If you have not heard of Maestro Classics, then you need to run right over and check out their website now. It’s is chalk full of wonderful CDs and downloads to really enhance anyone’s home. Not just homeschool but their home. Music can be such a wonderful part of any family and Maestro Classics makes it easy to instill a love for music in your children (oh, and you will love it too!)
The Nutcracker, by Pyotr Ilych Tchaikovsky, is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra, and narrated by Jim Weiss. We love Jim Weiss recordings so that was a pleasant surprise to hear his narration.
If you or your children are unfamiliar with The Nutcracker, this is a wonderful way to introduce them to the story line with the beautiful Nutcracker music playing in the background. It is simply a beautiful ballet and the narration tells the story wonderfully.
Like all their CDs, the CD has a beautiful and colorful insert with a breakdown of the scenes in The Nutcracker. Additionally, there is a lovely “History of Ballet” section, a synopsis of “The Harp,” a brief biography of Tchaikovsky, and a fun Nutcracker inspired word scramble and crossword puzzle.
Additionally, Maestro Classics provides curriculum guides if you wish to expand your study of the music. The curriculum are free and available on their website. You can take a look at the one that goes with The Nutcrackerr here for the ballet study portion. You can also expand your studies in Geography/History, Science, Language Arts, Art, Music and Math. We downloaded the entire guide to use. I liked that there are YouTube videos embedded into the guide to show various areas of emphasis, coloring pages to use while listening, writing prompts and game suggestions. You can use this as thoroughly or as loosely as works for your study.
I just can’t say enough of how wonderful Maestro Classics is and how easy they make it to bring beautiful, classical music into the homes of everyone. As one that has grown up with classical music, instilling a love for classical music into my kids is important and Maestro Classics is a fun tool to use. Anyone, regardless of your knowledge of classical music, can use this Maestro Classics to bring music into their homes.
As one who studied ballet my whole life, The Nutcracker is a staple in our home during the holiday season. My daughter I typically go to see the ballet every season. So bringing it into our home in a new and fun was is exciting and letting the rest of the family share in it is great.
I highly recommend Maestro Classics and this lovely adaptation of The Nutcracker. You can purchase your own physical CD from the Maestro Classics website for $16.98 or their MP3 download for $9.98. Remember, the curriculum guide is free to use on their website.
Be sure to check out what the rest of the TOS Review Crew has to say about The Nutcracker and Peter and the Wolf from Maestro Classics by clicking the banner below.
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