published by Nelson Cengage Learning (ISBN 9780 1702 11253)
Put aside the encyclopedias or online dictionaries, this little tome is a treasure chest of amusing and yet highly informative information about all things musical and otherwise.
Nick Peterson has cleverly knitted together an amazing set of facts, historical stories and rare gems of information to provide insight into the origins of our musical world, couched in a readible and visually appealling way. Designed for newcomers to the study of music and even older readers, it is absorbing and addictive.
Whilst expanding your knowledge about famous musicians, well-known pieces, musical instruments, styles and even theoretical concepts, the book aims to answer commonsense questions that may stop the reader in his or her tracks. Such questions as: “Why is a double bass called “double” even though there is only one?” and “If there is a Last Post, shouldn’t there be a First Post?
As an experienced educator, Mr Peterson is aware of gaining the reader’s attention and in short sharp grabs of information sets out to fire up the music student’s imagination. The information is concise and organised in alphabetical order with lots of illustrations and diagrams.
Humourous, hugely informative, entertaining, colourful and engaging, Music’s Fascinating Fun Facts can be used as a springboard for further exploration. It is ideal as a studio prize, reward for outstanding effort, but it is also worth every teacher owning a copy for those moments when new inspiration is required to re-charge a lesson.