This Too is Music inspires teachers to foster playful settings where young students can thrive as improvisers, critical listeners, performers, and composers. Told through anecdotes and illustrated with examples, the book quells any doubts teachers may have regarding their abilities to create an environment where children can grow as musicians.

This Too is Music guides and motivates teachers to foster playful and motivating classroom conditions that enable elementary students to thrive as musicians in every way-as singers, improvisers, critical listeners, storytellers, dancers, performers, and composers. Told through anecdotes and illustrated with musical examples, the book explores how all of these aspects of music making are intertwined, quelling any doubts teachers may have regarding their abilities to create an environment where children can improvise, dance, compose, and notate their musical offerings. While the book acknowledges the importance of traditional approaches to teaching notation and performance, the emphasis is on the student's point of view, illustrating how young musicians can learn when their musical ideas are honored and celebrated. Various teaching ideas are presented-some exploratory in nature, others involving direct instruction. Regardless of their nature, all of the activities arise from research on children's musical development in general and their development of notational systems in particular. The ideas and activities have been tested in multiple elementary-classroom environments and pre-service settings. The activities center on music through movement, song, various types of performances, improvisation, and composition and notational development. These activities, which encompass both small-scale classroom lessons and large-scale productions, engage children across subjects, including language, drama, and mathematics. Activities encompass both small-scale classroom lessons and large-scale productions. The book underscores the timeless quality of this pedagogy; even in our digital age, this musical environment appeals to children. The work invites readers to adapt the ideas to their own teaching settings, showing both pre-service and established teachers that they can teach music creatively to build community and to inspire all who enter there.

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!