Resources: great books on music and movement

Books on music, movement and sound:

1. Bottomer, Paul – Let’s Dance! Learn to Swing, Jitterbug, Rumba, Tango, Line Dance, Lambada, Cha-Cha, Waltz, Two-Step, Foxtrot and Salsa with Style, Grace and Ease – Black Dog and Leventhal Publishers (New York). 1998. This is a great illustrated, step-by-step book of how to dance just about any dancy you’d need to move to the music. The author not only explains the steps to each dance, he gives a bit of information about the dance itself, its antecedents and rhythm.
2. Dunleavy, Deborah – The Kids Can Press Jumbo Book of Music – Kids Can Press (Tonawanda, NY). 2001. Lots of great instruments can be made with wash buckets, radiator covers and other household items and this book has them all. In addition, it teaches the reader how to play classic songs on their new instruments (i.e., make a pan-pipe and then learn to play “Yankee Doodle”). Lots of fun, creative times with this book.
3. Fiarotta, Noel & Phyllis – Music Crafts for Kids: The How-to Book of Music Discovery – Sterling Publishing (New York). 1993. A brother and sister got together to create this book of fun projects for making things that make music: wind chimes, log drum, gourd rattle, skin drum, tin can maracas and a Native American rattle are just some of the projects for making instruments. The book also covers music theory, sounds, and dance props (flamenco castanets, maypole and a hula skirt).
4. Hart, Avery & Mantell, Paul – Kids Make Music: Clapping & Tapping from Bach to Rock! -- Williamson Publishing (Charlotte, VT). 1993. This book is all about music for and with kids – songs, dances, types of music, homemade instruments and even “nature’s music”. A great overview of all things musical for kids.
5. Sabbeth, Alex – Rubber-band Banjos and a Java Jive Bass: Projects and Activities on the Science of Music and Sound – John Wiley & Sons, Inc (New York). 1997. This book explains the science behind sound, movement and music; but more than that, this book encourages the reader to make his own instruments and experiment with what was explained. The experiments use common household items so kids can play and learn all at the same time – a win-win, no?
6. Wiseman, Ann Sayre & Langstaff, John – Making Music – Storey Publishing (North Adams, MA). 2003. This is a fun book! The authors tell you how to make tons of different kinds of instruments (“from tambourines to rainsticks to dandelion trumpets …” as the cover says) and then how to play them and suggested songs to play. Perfect!