Music Books

A couple years ago I just happened to be browsing the music section of my local Borders, looking for some inspiration, and stumbled upon this book. It is truly great, and has had large effect on my outlook (and skills.) I read through it regularly, write in all the margins, and should really be putting more effort into mastering these ideas. Buy a copy if you can, even at the current used price of $45. It's worth it, if you can only see the knowledge it contains and truly adopt this performance outlook for yourself.

If you want to "entertain" an audience, Liv can tell you how to do it. This book is concise, entertaining, and a MUST read. The author provides some real-world reality checks, shows you how to engage the audience, and does it all with humility and good humour. It is truly unfortunate that the book is out of print. It shouldn't be.

Buy it, if you can find it. Borrow a copy, check the library, but definately READ this one! It is short, to the point, and it is even a FUN read! I would sell my copy to you, but I want keep it so that I can read it again!

RHB

I have seen Liv live on a number of occasions. He is an amazing performer - not as technically proficient as, say, Vince Gill, but he never claims to me. One walks away from his concert feeling as though their emotions have undergone Ty-Bo.

He mixes grace, humor, and modesty in a way that few have managed to master. For the new (or experienced) performmer, this book is a great way to begin that Mastery process.

Highly recommended, to say the least.

Excellent, engaging, compassionate, humorous, with lots of useful information on myriad facets of the music business. This material is the fruit of 30 years of experience, and is laced with gritty, funny anecdotes that bring each of Taylor's "lessons" to life. I'm buying another two copies for friends.

Liv Taylor's book is an excellent resource for all musicians and performers who engage in live performance or touring. As a writer, Taylor brings the reader into his Berklee College of Music Stage Performance Class, where assorted characters (based on real students) receive coaching and wisdom Liv has garnered from his 30+ years of performing and touring experience.

Taylor's primary message is one of cultivating a sensitive and attentive relationship between the performer and his or her audience. He also presents useful thoughts on stage presence, performance anxiety, audience interaction, life on the road, and the requirements for maintaining a viable performing career.

Though Taylor's book is primarily targeted at young, aspiring popular musicians at the beginning of their careers, more experienced artists, musicians from other disciplines, and even actors and public speakers can benefit as well.

-Doc Wallace, Faculty, the Juilliard School

Good book for my needs. I'm a rookie conductor-director of orchestral ensembles and use materials like this regularly. Thanks and good luck with whatever new undertakings may leave you feeling as vulnerable and under-prepared as I!

Rob Rife

I have been so fortunate to be able to work with Dr. Boonshaft in performance. He recently conducted the community band that I have been involved with. My parents, who were audience members, and I were so impressed with Dr. Boonshaft, that my mother hopped on the computer and ordered this book as soon as we got home from the performance. I have since been reading it, a little at a time, finding it so full of amazing information, awesome advise, and well thought out structure that I have been savoring it and trying to absorb as much of it as possible. Currently, I have finished the first chapter and I am compelled to write the review!

For a girl who loves quotes, there are many, many quotes from astute thinkers from every realm in this book that are so ridiculously relevant to the subject Dr. Boonshaft is delving into. I highly recommend this book to ALL TEACHERS not just music teachers. Even though this book is titled "Teaching MUSIC with Passion" there are many concepts that are relevant for ALL teachers.

I wish I had been taught all of these little tricks of the trade before I was tossed in and baptized by fire. My first years of teaching would have been DRASTICALLY different. I also find this book to be quite a good pick-me-up as well as cheerleader as I flirt with burnout on the occasion. Highly recommended!

Dr. Boonshaft was a lecturer at The Complete Band Directors Workshop this year at Capital University. His presentation gave me many ideas for this school year to use with my middle school bands. I am about 3/4 of the way through his book and know I'll reread it because it has so many useful ideas for rehearsals. This is one to keep on your director's bookshelf.

I am a former student of Dr. Boonshaft, and was introduced to this book when it was assigned as my class text for the semester. The book was very consistent with my Secondary Band Methods class, and reading it allows outsiders to share in Dr. B's funny anecdotes and useful tips. It's almost like taking a class with him. It was interesting enough to read beyond the assigned sections each night. He touches on lots of useful rehearsal techniques and also gives advice on how to deal with different situations. Well known for his conducting, he breaks down different methods in Laymen's terms.

I highly recommend this book, for it an extremely useful read to keep on a nearby shelf for reference. Years later I still refer back to it on a regular basis. It speaks to the the director, the instrumentalist, the conductor and most importantly, the teacher.

If you're like me, it will definitely leave you inspired.

This is one of the most awesome soundtrack sheet music books I've ever seen! All of the pieces sound like they do in the movie, and the grand staff notes are close enough to the original melody to sing along to. The key is hard to get used to, but once you do, it's amazing!!

This book is a challenge even for the most experienced pianist. His music is fun and intricate and complex. I recommend this book for anyone who is not only a fan of the movie but a fan of excellent music who is looking for music that takes their knowledge of music theory to the max.

I love all things tim burton, especially the soundtracks to his movies. danny elfman is possibly the most talented composer in hollywood and it baffles me that not all his music is sold as a piano vocal series, since it is so very suitable for just that. consequently I was thrilled to find this little book, and I was not disappointed. it is simple enough for a novice to play along based on the chords, and yet sophisticated enough for the more experienced pianist to get a lot out of the instrument. as has been noted elsewhere, the guitar chords are indeed systematically drawn every tim they occur, which to me is a fantastic idea. every tim burton/danny elfman fan who likes singing and playing the piano should own a copy of this!

the second I got my hands on it, I went directly to my piano and did not get up for the next four hours. that's how great it is to be your very own nightmare before christmas soundtrack!

I'm not musically gifted like the rest of my family; I only took 4 years of violin to get out of gym, but wouldn't know what to do with one if I picked it up today. But I do know that this music/lyric book has every song from "The Nightmare Before Christmas" movie. anyone that's watched it KNOWS that every song is hauntingly, melodiously beautiful, just like any other Tim Burton production. Even if you can't carry a tune or don't know the words, you have to try to sing along. But with this musicbook you can! -at least know the words -you know best if you can actually sing... I would highly recommend this product! Kudos to the Hal Leonard Corp for making it available! :)

There's lot of stuff in this tiny cheap book. It's obviously not aimed at orchestrators but more at the movie fans who expect some nice evenings, singing these excellent tunes.
I give this book a 5 because of the guitar chords which are systematically drawn each time they occur. It wasn't expected, especially as we're dealing with a piano vocal song book, so: 2 thumbs up=5 stars !

This book is amazing! The plot is twisted enough to get the reader guessing, the characters are well rounded and well developed and the attention to detail is first rate. I finished it in 2 days! I would recommend this book to anyone who loves to read interesting books that have unique points of view, which this one does. This book is definitely a great one if a reader wants to be entertained!

I completed 'Traveling with an Eggplant' in a day. This is the first time--in a long time--that a book has kept my undivided attention. The story is seamless and not full of filler-footage. Every word written has revelance. And the writing is smart, which makes you think, but not in an i-have-to-take-an-exam kind of way. More so in the 'Zen and the Art of Motorcylce Mainteance' way. Just not as heavy.

Alycia Ripley also did an amazing job in bringing the reader into Alison's (main character) world. I felt primarily connected to Alison and had a fun time watching the story unfold in my head. As a thespian, I understand how important it is to keep your audience connected with your character and Ms. Ripley displayed that extremely well in her novel. Also, being a child of the 80's and from Long Island, I could easily associate my own life to various references about the 80's the LI in 'Eggplant'.

I highly recommend 'Traveling with an Eggplant' if you're looking for something different. It's a quick read and I believe most will definitely find a connection to the story.

I'm pleased to say that I briefly knew the author of this book while mutually attending Syracuse University. She was a friend of a friend whom I met at a lively campus bar and often went to see perform in the SU comedy troupe. You could always tell what material was hers because it was so on the mark and on the money. The voice she used while making fun of our (oh so visible) campus stereotypes was unique, articulate and fast as bullets. Although that was comedy and this book is more drama, I can still hear her voice in my head and see her when reading some of the descriptions and images. This book is really engaging and fascinating. The characters are so alive and the circumstances so vivid that I sometimes found myself looking around the room I was in to make sure that I was still alone. There are several parts that kept me awake and freaked me out. If you enjoy a good story, some fresh characters, and having to actually use your brain, you will like this book. Congratulations Alycia for succeeding at what you wanted so much to do! It's really great to see someone from SU making their name in the arts.

Reviewed by Danielle Feliciano for Reader Views (2/06)

In her stunning debut novel, Traveling with an Eggplant, author Alycia Ripley takes the reader on a wild ride through the life and mind of Alison Olson. Alison finds herself revisiting her past, both literally and figuratively. She finds herself haunting the remnants of her college life, aimlessly wandering around her old campus and apartment. As she haunts her old life, her old life begins to haunt her. She lives with an onslaught of memories, as well as a hallucinatory soundtrack running through her head at random. As she attempts to deal with her past, she struggles with the present; her tumultuous and maddening relationship with Seymour, her friendship with her best friend Tara, and her fight for respect and recognition at her job where she is one of a handful of females working in a male-dominated world.

The characters in this novel are so well developed, it is hard to forget they are not actual people. The writing is so vivid and detailed that you can easily imagine yourself taking this journey with Alison. When she begin hallucinating, your mind is right with hers as she dances the line between what is real and what is our imagination. As you watch Alison deal with finding herself, finding her destiny, and commit an amazing act of heroism, you can't help but cheer her on. Your heart breaks with hers, but she gives you a reason to believe there is hope in midst of the chaos we call life. In the end, you celebrate with her as she faces her demons and realizes that to move forward in life, you have to ultimately deal with your past.

Traveling with an Eggplant is a incredibly bizarre book, yet so beautifully written you are never confused about what is happening. It takes you on a journey from the present to the past to the dream world and back again, but is written so smoothly that never once does the reader feel lost. Alycia Ripley has done a splendid job of writing a novel that not only acts as an escape, but as a catalyst for examining our own lives. Alison Olson is a character that we can all identify with, and can all admire for her strength and heroism.

My favorite thing about this book is its great dialogue. With many books the dialogue just sort of reads and you accept it because you have to but in this book, the dialogue is really alive and once it was done, I wanted the characters back. The main character, Alison, is a music journalist with a problem- she's thirty something and doesn't know why she's wandering her college campus and hanging out near her old college apartment. She has a strange relationship with a guy named Seymour who in college once cautioned her about an on coming storm and from then on, the book takes off to her career in New York, writing for a Rolling Stone type magazine and the difficulties in breaking into the business as a woman and as a 'rock encyclopedia' who desperately wants to achieve her goals. Her relationship/friendship with Seymour, now a neuroscientist, veers from charming and sweet to frustrating and maddening! To top it off, she starts hearing voices and songs in her head and being assaulted by a ghost version of someone she knew long ago....Her best friend becomes sick, Alison begins hallucinating (or not) and all this is happening as she deals with becoming a bit of a celebrity. I loved this book- the ending was such a surprise and the dialogue is realistic, hilarious, and engaging. The character of Seymour has to be experienced to be believed! I really enjoyed this book and recommend it.

I really enjoyed this book - I am a pianist, not a violinist, but it was still fun and fascinating to read about Steinhardt's life with the violin.

I read Mr. Steinhardt's book in almost a single sitting. His explication of Bach's D minor partita, and particularly its final movement "chaconne" should be required reading for every serious, classical violinist. Despite my many years of involvement with the instrument, both as a dealer and amateur player, I was fascinated with Mr. Steinhardt's search for a suitable violin. Having heard the Budapest Quartet, it was a revelation to me that he acquired Joseph Roisman's fiddle; so appropriate that it would pass from one great quartet leader to another. A small error in the book was the date given for Jascha Heifetz's memorable Carnegie Hall debut; it was in October of 1917, not 1918. Aside from that
the book is a page turner, beautifully written and very personal.

Charming and engrossing book about playing the violin and trying to come to terms with one of Bach's great masterpieces. In my opinion the book is at its best when it is about music and the violin - which is most of the time. I'm less convinced by the sections designed to give it universal appeal and at times the style gets a little too folksy. However, it is full of wonderful detail and has got me playing the Chaconne (in Steinhardt's impassioned performance on the CD) in the car all the time. And given me an entirely new understanding of what a violin is. And we see the true apostolic succession - that of the artist - the present standing upon the achievements of the past - we see that at work. The idea of dancing the Chaconne suffuses the book with a feeling of what it means to be human and mortal. A lovely work.

Wonderfully well-written. Most musicians' books are loose collections of stories. Steinhardt has stories, but also architecture that binds everything together: dreams, the individual sound of every violin, the making of the violinist and musician, the Bach Chaconne. His dreams are both hilarious and beautiful. A terrific book, and you get a CD of Steinhardt playing Bach, besides.

Violin Dreams, on the surface, is a simple book, recounting Arnold Steinhardt's life as a violinist from his first days of playing, up to his career as first violin of the Guarneri Quartet - the quartet, by the way, from whom I first "learned" the Beethoven quartets. The book also tells of Steinhardt's lifelong quest for the "perfect" violin. But this is only the surface of the book. Intentionally or not, Steinhardt's very simple prose conceals a sub-stratum of deep feeling, musical insight, and a man's search for meaning in his own life.

As a sports professional, I found Steinhardt's confrontation of the possible loss of his ability to play at all deeply moving. What are we, when the thing we have lived for is taken away? If we are nothing without our profession and our tools, then we are nothing with them - as Steinhardt points out.

Arnold Steinhardt, it turns out, is a great deal more than just his violin. He grows increasingly curious about the music behind the music - repeatedly, we return to the Bach Partita for Violin solo No. 2 in D minor, from which the chaconne becomes a touchstone of Steinhardt's "journey towards music", as Victor Gollancz once memorably put it. He travels to wonderful places such as Machu Pichu (on foot, which says something about the man). He pays homage to the luthiers of Cremona. He grows through friendships with some of the world's great musicians, and from friends less musically exalted. And each journey brings Steinhardt, and the reader, closer to music, and to something both basic and ennobling.

At the end the book, I was taken by surprise at how emotionally engaged I had become. John Steen has pointed out that the real purpose of the critic is to make us hear music better and to lead us to deeper engagement with it. Away from his violin, this is exactly what Arnold Steinhardt has done with this book. I loved it, am buying multiple copies to give to musical friends, and recommend it heartily.

Now back to practicing, with no hope of every playing at Mr. Steinhardt's level, but with an increased love of the instrument, and of making music.

Being British myself and also someone who works in HOLLYWOOD'S Movie & TV industry, I have to say that this is one of the best autobiographies of someone in the same business I've ever read. Michael Caine lays out his rags to riches life with complete candor and in a very engaging narrative style.

His total honesty and recall, specially of his rise to fame in the 1960's, makes the reader really feel part of the scene. Caine's book is most revealing in the behind the scenes goings on in the making of his movies. I'll not spoil it for you by going into detail, but our cockney actor friend certainly got around to meeting just about all of the "in" people of the day and many before they were household names to the rest of us. He mentions the good, bad and the ugly and doesn't spare himself when looking back on the mistakes he has made.

For aspiring young actors, there are lessons to be learned here. Caine has a separate book for that, but still he offers up some informed pieces of guidance in this work. As an Englishman, he's probably the most famous and iconic actor to ever come of old blighty and blimey if ee' don't alf make it one ell' of a read!

Michael Caine is one of my favourite actors, and "What's it all about" is one one fascinating read. It has an excellent witty conversational style, which makes it very engaging, especially in the earlier parts. I always took Caine to be a dyed-in-the-wool Brit (he looks like one, and says so in the book himself) and so was surprised and amazed at the amazing life he's led... brought up in a poor family, survived the World War, went to war in Korea and almost got killed himself, struggled like hell, led a debauched lifestyle, and so on.

"What's it all about" is one of the best autobiographies I've read if you just count the first half, let's say before Caine settles with his family in LA; after this it seems to eschew those little tidbits of gossip, life and human nature for the mundane: what parties/restaurants/hotels/people/homes/flats they went to/ate in/stayed in/met/bought/rented, and so on. This part is quite dull, though it does have the occasional witticism. Also some things are missing... incredibly there's no reference to the one Caine quote which - let's just say - not a lot of people know. Also I'd have liked him not to be silent about his "conquests".

One thing that really got me though is the mistakes... I dont know whether these are just typos or Sir Michael fiddling with the truth a bit. For example, on page 5 (hardcover) he says at birth his weight was 8 lb 2. Later (page 348), this becomes 6 lb 2. Another instance: on page 35 he is 6 ft tall at age 15 having added a foot in two years, yet on page 25 he is 5 ft 11 at age 11. On page 330, he says "Since then I've only drunk wine" as a result of finding out about his excessive drinking. Yet we have many references later to the drinking of all kinds of spirits, including vodka. There are more such mistakes, which makes me think the book wasnt proofread at all.

But all in all, this is a very good read, even if you dont know Michael Caine. If nothing, it at least gives the message that dreams can be achieved if you try hard enough and never give up.

If Michael Caine's life resembles that one of the average actor, next time I request an autograph from Nicole Kidman or Kevin Spacey, I may be dwelling on their heroic background, rather than on their assumingly obscure and profligatious foreground. Maurice Micklewhite's biography is just a piece of inspiration for any quitter. It can outdo Anthony Robbins' tapes any day. A fighter in Korea, a victim of malaria, a reluctant B-movie castmember, a happy hedonist, a drunk, an opportunist, and aventually a model husband and father. He's had it all. Michael Caine carries enormous weight in his movies not just because of his acting guile, but mainly because of his charismatic persona. His diversification of characters portrayed, whether in "The Man Who Would Be King", "Funeral in Berlin", "The Eagle Has Landed" or "The Cider House Rules", offers the spectator the unusual challenge of discerning him from prior roles, a task traditionally reserved to a Laurence Olivier, Alec Guinness or Ralph Richardon. Can't help but fall in love with the lad.

Michael Caine, one of film's most durable actors, tells his story through 1992 in the autobiography WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT?

How many film performers have done as much as well as Michael Caine? For more than forty years, the actor has delivered shining performances in dramas, thrillers and comedies. He's carried flicks as a leading man, shared the spotlight as a costar, contributed to emsemble casts and has even take small roles.

In WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT, Michael Caine vows this book is the only autobiography he will write. I hope he changes his mind. I am sure Mr. Caine had to leave a lot of good stories out of his first volume. And since its '92 publication, he has been knighted and won another Oscar. Why not another book?

The most noteworthy aspect of WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT is that Michael Caine, despite having done almost everything you could want to do, has had the same personal and professional ups and downs as you and me. He tells stories we've all been through, such as being nervous about meeting women and his strained relationships with friends. (Of course, you and I would not be pals with actor Terence Stamp.)

This Michael Caine fan wants more movie-making anecdotes. If Mr. Caine does publish a second autobiographical volume, I request a synopsis of the making of each of his ninety-something films. He barely mentions two of my favorites: WATER and especially the obscure comic gem WITHOUT A CLUE.

Bravo to Michael Caine for not kissing and telling. He alludes to the bedroom activity that made the 1960s what it was for the rich and famous but does not name names.

The night Michael Caine won the Best Supporting Actor for CIDER HOUSE RULES, ceremony host Billy Crystal had been making fun of Caine's role in a JAWS film. Yet Mr. Caine did not return the dig during his acceptance speech, despite notorious Crystal bombs such as MR. SATURDAY NIGHT, FORGET PARIS, and FATHER'S DAY.

Unless, of course, Michael Caine's saving those remarks for his next autobiography!

For now, read WHAT'S IT ALL ABOUT.

This book is inspiring. Michael Caine knew at a very young age that he wanted to act, and through perseverance, he has become highly successful and one of the most respected actors of our time, with two Academy Awards to his credit. This should serve to encourage those with dreams but who tell themselves "I'll never make it."

This is the real thing. Caine starts at the beginning and tells it all without indiscreet name dropping. He mentions that he does not plan to write another autobiography and so does not want to leave anything out. That makes for a really great read.

But what's really special about this autobiography is how approachable Caine seems to be. He comes across as just a regular guy whom you could approach on the street and say hi. Considering that most of the other autobiographies I've read, however great they may be, still seem like stories told by a celebrity who has deigned to share his/her life story, that in itself is an amazing accomplishment.

Greene's newest is fun if you are from that era of music. I wish it had more about the encounters of other musicians, and less of his musings. Since he toured with Alice Cooper and wrote a book about that, it would have been fun to hear some kind of comparison of those experiences.

If you are a fan of 50s and 60s music you will love this book. If you are a fan of Jan and Dean you MUST HAVE THIS BOOK. It is beyond a doubt the best book I have ever read on the subject of rock and roll.But it is so much more than that-it is the story of undying friendship and the search for eternal youth.I found my own Surf City last year when I met Dean Torrence in an Oklahoma Casino where he and the Surf City All Stars were playing.That meeting made reading the book that much better,because it proved to me that Bob Greenes views were right on the mark, and that if you are lucky you too can find Surf City.Rock and Roll will never die.

This is a great book. I especially enjoy reading about Gary Griffin....he's a real cutie. It's interesting to find out that life on the road isn't all glamor. A wonderful inside view of the people and songs that we all remember.

Do you remember "Jan and Dean"? Do you remember those "surf songs" that were/are so much fun to dance to and sing along with? Do your kids remember these songs? This book, so easy to read, gives us one man's remembrance of what it was like to tour and sing/play with the various and ever-changing group inspired by the original Jan and Dean. What a wild and wonderful ride they all had...

This was a fascinating read for me and I was amazed about so many details of "life on the tour" that Bob Greene remembered. For all I know, he may still be on tour...

You might also like reading one of Bob's other recent books, And You Know You Should Be Glad. He has a gift for being able to write about how it felt growing up in a (fairly) small town in the 50's/60's and has a way about explaining feelings that he had as a teenager and those feelings of his friends. Things were sure different then and young people today might enjoy seeing how one particular guy saw things. When I have read his books, I have said to myself, "yeah, I know what you mean," but have not been able to put it into words. He talks about the importance of sustaining friendships and not all of us have been able to keep such long relationships. His recounting of those times also kept me laughing, it was not all seriousness. In fact, I think the humour is what kept the whole thing going in both of these books.

Sincerely,
Diane Commendatore
loudotcomm@comcast.net

Bob Greene takes fans of 60's music through an insightful story from behind the scenes as he tells of his travels with Jan and Dean. His observations as one of the back up musicians reveal little known things about musicians and how concerts work. He also has many anecdotes about Jan and Dean after Jan's "recovery" from his terrible accident. Some of them are humorous and some rather sad. Reading this book led me to buy other books by Greene that I hadn't read so far in addition to buying another book about Jan and Dean. A good read.

This is an excellent resource. I wish I'd had something like this early in my career. Not only is the book an excellent collection, but it is all on the accompanying CD to help you prepare bulletins, text for Sunday service, etc. Superb! A good investment.

This is the finest resource for worship planning I have read in years. The essays are very helpful. The prayers are written in good English. The inclusion of a CD makes the book especially useful. Although I am a United Methodist Pastor, I highly endorse this Reformed Church resource.

Excellent resource for worship leaders! Great selection of corporate and responsive prayers and readings, also includes lectionary in appendix.

very usefull. a good gift for persons who find themselves in the position of worship coordinator.

This is an excellent resource! Any pastor or worship leader who incorporates litanies, corporate prayers and unison readings in their worship services should have this resource. It is also a very helpful resource in providing written prayers and liturgies for lay readers.

If you are reading this review, you may be a newcomer to this children's Christian curriculum.

A brief history: Sonja M. Stewart and Jerome W. Berryman's YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP is not just another set of Sunday School or Church School materials. It's a paradigm shift in the religious education of children. Religiously,it shifts away from the view that children are "born sinful" towards the view that children are spiritual beings, born with a longing to connect with the heart of Being, longings that they do not have the language to express. Educationally, it shifts away from the view of teacher as adult know-it-all who pours learning in to an empty vessel towards the Montessorian view of children and adults as explorers together.

The educational roots here are with Maria Montessori. Her disciple, Sofia Cavaletti, created the curriculum known as "Catechesis of the Good Shepherd," used in many churches, but especially in Catholic and Anglican or Episcopal congregations. Sofia Cavaletti's disciple, Jerome W. Berryman, an ordained Episcopal priest, has created the curriculum known as "Godly Play," and Berryman, together with Sonja M. Stewart, an ordained Presbyterian minister, have produced the curriculum in this book, YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP, sometimes called the "Children Worship and Wonder" curriculum. All are rooted in the religious and educational assumptions mentioned above.

If you are a newcomer to all this, I suggest you start by reading YOUNG CHILDREN AND WORSHIP. Read the Bible "presentations," which make up 2/3rds of the book. Read the presentations as you would read a personal, devotional book, one or two or three daily. Notice how, in the course of a year, the lessons present the history of Christian faith and the story of the church. Notice how traditional Biblical language is used, but sparely and with child-appropriate simplicity. Notice how the curriculum spirals back on itself; notice the repeated introduction of Jesus: once there was a man "who said such amazing things and did such wonderful things that people began to follow him." Notice the repeated language introducing the parables: "sometimes parables seem to have lids on them. But when you lift the lid of a parable there is something very precious inside..."

If you think as I do that this curriculum is light years better than anything else out there, then study the teacher's helps also in the text. You may want to seek training or read some of the other works referenced above or go to their websites.

This book includes explaination, 41 stories (lessons), and plans for materials needed of a great worship service children really get into. I have been doing this program for 2 years and my children are incredible. I wish the adults would have this much respect. I highly recommend this book for anyone looking for a successful worship program for their children.

I have worn out my first copy- having used the patterns and lessons for teaching Sunday School. Godly Play is portable and the pieces may often be made from cheap or found materials.Godly Play is useful, not just for children- I have given lessons in nursing homes,to seminary students, and others. Every one takes something different from seeing the presentations. The energy is indeed holy in each instance, where I have done my job correctly- so different from the stuffy old paper curriculum !

Young Children and Worship is an inspiring way to draw young children into the stories of scripture, the stories of God, enabling them to worship, interact with God, and ponder who He is. The form is a simplified version of the traditional order of worship emphasizing quiet, beauty and awe. After the introductory chapters most of the book tells you how to present specific stories. The focus in this book is on basic stories that tie into the church year and traditional worship. I found it very inspiring, whatever your worship tradition.

This is the seminal volume of what became the Godly Play movement.If you haven't yet explored Godly Play, I heartily recommend the method as such, and as set forth in Young Children in Worship. Godly Play allows children to experience Bible stories and other stories that carry faith messages, told with an archetypal spareness that allows each listener to absorb and reflect on the material in his or her own way. A teacher tells the story with the help of tactile materials, then helps children "wonder" about the stories. Children then may move to independent or shared "work" (art or reenactment of the story). The atmosphere is quiet, focused, and meditative. Tactile materials used in storytelling respect children's way of processing information. The method creates a space in which children may link faith-based language with their own perceptions of God, or fulfill deep emotional/spiritual needs. Godly Play is adaptable to different traditions and faiths by choosing among, or amending, the stories. We've found it to be deep and satisfying to all participants, young and old.

Young Children and Worship will tell you everything you need to know to get a Godly Play program going. It includes patterns and specifications for creating storytelling materials as well as information on all aspects of the work and philosophical thought on the Godly play method. Most of the book consists of stories from the Old and New Testament, plus other lessons, such as The Light, or The Church Year, that present concepts of Christian faith. Teacher notes show the use of tactile materials and provide "wondering" questions.

The obvious comparison is to co-author Jerome Berryman's outpouring of independent volumes on Godly Play. Berryman's many independent titles provide a few additional stories and expand on classroom management and facilities provision. He examines the effect of the work on children as well. However, Berryman's independent work may have exceeded its usefulness to practioners. Young Children and Worship is a do-it-yourself work that Berryman now seems to wish we didn't know about, preferring to sell us an endless series of new books and, from the Godly Play website, expensive materials. To be fair, Berryman's refinements and insight have grown as he practices. But decide your priorities before buying additional Godly Play materials. Young Children and Worship may be all you need.

Jean-Marie Potiez is, of course, from France. I knew him through ABBA fan clubs some years ago. He gives a good account of the ABBA phenomenon. Agnetha was born in Jonkoping, Sweden on April 5, 1950. Her father staged amateur reviews in the town, and Agnetha began singing in them at an early age. When she was 15, she left school to take a job as a telephone operator with a car firm. She was singing with a group called Bernt Enghardts. She left them when her composition, "Jag Var Sa Kar (I Was So In Love)" became a hit on the Swedish charts. Agnetha moved to Stockholm and recorded her first album.

Agnetha composed music. She did nine solo albums between 1968 and 1988. She recorded in Swedish, German, English, French and Spanish. Her label in the early days was Cupol. She went on to form Agnetha Faltskog Productions with Staffan Linde as her manager.

Benny Andersson is the only one of the four born in Stockholm, Benny came from a family of accordion players. It was natural for him to teach himself piano. From 1964 to 1969, his Hep Stars were Sweden's biggest group. They had a rougher image than Bjorn's Hootenanny Singers. When their career ended in bankruptcy, Benny came away with the idea that there would have to be greater economy in the future. It gave him incentive to become co-owner of Polar Music with Bjorn and Stig Anderson.

Bjorn Ulvaeus came from Gothenburg, Sweden's western port and second largest city, where he was born in 1945.

Bjorn was still in school when he formed the West Bay Singers, a folk group. Stig Anderson suggested the name, Hootenanny Singers. Stig was great at naming groups.

Bjorn is known for his business sense and studied corporate law for a term at the University of Stockholm. He meant to be a civil engineer. He was drafted into the Swedish military for the mandatory 10 months, a handy experience if you are going to write songs like Fernando.

Frida Lyngstad was raised by her grandmother in Eskilstuna. Her mother had died at age 21, and it was felt that little Frida would fare better in Sweden since her father had been part of the occupying army.

Frida started singing professionally when she was 13. She sang with a big band, and that is how she met her first husband, Ragnar Fredriksson. He played trombone. Frida had two children by him: a son, Hans, and a daughter, Lotta.

If you are an ABBA fan, then you will love this book. The book takes you into the lives for 4 very special musicans.

Abba remain hugely popular in Britain and many other countries more than twenty years after they disbanded. This book is not an in-depth study of the different personalities and their difficulties, but it gives plenty of information about the members of Abba and their manager, including their lives before and after Abba. And (at least in my hardcover edition) there are pictures - plenty of them.

Regarding the four members of Abba, three of them (Benny, Bjorn and Agnetha) were born and raised in Sweden, all apparently having fairly normal childhoods, only their musical talent setting them apart from others. All three became hugely successful in the Swedish pop charts, Agnetha as a solo singer, Benny and Bjorn as members of separate groups.

The odd one out was Anni-Frid, better known as Frida. She was born in Norway as the illegitimate child of a German father and Norwegian mother. Frida was mainly raised by her grandmother, who took her to Sweden, where her mother joined them but died of illness a few months later, aged just 21. Frida also found it much harder than the others to achieve success in music, but she did eventually have some big Swedish hits of her own.

The author presents the main years (1969 to 1982) on a year-by-year basis, explaining the different events that occurred in each year - records, tours, TV, their personal lives - in a semi-diary format.

As far as the music is concerned, the story is quite complicated and not always easy to follow, but that is no fault of the author. Before they became Abba, they were four separate acts, each with their own careers and signed to different record companies. Once they came together as Abba, different things were happening in Japan, Australia, Germany, Sweden and elsewhere with different records - even before 1974. That was the year that Abba won Eurovision and charted for the first time in Britain and America.

There have been many books on Abba and will surely be many more. Despite being a huge Abba fan, this is the first I've read. If you're only going to have one book on Abba, it might as well be this one.

Did you ever come across a favourite song and say, "I wonder whatever happened to....? Abba took the world by storm back in the 60's when a quarter bought you an afternoon matinee at the movies, and minimum wage in my home town was $1.00 per hour. If you earned $1.25 or more, you had it made!

Abba possessed a unique blend of charisma, talent, and originality. Who can forget the sentimental lyrics of ,"I Had A Dream", the gentle flow of "The Rivers of Babylon", the melancholy strains of "Fernando" or the upbeat dance-hit, "Dancing Queen"? The list of hits went on and on.

What I particularly liked about this book was the numerous photographs all depicting Abba at their finest. Many photographs are ones not often, if ever, published before, at least not on this continent. In addition, the book reveals a lot of factual, personal information about the individuals themselves. The road to fame and fortune is not an easy one as readers will discover through the pages of this book. Some facts have been printed before, but other aspects of their career are presented here in a more complete, in-depth light. Fans of Abba, will no longer need to wonder, "what ever happened to..." because the epilogue tells you just that. Of all the books on the group, this is one of the best in print.

Probably the best book you can get, if you want an ABBA photo book. In this case even better than "From ABBA To Mammma Mia", since there is pictures from a broader period . It is written in cronologic date-by-date, where each year, as well as "The Movie" and the concert tours got its own chapter. You don't have to be an ABBA fan to enjoy this book, everyone can enjoy this trip in text and pictures through the fantastic story of ABBA.