Actual Amazon Reviews
Anchors Aweigh (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
An amazing rendition of piece. Easy enough for any beginning or intermediate player.
Highly recommend!
Love this arrangement! My students sounded great playing this.
Best Beginning Band Book for Kids
Makes start up fun and easy. Perfect beginning book for kids
I liked that the notes were a little bigger so they were easier to read.
This book is great for kids starting to play. It teaches while it lets them play.
Easy to understand and great starter book.
Helps to give the kids a sense of accomplishment while at the beginning!
Gift for granddaughter: easily understood instructions. A perfect gift for a music student.
My son is 9, and just started learning. So far he can read some of the music, some other songs are a little challenging but most definitely this book will last a while for progression!
Great beginning book, well thought out. Also has some good intermediate content for continuing to play in the same book.
Helpful, well put together. Granddaughter started learning with me when I visited recently. We will do remote lessons. Graphics are kid-friendly, as advertised. Looking forward to exposing her to learning about music!
Best Beginning Guitar Book for Kids
I like this book for teaching a 9 year old
I couldn’t be more thrilled with this new guitar book! My son was able to learn quite a bit on his own. Based on the pictures and instructions in the book he was able to immediately fix some posture, positioning, and lefthand techniques that had been holding him back. I was impressed by how many chords my son was able to learn and pleasantly surprised by how much the book helped with his overall note reading skills. My favorite part was watching my son go online and benefit from the customized videos corresponding to each page of the book!! A+++
I love the way this book starts with a few easy chords rather than cumbersome note reading. Kids want instant success and this book delivers. That being said, it also teaches notes and other musical concepts in a well-presented, logical way. The little cartoons throughout the book keep it fun for kids while still teaching good fundamentals. The best part is that there are videos for free on YouTube that correspond with pages in the book. This book was apparently just published so I’m glad I found it. Sure to be a best seller.
This new guitar book is terrific. It takes a fun approach to learning that kids will appreciate. As a free bonus, there is a guitar teacher on YouTube with videos matching the pages in the book. This teacher is “cool” and knows how to engage young players. The pedagogy is sound and I can’t wait to see how my students do as they work their way through this book.
Loved this book. Not only does it teach the basics (and beyond) of guitar playing, but it is also great for overall music training. This book will teach the fundamentals of guitar while also strengthening concepts of notes in the scale, time signatures, sight reading and more! Nice selection of familiar and some not-so-well-known songs. There are online tutorials to boot. Like private lessons…all included in the price of the book!
As a music teacher who teaches many instruments, I keep an eye out for new publications from this author and I’m never disappointed. This newest book by Larry Newman is a terrific beginning guitar book for kids. It is child-friendly and musically motivating. The couple of YouTube videos I watched seem great, too, and provide support for kids between their lessons. Another winner from the Music Fun Books company.
I have bought this book for kids and I am happy to see the great explanation with pictures and samples step by step. Highly recommended for kids and adults too.
Brilliant book. My 8 years old boy loves it.
Best Beginning Piano Book for Kids
I researched and purchased several beginning books and this one was the most comprehensive and easiest to understand for a beginner. There are even video presentations online to help with teacher and student instruction. Well done!
Impressive sequencing of concepts and technique. Excellent hand position reminders are frequent. Note reading, rests, time signatures and articulation are introduced early as a foundation for varied repertoire throughout the book.
The free YouTube videos show the teacher’s hands close up while the music notes can be seen simultaneously. The instructor’s voice is gentle, pleasant and inviting, with clear enunciation and appropriate pacing.
Print is clear and graphics are fun but not juvenile. 16 “FINGERcises” and 22 familiar, Classical repertoire selections at the end will make this book a keeper long after the student completes the first 82 lines.
This is a brilliant beginners book in teaching how to play the piano, it is simple to follow and get you learning with excitement and confidence. The book is excellent or both children and adults. This boo deserves to be a overnight success Well done to the maker of this book.
Great for an absolute beginner on the piano, it quickly teaches kids songs they know and love. The free YouTube videos have all the music visible on screen along with the teacher and close-ups of her fingers on the piano. It is super easy to follow and holds the attention of even my most fidgety child. A great value for the price, content, available videos and number of total pages.
This beginner book has it all AND videos to tap into that show the teacher’s hands and music. The layout is nice and the pace is very good. The songs at the end with helpful fingerings will give my students the confidence to try and create this beautiful music!! Definitely a book that they can grow into. Thank you CMW and Mr Larry Newman!
The sequencing is nice in this book, and there are great video tutorials. New concepts are introduced with simple instructions for younger students and applied immediately to playing the piano. The print is large/legible for younger students, but also accessible for older beginners. The book excels from very beginner to intermediate with clear scaffolding.
I have searched for years for a progressive beginner book. This book is the answer. Use can use it for children or adults. Use can teach beginning chords with it also. Students of all ages can utilize this book.
Given as a gift, but it has provided lots of songs to learn and play for adult beginner.
I love the large, clear layout of this book — easy for kids to read and understand. The free YouTube videos are fantastic and my child just loves the lady who teaches her on the videos. With over 100 pages, there is plenty of room to grow with this piano book. Great book!!!
This is just the piano book I have been searching for! Learning made easy with big notes, funny drawings and cool songs. Unlike the old-fashion piano methods, this one has beautiful online 4K videos that match each page in the book. Incredible!
My child is already playing with both hands. Love it.
Kudos to CMW! My students and parents love learning from this piano book! The large print notes and layout is easy to read and the step by step instructional video is a huge plus. I can’t ask for a better introductory piano book for individual student and classroom teaching.
Easy to follow. Perfect for a beginner!
Good book. Nice big print. Easy to read. Just what I was looking for. Perfect for any beginner!
I bought it for my 6-year-old son, but ended up teaching myself to play the piano with this book too. It’s amazing. The written explanations are so detailed (yet simple) that I haven’t felt the need to check out the videos yet (although it’s nice to know I can do so if I have doubts about anything). I wholeheartedly recommend this book for any beginner, whether adult or child.
Nice little book, easy to understand. I read the reviews on it and would agree with them also.good value for money.
Best Beginning Ukulele Book for Kids
This ukulele beginner book is very helpful. Shows the parts of the ukulele. Hand illustrations of chords, strumming patterns, some musical theory and tabs for playing the melody. The song selection is familiar for kids to sing along. There are fun coloring pictures in the back and instructional video option to help. I am a music teacher and using this book to help instruct children ages 5-9.
Ok, I decided to start learning how to play the ukulele and this is a super cool little book for beginners, even adult beginners. It shows the more basic chords, has some musics, etc. It’s very basic, my kids like it too. The video lessons are good too. All in all satisfied with the purchase.
My daughter is learning nicely with this book.
I’m not a kid, but I started using Best Beginning Ukulele Book for Kids the minute it arrived and felt as happy as a kid! So much fun. Easy-to-follow lessons. The satisfaction of being able to play a song within the first few minutes of picking up the ukulele! Kids and grown-up kids will have a great time with this, and in addition to teaching a new instrument, this book also covers the music basics of notes in the scale, key signatures, counting and more. There are also online videos which make it feel like a great teacher is at your house giving you a private lesson. LOVE this book and my new hobby!
This book is perfect for kids or adults. It is very clearly written and so much fun to play. You’ll learn the ukulele in no time at all. There is a separate video for every page in the book – amazing! That feature alone really makes this a no fail method. The videos are free (unlike other books) and easily accessible on a YouTube playlist. (See the video from page 41 of the book in this review.) Get this book if you want to learn the ukulele and have a ton of fun doing it!
Larry Newman has done it again with his latest book for beginning ukulele. The book begins with two of the easiest chords to play on the ukulele — guaranteeing instant success for young musicians. This pain-free start to learning an instrument inspired my child and motivated her to learn. As with all Newman’s music books, the material is written specifically for the young musician with extra-large notation, whimsical art, and songs kids want to perform. I’m using this for my own daughter and, as a third grader teacher, I plan to use it in my classroom to teach music. Now I just need to find 24 ukuleles for my students!
Having used nearly every beginner ukulele book that exists, this one is excellent because it allows a student to get comfortable with easy chords before adding in more challenging ones. The addition of the free online videos and play along recordings makes it really easy to teach yourself if you wanted to! This is also part intermediate book because If you complete the book you’ll know so many chords that you’ll likely be able to purchase a song book and be able to play all the songs!
Bluegrass Fun Book
This book has pieces that are easy enough for a beginner as well as pieces that are a little more challenging too.
I haven’t gotten into the book much yet but it looks like what i had wanted.
Just what I wanted. Very fun and am enjoying the songs.
Book of Easy Duets for the Recorder
So much fun to see my kids doing duets on recorder. This book makes it easy for them and promotes participation and collaboration.
My kids love this book since they have heard some of the songs before in general music class AND they know all the notes. Nothing too difficult. All good here.
Finally! A duet book for recorder! Just when I thought I couldn’t hear Hot Cross Buns one more time, I can enjoy my kids playing thoughtful pieces and taking their recorder playing to the next level.
Christmas Duet Fun Book
Fun holiday duet book and like how the harmony part has a separate page, next to the melody. Has three Jewish songs with harmony too.
So fun for the holidays and perfect for getting familiar with playing harmonies!
Easy Duets for Violin, Viola and Cello
After a year of violin, piano and drum lessons, my musical 8 year old son had no idea how to read music. This fun and easy to follow book taught him all the basics. Now he can read!
Liked the selections, and the format. It will be a valuable resource.
Love the simplicity and big notes.
Fifty Famous Classical Themes
Easy to read and use! I think this is a terrific book
Nice collection of pieces. Easy to sight read.
Recognizable pieces and a very nice variety.
Great to add to a cellist library and keep handy for a quick solo piece.
Money well spent! Great pieces and even includes guitar/piano chord accompaniment .
Like it, fun pieces to play!
Love it! Great for dipping toes in the classical world!
This book is an awesome practice tool and a great way for students to learn about all of the famous classical pieces! It also makes it so fun when they get to play tunes that they recognize.
My students want to play classical music and this books provides them with the tunes they know and love. Inspirational to them.
There are plenty of classical tunes here that my students love.
Great collection for intermediate players!
In my opinion is a great collection… a good stretch to get to advanced playing, just need to PRACTICE.”
This is a wonderful book. I play a mandolin, not a violin but I have had such fun playing the songs. Notes are easy to read. No page turning in the middle of a piece. Very familiar themes. I hope that this book will be written for viola soon as my future goals are to learn to play the mandola, tuned a fifth lower than the violin.
Frolic (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
My students and parents were very pleased and impressed when we did this for the spring concert. A sweet arrangement that’s easy to put together.
FUNsembles: Book of Easy Duets for Woodwinds and Brass
Great beginner book. Enjoyed playing these with my son.
Grand daughter and I love playing these simple duets together. It gives her more to play than lessons and piques her interest in playing.
Holiday Medley (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
Perfect for the holidays.
Kids’ March (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
Love this arrangement. My elementary orchestra class had a great time learning this fun tune! We will performing it on our concert!
Latin Time (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
Terrific. Each section can play their own part – each part is layered in as the arrangement progresses so everyone feels special. Very easy to play and sounds harder than it is.
Music Assignment & Activity Book
GREAT TO KEEP TRACK OF MUSIC HOMEWORK AND EDUCATIONAL TOO!
My First Violin Fun Book
My daughter loves this book, and so does her teacher. She is making amazing progress and she loves the coloring and drawing she can do in the book. It’s easy for her to follow and easy for me to follow to!
I work at a music school, this book (and others in the set) are a huge hit with the new little musicians! It goes beyond just learning to read notes.
My daughter loved it. There are coloring and writing activities included!
Perfect book for the really young student.
Great book for young beginners.
My daughter is learning violin in the Suzuki Method. I wanted to start helping her learn her notes and music notation. This little book is perfect. Large notes and notations, fun pictures and clear explanations. She does a few pages each week along with learning her Suzuki songs. She is six years old and in Book 1, and this is right at her level. I am so happy I found this book!
My daughter, who is 5, finds this book very easy to use and practice with. The large type and minimal items per page appeal to non-reading kids or those just learning to read. Songs are approachable and appropriate for her age.
I bought it to be effectively a coloring book for violin interest. It turned out to be a pretty good violin lesson teaching book as well! We switched to this book. Teacher likes it too.
I love it, my 4 year old can practice by herself, her teacher loves as well, I wish it had more preschool songs in it like twinkle twinkle little star. Over all it’s well written.
For little kids, this is THE book to use. It is fun and BIG. I use it along with Suzuki techniques to offer a well-rounded experience children love.
In an effort to start my 3 yr old daughter off on the right foot, I bought this book to help her learn to read notes and today I see she is thriving. Thank you so much Mr. Newman, for writing this book. We are moving to the 2nd book.
Great for little ones. Keeps them focused and entertained.
My daughter and her violin teacher love this book (and the series). Great for young students.
This book was a great start for my kindergartener. it teaches the basics very well and makes learning notes fun and engaging!
Perfect for little ones!!
In an effort to start my 3 yr old daughter off on the right foot, I bought this book to help her learn to read notes and today I see she is thriving. Thank you so much Mr. Newman, for writing this book. We are moving to the 2nd book.
Exactly what we needed… A perfect introduction to violin and music. I’m a mom & a former violinist. I’m teaching my 4 year old the basics, and this book is much more engaging for my son. I’ll keep the Suzuki Volume 1 nearby, after we lay a solid foundation with this one. Great stuff!
This book is great for younger students. Easy notation for my 5 year old and on the E and A string! So glad I found this book.
Orchestra Folio (Strings and Winds)
This is a great book to use for my orchestra class. I have students at many different levels and everyone is enjoying this book. Thank you for writing a book that can incorporate so many playing levels together!
Really Easy Recorder Tunes
When they say really easy – they mean it. Cool book.
Super Hero Blues (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
This is a cool arrangement that introduces the 12 bar blues to young students. With the recorded accompanying track, they actually can SWING. Nice.
The Beginning Band Fun Book
Great beginning band book that works with private lessons or in the band setting with other instruments. My child loves it.
This book is fantastic! Great help with learning new notes!
I planned to collect more of these books in the future, as I learn to play, I hope to find some Blues and Jazz books from the author of this terrific book.
My son is 9 and just beginning. These are simple enough for a kid who is learning to read music while also learning and instrument – it will help him with is confidence. The Real Book is great too.
This is a wonderful stand alone clarinet book made even better when combined with other instruments as a band method. The perfect approach for elementary age students. Definitely not for beginning high school or adults, however.
Got it for my grand daughter and she loves it.
Perfect for learning the trombone! My child can play the same songs as the trumpet book so he can play along with his friends. Easy learning for my third grader!
It really made a difference and it gave the students a boost in their confidence! This should have been around years ago! Thanks! 🙂
This book has everything your young student will need to know about playing their instrument. The book uses step-by-step instruction with great songs to maximize both fun and learning. Best of all, it really works. I have used it for years with my students, and would recommend it for any beginning player.
I have been using this book for the past 8 years….and i love it. It is for all age levels…fun songs, easy transition to note reading. you can use it for mixed wind instrumentation or for private instruction. kids love this book….the songs as well as the titles (marys other lamb, skateboard sam, etc). And the intermediate series is the perfect segue after the beginning book!!!!!
Purchased for my son’s band class at school. It was required.
I use this in my private studio. However, I learned about it from my student who had to purchase it for his fourth grade band class at school. Excellent pedagogy that is written with large font. Good book.
Great! We love practicing at home with this fun book!
This is a wonderful beginner book! It starts with the easiest notes to play and slowly adds more difficult notes as you progress in the book. I also appreciate that you can master one note at a time and don’t need to know how to play three notes right on the first page.
This book makes it so easy for young students to learn with a teacher or even on their own! It tells them exactly where to put their fingers and how to make each note. I really liked how it gives the student plenty of songs to practice with each note before moving on to the next one.
The BIG Song Book
Fun book for kids. Plenty of songs to play.
This book allows my students to feel like they know so much! They can sight read every tune in this book since they know the six notes (GABCDE) and can count quarter, half, whole and eight rhythms.
The Intermediate FUNdamental Violin, Viola and Cello Books
Really helpful for 2nd year students!
Really happy with this. A good selection of songs, large notes, and fun stuff to play for my 7 year old.
Excellent beginner books for the violin or viola player in their first or second year. Larry Newman has an entire series of music books for violin, viola and cello that are all excellent for players in their first few years.
I would not consider these lesson books, but books to supplement beginner players to learn more popular songs. For my young boys, I have the Don’t Fret colored finger guide on their 1/4 and 1/2 violins. Then to help them find the correct notes, I will sometimes use a blue, yellow, pink and green or orange highlighter to color the notes on sheet music. I know it’s a learning crutch, but it makes finding and playing the correct note faster and easier….the more positive feedback they get in playing a correct note, the longer they stay with learning music and different musical instruments (I hope). I also like the books because the songs are also easy enough for the beginner player to start memorizing songs too. Between the cello, violin and viola, I think we own all of them.
Great selection of pieces- the follow up to the beginner book doesn’t dissappoint. My students love playing ode to joy, are you sleeping and spring theme, and parents enjoy listening to these great favorites.
This book also introduces note reading in a simple and fun way.
Highly recommend!
Kids love using this book. I teach violin. It is not all that hard and the notes are big and it makes it look fun. Great book. There is a lot of repetition from the first book so if a student has been sitting out a bit from already playing and then comes back in, this would be easy for him to pick up and start here.
This book starts with a quick beginning review – important since my school kids don’t play over the summer and they need to go back to square one in September for review. Then, the book moves on to new ideas. Obviously written by somebody who has been there and done that.
Really happy with this. A good selection of songs, large notes, and fun stuff to play for my 7 year old.
GREAT book for young violinists! This is the second book in the Fundamentals violin series, and it is a
great book for young violinists. It is lighthearted, easy, and is in a large-print format (which is especially helpful for parents and grandparents who are looking at the music over a shoulder and helping their young ones practice).
Highly recommended
The Orchestra Fun Book for Violin, Viola, Cello and Bass
My elementary child really enjoys this book. His class is sounding great using this method book and there is never a fight to practice if it is in this book. Thank you.
The Politically Correct Book of Holiday Songs
Great item and service! A+++++++++
The Real Book for Winds and Strings
I found this book to be most useful after 55 years of not playing!
This is a great beginners book for anyone wanting to play the trumpet.
Perfect for my 9 year old. He practices his trumpet more since he received the book!
Pretty good — especially for the money. just as described!
This book is great! So many fun melodies to play for the family!
Love it! Well known songs. Makes memorizing notes easy! My cello teacher was impressed
Perfect beginner book. My son learned basic notes on cello from this book. Learning made fun and easy!
This books is just what I was looking for since some of my kids can read notes and others cannot.
Each song in this book has two versions – one with letters inside the noteheads and one regular notation. Everyone can play together now!
Kids love it because the can play all the songs and feel accomplished and confident. (That is if they know the six notes).
I am a beginning violin student. The book is great.
I love this book. My child enjoys playing SO many songs with only 6 notes! He also enjoys turning to the pages with no notes to learn his note reading.
The Recorder Fun Book for Young Students
Interesting book with some really innovative ideas for young kids.
This book has the mp3s for free on their website.
A fantastic classroom book. My elementary school uses them for all third graders.
We use this book in conjunction with our music class curriculum. It really helps to teach the different notes and makes reading music come naturally. It starts out easy and gradually increases in difficulty. It has so many songs and so far my 10 year old loves it. I even got a recorder so I can join in too! Great buy.
This is a wonderful book for classroom music instruction. Kids can read from the start with letters inside the notes. As the letters disappear, they recognize the notation and my kids are reading by Christmas!
The coloring pages are a cute touch that young kids love. This third edition has a lot more material added – making it the best value recorder book I have seen.
There are so many recorder methods to choose from but this is my favorite. Kids seem to really like it and they progress faster than with the other books I have used.
Helpful resource
Great for that “you have to start somewhere appeal. Not too difficult and holds the attention of a young learning child.
Excellent recorder book for music teachers. I just ordered this book so I could have a better variety of music for my 3rd-5th grade music classes.
Money well spent!
This book is perfect for my five-year-old daughter. She wanted to start playing an instrument like her big brother and this was the perfect fit because it was simple, it shows all of the notes and letters, and keeps the songs relatively simple.
The illustrations in it are all very entertaining for a five-year-old and she was very excited to see songs that she knew like jingle bells inside.
This book is great for the beginning recorder student. The musical notations are easy to read and my students like the pictures too!
The Tick Tock Clock (Full Orchestra Arrangement)
This SUPER EASY arrangement is perfect for my beginning kids who are still struggling to read music and play first year music. Some parts use only three or four notes. An the kids love it.
The Violin Fun Book (for Viola, Cello and Bass, too!)
This book is exactly what my student needed to learn viola (the violin and cello ones are great too) ! I love that it makes it so easy for them to go through and learn on their own. It does such a great job of breaking down each step of learning and explaining all of the techniques, while making it fun!
This is exactly the right book for beginners at the elementary age level. The large note heads with letter names makes the music language easy for students to learn.
The book progresses at just the right pace giving students just the right amount of repetition for each note. After trying many other books, THIS IS THE ONE I’m using from now on!”
I have a 7 year old student who has struggled with attention span during lessons. I started her out with the Essential Elements violin book, which was fine, but I saw that she was loosing interest and she said that the notes were too small. Essential Elements is a great book, but my student really needed something that was written especially with the young student in mind with pictures and big print, just as the beginner piano books are.
After finding this on Amazon and getting it for her, I am pleased to say that this book made all the difference for her. She says it’s a lot easier and more fun.
If you have students 9 years old and under this might be the key to retaining their interest! 🙂
My students really enjoy this book! The titles of each little song is funny and makes the learning so much nicer! In the notes are great big letters with the name of the note inside them.
It makes learning Violin so much more friendly. Especially when they need something to make them comfortable right at the beginning !
My students really enjoy this book! The titles of each little song is funny and makes the learning so much nicer! In the notes are great big letters with the name of the note inside them.
It makes learning Violin so much more friendly. Especially when they need something to make them comfortable right at the beginning !
This Brown book is my favorite violin book to teach young beginner level students. This book in particular is excellent for teaching the basic fingerings on the violin.
All my students love the illustrations, fun titles, and as a teacher, I appreciate the extra-large fonts with note name identification written on them.
The repetition of the exercises allows the student to practice each fingering exercise just at the perfect pace!
This book is definitely written with the young beginning student in mind by emphasizing the fun and keeping their attention span on the music. Thank you for creating these series of books!
Just what I need for my crazy beginning string classes. They focus and love it.
I love the big notes. There isn’t anything quite like this on the market. It works!
One of my favorite beginning violin books! My students really enjoy this book! The titles of each little song is funny and makes the learning so much nicer! In the notes are great big letters with the name of the note inside them. It makes learning Violin so much more friendly. Especially when they need something to make them comfortable right at the beginning !
This will work great for my 4 year old nephew
I love using this book for my string classes. A thoughtful and fun approach to note reading and violin technique. My students have been making great progress using this book. Thank you!
I am a string teacher and highly recommend this book for young cello beginners. Every step of learning is addressed, starting with the open strings and how to hold the bow, with short songs at each step as students learn to finger the notes. Extra large music notation and using letters for note names help students learn the basics of music and cello playing.
This is the perfect book for elementary students or non-English speakers. Print is large and clear – and not overloaded with too much on each page. I use it with the violin, viola and bass books for my string classes.
I bought this for my 13 year old son who recently decided he wants to learn to play the cello. It is a little babyish, but overall, my son is enjoying it. The lessons are easy to understand, and easy to follow.
Thirty Famous Patriotic Songs
Loved it! Very clear and readable.
I have a fondness for Patriotic songs because my Grandfather fought in WWII and died giving his life for his country, and for us to respect him. So, when I saw this book I had to have it. It came promptly and I am already having fun playing these great songs. The music is easy to see and read for both young and old. I highly recommend this book.
Great book for beginners. Only wish there were lyrics. My daughter loves this book and she is going into her second year of violin.
Thirty Trios for 2 Violins and Cello
It is all by one author. The arrangements are good and I like that there is a variety of keys. The arrangements are for violin players that are learning 3rd position. The second violin is easier and rarely changes position. Cello parts are simple and melodic. Is great for teaching and group playing experience!