ANY CD - $9 • Why?

Many, many people come to our website at Maestro Classics and then purchase CDs at Amazon or other websites. While we are not the cheapest place to shop on the web for the Maestro Classics' Stories in Music CDs, we do think that we are offering services - homeschool curriculums, music teacher lesson plans, articles, and fun home projects - that are of value. We decided to have our first ever sale - any CD for $9 plus free shipping (for the entire order) as a thank you to all of our visitors who decide to support our website by purchasing CDs there.

TWO DAYS ONLY! Begins Monday at 2:30pm and ends Wednesday at midnight.

PROMO CODE: BACKTOSCHOOL

Limit one CD per customer

Back to School? Music to Calm New School Year Jitters

Whether a homeschool parent or a parent who carpools to school, sports, and social activities, most parents spend a lot of time in their cars driving their children from place to place.

The car is an excellent place to have a one-on-one conversation with your child. Somehow the fact that you are looking at the road and that no one else is around often lends itself to discussions and disclosures that do not come up at the dinner table. But it is also a great time to share music together. When you cannot watch a video or look at a YouTube video with your child, you can listen to music and audiobooks and share the experience.

At Maestro Classics, having had kids who loved both audiobooks and music ourselves, we loved the idea of combining them. Classical music with stories for children is such a natural idea, and yet people continue to come up to our booth a tradeshows and ask, "What are these CDs? Are the stories? Are they music?" And, we say, "Both," as we hand them a headset to listen... and watch their smiles as they are transported to a different world through stories in music.

TAKE AWAY: Treat yourself to a Maestro Classics' CD or MP3 to start off your school year. If you have 5-7 year olds, start with Peter and the Wolf or Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel. If your children are older, stay tuned for more advice.

Which Maestro Classics CD Would My 11-Year-Old Granddaughter Enjoy?

Do you have a daughter or granddaughter who is taking ballet lessons? Would you like to introduce her to some of the world's greatest ballet music?

I recommend The Story of Swan Lake for any girl who likes to dance. It has 42 minutes some of Tchaikovsky's greatest symphonic music and she will learn about the composer and the story.

Sometimes it feels like you are too old to know what a young girl would like, but I guarantee that this is a great way to introduce her to classical music.... and you will enjoy listening as well.

Psst... it is also a great CD or MP3 download to get before you go and see the ballet. This September if you are in New York City, the New York City Ballet is performing "Swan Lake" and it is not to be missed!

A Dance ReMix for Maestro Classics Classical Music CDs for Children????

Yes, it is true. The Soldier's Tale ("L'Histoire du Soldat) by Igor Stravinsky will be the latest CD and MP3 download by Maestro Classics, and because Stravinsky was always on the cutting edge, especially when it came to dance music, we thought that we would have a prominent DJ and electronic music composer (who studied and play a great deal of classical music growing up) create a dance remix for track 3, our "fun" track on the new CD. Wait til you hear it!

Stravinsky's "The Soldier's Tale" -Recording in Baltimore, MD for Maestro Classics

The Newest Maestro Classics CD for Children (and their parents!): Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale ("L'Histoire du Soldat" in the original French)
Just returned from recording "About the Music" with conductor Stephen Simon and my biography of Stravinsky with our wonderful recording engineer Alan Wonneberger at the studio at University of Maryland, Baltimore County. We laugh a lot, but also spend much time talking about phrasing and breathing, just as you do if you are a singer or a wind or brass instrument player. Many people do not understand the need for breath control if you are an actor or public speaker, and I find that all of my flute playing certain feeds into my performances on the CDs.

Many new families are finding Maestro Classics Stories in Music series and discovering how easy it can be to get their children to listen to classical music...and ask for more! :-)

Southeast Homeschool Conference 2011

What adorable children stopped by our Maestro Classics Classical Music CDs for Families booth in Atlanta!

Most of all, however, I love to watch the faces of the parents as they discover how to introduce their children to great classical music through stories. Suddenly they are transported to from the din of the convention floor to the concert hall with the London Philharmonic Orchestra playing just for them.

They smile as Juanita the Spanish Lobster complains about her life under the sea. The look anxious as the evil sorcerer turns the beautiful princess into a swan in The Story of Swan Lake. They remember when they were young and read Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, but now it is with full symphony orchestra and the Irish bagpipes. Sharing the joy of great music with families is a delight.

Recording Sessions for Stravinsky's The Soldier's Tale

THE SOLDIER' S TALE (L'HISTOIRE DU SOLDAT) BY STRAVINSKY - MAESTRO CLASSICS NEW CD

Spent a sweltering day at the University of Maryland Baltimore County campus recording tracks 2 and 4 for Maestro Classics' next CD, The Soldier's Tale (L'Histoire du Soldat) by Stravinsky. L'Histoire du Soldat was the most challenging one we ever put on the Kennedy Center classical music for children series, I always thought. The music is modern; the story is the old Faustian myth about selling your soul to the devil. However, much to my surprise, the audience of both parents and children who came for classical music, loved The Soldier's Tale more than any other work we ever did.

My own son has always said that Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat is his favorite piece of classical music. Now, Basil Simon (The Amazing Baz) is creating a dance mix of it for track 3 on the CD. We thought that we needed something "edgy" for our "fun track," namely the track where we feature a different musical genre based on a theme from the musical story on track one. About the Composer and About the Music are now finished. The artwork by award-winning children's book illustrator Birgitta Sif is now complete and has gone to the graphic designer, Lou Barnicle. Release date for the CD: October 2011. Stay tuned!