TOS Crew Review: Maestro Classics

The Crew was sent a sample of the Maestro Classics story retellings and I was able to share The Tortoise and the Hare with my family. To be honest, I wasn't expecting a whole lot from yet another rendition of The Tortoise and the Hare.

However, I was VERY pleasantly surprised with this product! The retelling was very entertaining and extremely high quality. As the name suggests, the story included orchestra music. At the end of the initial telling, the creators explained that the story is one of Aesop's Fables. My kids learned that Aesop originally told this story in 600 BC and that fables are used to help people learn lessons without actually telling them what they need to learn.

The composer shares how he chose the music for the score. In this case, the kids learned that since hares don't hop or move evenly with one set of legs longer than the other, the composer chose a jumpy sort of music to relay this idea. The tortoise was represented by low and slow tempo music.

I loved the Pretzel Vendor song and the music is included along with a couple of single tracks of this fun song alone.

The narration was fantastic and even my older kids were enjoying this one as it played.

I can't wait to check out some of the other titles including:

• Peter and the Wolf
• The Story of Swan Lake
• Sorcerer's Apprentice
• Casey at Bat
• Juanita the Spanish Lobster
• Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel

I'm especially going to seek out Mike Mulligan since it's a Five in a Row book. Don't hesitate to check this product out if you are looking for more audio CDs or some music appreciation material in your school at a cost of $16.98, these classical music CDs would be a fantastic addition to your homeschool.