Schools and Instruction Books

Linear perspective, said Leonardo da Vinci, Òis nothing else than seeing a place or objects behind a pane of glass, quite transparent, on the surface of which the objects that lie behind the glass are to be drawn.Ó Among LeonardoÕs notebook drawings, there is a tiny self-portrait (c. 1510) in which he is shown using a squared-off and window-like drawing device (sometimes called ÒAlbertiÕs veilÓ), four variations of which were depicted 15 years later in a famous series of woodcuts by German artist Albrecht DŸrer. This current publication is not only an introduction to perspective in book form but also a kit-like collection of tools to use in exploring for oneself its history, theory, and application. Among those tools are an acetate drawing window (like LeonardoÕs), two ÒdraftsmanÕs netsÓ (like that portrayed in DurerÕs prints), various measuring devices, pads of gridded drawing paper, and a cut-out with which one can easily make a three-dimensional model of Dutch artist M.C. EscherÕs Òimpossible triangleÓ (a well-known illusion that appears to violate certain spatial principles). Experimenting with the devices in this box could result in a deeper understanding of perspective, especially if one were to read at the same time an earlier, richer and far more interesting book on the same subject from the same publisherÕs Eyewitness Art series: Alison Cole, Perspective (Dorling Kindersley, 1992). (Review from Ballast Quarterly Review, Vol 14 No 2, Winter 1998-99)

The book doesn't have any exercise materials to practice on, it mostly talks about tips instead of technics. It has plently of pictures on the back which would have been nice, if they draw all of it in steps and show me how.

This book has a lot of good information, but like most education resource books, it is heavy on theory and doesn't have enough activities that you can use right away in your classroom. From the description I thought that I was going to get several reproducible charts, etc. that I could simply copy and use with my students. The book has many wonderful examples, but I have had to type/recreate them into a student-usable form on my own.

John Malcolm Russell has written some fine books on Assyria, one of them "Final Sack of Nineveh" is a superb tome on the history of the excavations and modern destruction of Nineveh. But unfortunately this work was terribly dry, rather boring, and most frustrating in that he spends way to much time going over Lady Charlotte Guest's diary and all the who-what-when and why of the time she lived in and not hardly enough time on Layard and the excavations. And as far as how the Met acquired the reliefs, it basically came down to agreements made with the Rockefeller family. Not very exciting. I suppose i'm more interested in the digs themselves and would have preferred more on them and less on the lifestyles of the rich and famous. The first chapter on the layout of two key palaces was great, but after that it turned into a long, dull read. Great story...just not told so great.

There are some good ideas in this book. However, I thought it was very unrealistic that the key to the author's approach is an immense amount of research on every child. This could certainly work at the elementary level, but at high school, with the enormous number of different kids we see each day, it doesn't seem at all realistic.

18 different dinosaurs from land, sea and air are depicted on 1and 2 page spreads in this book. Short info-bytes keep up one'sinterest in the marvelous creatures. The drawing instructions, however, are lacking in detail. Each dino has 2 or 3 step instructions consisting mostly of ovals and other basic shapes. How to reach the finished product they show at the bottome of the page is left rather mysterious. More instruction on each dino's peculiarities, and on drawing techniques such as shading and texture would have made this book more complete. It can be, however, a pleasant introduction to dinos. The older and more artistic child, may be able to reproduce the final drawings without extra instruction.

This slim and inexpensive book from England serves as a first introduction to the Hudson River School of landscape painting in America. Copplestone traces the history and origins of the technique, then follows with brief biographies of some of the best-known River School artists. Featured are:

Thomas Doughty (1793-1856)
Thomas Cole (1801-1848)
Asher Brown Durand (1796-1886)
John Frederick Kensett (1816-1872)
Albert Bierstadt (1830-1902)
Jasper Francis Cropsey (1823-1900)
Robert Scott Duncanson (1821-1872)
Thomas Worthington Whittredge (1820-1910)
Frederic Edwin Church (1826-1900)
Sanford Robinson Gifford (1823-1880)
Martin Johnson Heade (1819-1904)
Thomas Moran (1827-1926)
Charles Codman (1800-1842)

The book is illustrated with 45 plates of original paintings. Each artist listed above has from one to seven plates of his work included. "Extras" are single examples from James Hamilton and George Peter Alexander Healy without biographical information.

Unfortunately, the placement of the plates doesn't seem to follow any order. Appropriate plates are not necessarily adjacent to artist biographies. Alfred Bierstadt's "Niagara Falls" is included *twice*, while Frederic Edwin Church's depiction of the Falls is much better known and is even mentioned in his bio, but there's no visual. The lack of an index also makes it tricky to match the artists with their work.

If you like the Hudson River School style and want just a brief sampling for your reference library, you'll find this volume to be a reasonably-priced option. If you really want to dive into the genre, look elsewhere.

This book is very useful in linking teaching theories with Art. If you are a beginning Art Education Student or Art Teacher, this book would be good if you want to learn about pedagogy in the Art classroom. It asks you to analyze and discuss the different approaches to teaching and learning in the Art classroom. This book gives great suggestions for assessment in the Art classroom. It also contains a section on how to get that teaching job you want.

I bought this book for a grad class with the author. It's very simple, would be a good book for non-music educators to use also.

The ASBDA Curriculum Guide, 2nd edition, was first published in 1997. This book is a revision of the earlier 1st edition, originally published in the late 1970s. In this book the instrumental educator will find strategies for teaching concepts such as pitch, rhythm, and style, along with indicators at each grade level of what students of instrumental music should be able to demonstrate.

This book does have several weaknesses, in this reviewer's opinion. First, it appears to have an "ivory-tower" feel to it in regard to tone and writing style. One should follow the guidelines of this book simply because people much smarter than you decided that this is what children should be capable of demonstrating at any particular time. The guidelines come across as heavy-handed at times, and appropriate examples are not always present.

Second, this book does not address the realities many instrumental music educators face in a post-No Child Left Behind environment. The text assumes, for example, that the reader will fall into one of three categories: an elementary (grades 5 and 6) beginning band teacher, a junior high (grades 7 and 8) intermediate band teacher, and a high school (grade 9 through 12) teacher. Consequently, it delves into great detail with regard to in-school private lessons and their relation to the teacher's overall courseload. Unfortunately, at least in Ohio, the odds of a band teacher teaching only junior high or only high school are extremely limited now that we have been considered more "expendable", since music is not tested on standardized tests. Due to this, most directors in my area teach band at all age levels, grades 5-12, and do not have the time during the day to teach private lessons. This book is of little help in this instance to these teachers.

Finally, this book addresses many of the same issues that state content standards in music are addressing. Considering that this book was written before states began implementing content standards in all subjects, including music, one can understand how this book served a purpose at the time. Now that states are supplying all educators with standards for their curricula, however, the value of this book is decreasing. Although it does offer band specific standards that may help the music teacher, these same standards could be formulated on their own by most intelligent music teachers from whatever standards their respective states supply.

In closing, this reviewer feels that this book is slowly becoming a relic of a time before the advent of Highly Qualified Teacher programs; a time in which anyone with an undergraduate degree could teach and band programs were moving from concert to concert without any overall currculum goals in mind. Now that states are providing standards in music to educators, this book grows less and less useful. Perhaps a 3rd edition is needed that reflects these changing trends in education; otherwise, this book will serve primarily as little more than a relic of a bygone era in music education.