perfect as always (Carson Ellis is responsible for so much of the amazing artwork for The Decemberists).