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A review by middle_name_joy
Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum by Robert Andrew Parker
5.0
Piano Starts Here: The Young Art Tatum explores the early life of the influential jazz pianist through lyrical prose and bright illustrations that show the world as Art Tatum might have seen it. Tatum came from modest beginnings and was nearly blind, but his passion for the piano and his acute memory for any sound that he heard drove him to become a virtuoso who was revered by both classical and jazz pianists alike.
This is a picture book biography. It emphasizes the youth of Art Tatum and his family and community relationships in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Included in the back of the book is a more extensive biography of Tatum’s achievements and a bibliography of sources for further research.
I found Art Tatum to be a worthy subject and one who is often lost in the shadows of other, more well-known jazz artists of the age, such as Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. I was inspired by Tatum’s story and I believe students would be similarly engaged in his struggle and eventual triumph.
I would use this book in a lesson on how the distribution and appreciation of musicians within communities has and has not changed over time. I would play a piece of Tatum’s music and have students visualize they type of person playing it. Then we would read the book as an interactive read aloud. I would extend the learning by having the students fill out a brief biography worksheet on Tatum.
This is a picture book biography. It emphasizes the youth of Art Tatum and his family and community relationships in his hometown of Toledo, Ohio. Included in the back of the book is a more extensive biography of Tatum’s achievements and a bibliography of sources for further research.
I found Art Tatum to be a worthy subject and one who is often lost in the shadows of other, more well-known jazz artists of the age, such as Louis Armstrong and Benny Goodman. I was inspired by Tatum’s story and I believe students would be similarly engaged in his struggle and eventual triumph.
I would use this book in a lesson on how the distribution and appreciation of musicians within communities has and has not changed over time. I would play a piece of Tatum’s music and have students visualize they type of person playing it. Then we would read the book as an interactive read aloud. I would extend the learning by having the students fill out a brief biography worksheet on Tatum.