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Meet the Musicians by Amy Nathan

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Summary: Short biographies on the path that 15 orchestra members took to get to the New York Philharmonic 

Attention Span/reading level: 8+ - very short,around 5 pages, per section. Easy to understand language and explanation of musical terms. 

Good uses for book in teaching: Practice strategies, persistence/not giving up, working hard to achieve something, giving up one favorite activity to focus on another. 

Favorite part: Seeing that not all of these musicians started playing their chosen instrument very early in life and through hard work they were still able to achieve something great. 

Least favorite part?  Warnings/negative feedback?: None. 

Review: I really enjoyed this short insight into these 15 musicians. The chapters were short enough that you didn't get bogged down in them, but long enough to get a feel for their story and their view on things. As noted above it was really nice to see that it didn't come easy to all of them. Some had to give up favorite sports or other activities to devote more time to music, not all of them liked to practice, sometimes they had to try another instrument before they found one they liked, and not everyone had a great teacher from the beginning.  Each chapter had helpful tips from the musicians on practicing or what to watch for about that instrument in a concert. The first page of each chapter also had fun facts about the musician as a kid - favorite books, pets, activities they enjoyed and the things they enjoy now. Overall, a short, fun read that can inspire budding musicians. 

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