Orchestra, a love letter to the symphonic for elementary school

Orchestra is a massive, over sized book by Avalon Nuovo with illustrations by David Doran. This is a richly illustrated book that feels at home in any elementary school library, classroom or wherever music is a language that’s practiced. My knowledge on orchestra is limited and that’s being kind. However, I’m a huge fan of books by Flying Eye Books. They produce high quality books that stretch the imagination or have one of their toes in the STEM pool.

In this instance, the entire body of the book is neck deep in the music side of the water. I do know a little bit about Orchestra, I’m not going to go Baroque purchasing recordings from that period though.

Orchestra takes their world and makes it as simple as possible, starting with what it is, who drives it, the string section, key parts of the violin, woodwinds, brass, percussion and more. I never knew that a piano was technically part of the percussion section. Moreover, that said section has tuned instruments, like the xylophone and kettledrum, as well as un-tuned instruments like cymbals or the bass drum.

The book also looks at concert halls, composers, styles, presentation and more. Orchestra is an all encompassing book that’s approachable for those who are 7 and up. The vocabulary is on par with those third grade readers being able to jump right in and read it without any hesitation, other than some of the composer’s names.

The illustrations in Orchestra match the caliber that one would expect from Flying Eye Books. From the weight of the pages and the size of the book it makes an immediate statement. The art backs that up by it art deco color sensibilities, hard lines and timeless appeal.

Casual music fans will be welcomed by Orchestra’s large size and art. That’s one reason why elementary aged readers might think of the book as more of a reference book for music. That’s the way that our wife thought of the book and that line of thought is consistent with some of Flying Eye’s other science books. I find them so entertaining that I read them just for fun, even though they are laden corner to corner with information.

If you’re a music person who is in band or orchestra this is one of those books that will be in your forever library. If you’re new to music then you’ll appreciate the glossary and index that are at the end of the book. This way you can make notes on what you want to read again or research more in a deeper text.