What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music [Library Binding]

Jennifer Armstrong (Author)

Book Description

Age Level: 10 and up | Grade Level: 5 and up

This compelling collection of stories explores the powerful impact that music has in our lives—especially in the lives of teens. Each story strikes a new note: Ron Koertge introduces us to the boys in the band—the marching band; Joseph Bruchac contributes a Native American boy with no rhythm whatsoever; Jennifer Armstrong writes about what was perhaps the first battle of the bands—during the American Civl War; and David Levithan offers up a love song that speaks powerfully to an unintended audience. But while each story is different, they combine into a harmonic song of praise—for the depths music can reach in us, and the power it has to bind us together.


From the Hardcover edition.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 7 Up–Armstrong offers a dozen perspectives on music's life-altering possibilities in this short-story collection. Ron Koertge's "Variations on a Theme" cleverly gives voice to what motivates various students to join a school band and how that decision affects their lives. A gay teen shares his inner struggle to accept his own sexuality in David Levithan's sensitive "What a Song Can Do." The pain of being forced into the role of child prodigy in one musical form until one's own true voice can be heard underlies Jude Mandell's verse selection. Music's connection to life is seen from myriad angles without overpowering the stories, which all have interesting plots and well-developed characters. Brief biographical sketches of the authors are appended and include a description of the importance of music in their lives. This collection will certainly speak to many teens on a very personal level and will open the eyes and the ears of its readers.–Renee Steinberg, formerly at Fieldstone Middle School, Montvale, NJ
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

Gr. 8-10. "Music is like the air: invisible and indispensable," writes Armstrong in her introduction to this music-themed anthology. Many YAs, who inhale MP3 tracks like oxygen itself, would passionately agree. Armstrong has gathered a diverse chorus of voices that speaks from many perspectives: players in a school band in Ron Koertge's "Variations on a Theme;" a gay singer-songwriter in David Levithan's title story; several committed violinists and pianists; and, in the collection's most unusual entry, a young woman whose rare condition, called synesthesia, causes her to see music as well as hear it. The overall package may connect only intermittently to any one reader's personal music preferences; only 3 of the 12 stories deal with genres likely to tug at the contemporary YA soul. However, where the stories address universal issues facing teens, such as anxieties about measuring up to peers, conflicts with parents, and the difficulty of finding one's voice, they show the power of both words and music to express the turbulent emotions of growing up. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 10 and up
  
• Library Binding: 208 pages
• Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers (June 8, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 037592499X
• ISBN-13: 978-0375924996
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.5 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,419,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Dian Curtis Regan is the author of more than 50 books for young readers.

She is a former "Member of the Year" of the Society of Children's Book Writers and
Illustrators, has been inducted into the Oklahoma Professional Writers' Hall of Fame, and has received a "Distinguished Medal of Service in Children's Literature" from the Oklahoma Center for Poets and Writers. Also, a library in South America has been dedicated to her.

Dian was born in Colorado Springs, graduated from the University of Colorado in Boulder, and taught school in Denver. She is a frequent speaker at writing conferences and schools.

She has lived in Colorado, Texas, Oklahoma, Venezuela, and Kansas.
Websites: www.diancurtisregan.com www.princessnevermore.com www.rockycavekids.com
princessnevermorefansite.com

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

4.0 out of 5 stars Bazoomba Book!, April 16, 2010

A Kid's Review

This review is from: What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music (Mass Market Paperback)

My Mom bought this book for me, so I'm reviewing on her account. I'm 12 years old.

This was a great book -- it shows how important and powerful music is! By far, my favorite chapter was Chapter 3 (Riffs), because it showed how devoted he was to his music. Even though his Mom was in the hospital, he went to band practice anyway!

The book had a couple of cuss words, but I didn't mind because it was just the character's expressing their feelings and helped to get the point across. It's only 200 pages, and the letters are big, so it's easy and fun to read. This was a good book!

4.0 out of 5 stars This Book Can Make Anyone Aware Of The Power Of Music, October 15, 2009

By 

Alex Frank (New York, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: What a Song Can Do: 12 Riffs on the Power of Music (Mass Market Paperback)

What I found fascinating about What A Song Can Do was how each one of the 10 young adolescents was able to have an out-of-body experience when they heard one particular song that just spoke to them. Whether it was Nate, who needed to play lead guitar at a concert while his Mom was gravely ill, Rupa, the gypsy girl who was enchanted by the violin that her father carved her, or one of the others, the message was the same: one simple song can make the world freeze.
I'm usually not a huge fan of short stories, but this collection is one that is worthy of being read and pondered over. It offers several different stories of how when we are feeling something intensely, whether we are feeling ecstatic, terrified, depressed, or even angry, music can mean everything to us. Some of these protagonists shared some beautiful memories with their loved ones through music, while others saw a side of someone they knew that they had never seen before. Still others met somebody completely new. Music has the power to make us fit in or stand out. It can separate us or bring us together. It is something that we need to shout out and share with the world.
A quality that most of us have wanted to possess at one point or another in our lives is to be a skilled musician. Pretty much everyone has dreamed of being able to sing, or being a bassist, or to winning a Grammy. Few people have the desire and dedication to achieve these dreams. Most of the characters in the multiple stories of What A Song Can Do can either sing or play an instrument. But the way they describe their playing makes them seem humble, and hardworking. Some of them are concerned (but not jealous) that their playing is inferior to their sibling's, or their classmate's, or their fellow competitors'. Others could not possibly care less about their talent, and just see it as something that they're good at, but doesn't matter. Those people tend to be naturally good at music and barely have to work to gain mastery.
Whether you're talented or not, whether you're on the stage or in the pit, whether you love rock or appreciate opera, this book is for everyone and anyone that loves music and could never live without it. This book can show you how hearing one song can change your world.