The Young Brahms / Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends

The Great Musicians Series from Zeezok Publishing is a neat way to learn about composers of the past. We were privileged to review the following set.

The Young Brahms / Franz Schubert and His Merry Friends

1)The Young Brahms by Sybil Deucher

2)The Young Brahms Study Guide by Judy Wilcox

3)Franz Schubert and his Merry Friends by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher

4)Franz Schubert and his Merry Friends Study Guide by Judy Wilcox

5)Companion CD
    Audio files of all the music
    Nice coloring pages for each chapter
    Fun sheets 
    Printable sheet music of all the music

These books are designed for Kindergarten to sixth grade but still can be valuable for higher grades. The study guides include Comprehension Questions, Character Qualities, and Tidbits of Interest. I think the optimal age for the study guide would be upper elementary although there is plenty of material that could be adapted for both younger and older students.

OUR EXPERIENCE
We have not learned as much about musicians as I would like so reviewing this set from Zeezok Publishing was a neat opportunity. At first I thought the books might be too young for my 7th and 9th graders, but even I am enjoying reading the stories. The questions and information presented in the study guides help make the stories even more meaningful. You can listen to the songs from the Companion CD while you are reading the story to get the full effect of the composer's life. Or If you have a pianist in the house, he can play the songs from the book. (However, it would probably be easier to print the sheet music from the CD.) Your younger students may also enjoy coloring the neat pictures while listening to you read.

Even though our family does not really fit in the target range for this series, I would still purchase more of the books as they really are a fun way to learn.

PURCHASING
You can purchase The Young Brahms set for $35.80. Zeezok Publishing has a variety of products in addition to their Musicians Series.

Disclosure:This product was provided to our family for free as members of the 2009-2010 Old Schoolhouse Magazine Homeschool Crew. No further compensation was received. Reviews and opinions expressed in this blog are my own.