Rating:

Probably my only criticism is that there are NO measure numbers anywhere in this score. None. This was the biggest hassle for me using this score in rehearsal. To write them in by hand, I had to compare this edition to the MTI piano-vocal score, because often there were added or dropped measures marked “32, 32A, 32B,” etc. Repeats sometimes are counted twice, sometimes not.

Also, since the “Harry Houdini” number was dropped after the Broadway production and eliminated from the licensed version, it has also been removed from this edition. This means all song numbers from Act 2 will be one number off from the conductor’s score and orchestra parts. Again, not a huge deal, but something to be aware of for anyone else planning to use this in rehearsal.

You will also not find any of the “alternate key” versions of songs in here. Like the other review said, the appendix does include the alternate reprises of Journey On and Buffalo Nickel, and the alternate ending (as heard on the Broadway cast album) of He Wanted to Say.

Rating:

It’s n attractive looking book with a list of instrument doublings and a few black and white photos from the original broadway production. It has an appendix with the London playoff of Buffalo Nickel Photoplay, Inc. and the original Broadway version of He wanted to say the the mini reprise of the theme from Journey On.

It is expertly arranged for Piano/Vocal from the composer’s copy rather than the orchestral score. It is arranged for piano with the occasional third line which contains either important solo instruments or another important accompaniment part.

Overall it’s a great book and I have no complaints.

Rating:

This is a great sort of book, that I wish far more parents would read. However, I found it far less specifically useful and less organized than Jessica Baron Turner’s book:

Your Musical Child: Inspiring Kids to Play and Sing for Keeps

Furthermore, lots of this sort of advice can be found online and in other books and magazines. “Music Lessons” has a very biased view toward the European orchestra tradition, basically assuming that is the way to go through music education. There is virtually no mention of singing as a dedicated field, very little mention of other world musics or popular music, and the long prose will give you some good advice, but it is not easy to reference and look up specific things later.

There are moments when I really liked the advice, such as emphasizing the variance between students, and emphasizing the need for direct parental involvement. However, there were also moments when I was really turned off by some bold claims or biases, or by the utter ommission of certain ideas or instruments.

I would strongly recommend this over nothing, but if you read only one book, I’d recommend Jessica Baron Turner’s first, and then maybe Amy Nathan’s second The Young Musician’s Survival Guide: Tips from Teens & Pros, and there may be others I haven’t reviewed that are also better.

If you are already very classically biased, and like friendly conversational tone, then this book is good for you. Most of the advice is definitely good.