This book is wonderful for a 'learning by doing' curriculum.
V.S. Xenakis, CHOICE
Many people will use this book as a source of ideas to help them teach music. Others will use it for ideas to help them teach-period. But those who will gain most from it will use it to think about themselves, about their own learning, and about learning itself. Images of learning gleaned from watching Rena Upitis work with children have become a permanent part of my thinking. And of such gems there is no richer source than Rena's work.
Dr. Seymour Papert, Former Professor of Media Technology at Massachusetts Institute of Technology and the author of Mindstorms: Children, computers, and powerful ideas. From the preface for This Too Is Music (1990).
When I first read This Too Is Music, it completely changed my view of how music could be taught. It was revolutionary-years ahead of its time. My teachers loved it; the book provided ways for all of us to embed music in our teaching and to view subject disciplines in totally new ways.
Helen Turnbull, Retired Principal, Kawartha Pine Ridge District School Board, Ontario, Canada
Upitis combines the best ideas from two books she published nearly 30 years ago, with intriguing insights from students featured in her first editions, who are now adults in their 40s. The ideas for guiding children in improvisation, composition, and notational development were seminal when first published and are now more valuable than ever, as music teachers seek ways to integrate composition and improvisation into their classroom teaching.
Dr. Maud Hickey, Associate Professor of Music Education, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University
In this text, Dr. Rena Upitis combines the best ideas from two books she published nearly 30 years ago, with intriguing insights from students featured in her first editions, who are now adults in their 40s. The ideas for guiding children in improvisation, composition, and notational development were seminal when first published and are now more valuable than ever, as music teachers seek ways to integrate composition and improvisation into their classroom teaching.
Dr. Maud Hickey, Associate Professor of Music Education, Bienen School of Music at Northwestern University
I read This Too Is Music back in 2003, and I immediately felt like I knew Rena. It was amongst my top five favourite books that I read while studying for my Masters in Music Education at Reading University. And I still quote the story about the little boy whom Rena "allowed" into her school choir-and who, by being permitted to be there, found his singing voice. Brilliant!
Sharon Mark-Teggart, Director and Co-Founder, The Curious Piano Teachers