This Is Music: Voice

Make music with this hands-on introduction to the four instrument families – drums, horns, strings, and voice – in this board book series by a world-renowned music educator.

What do a choir, a rapper, and a yodeler all have in common? They all use voice to make music! This first introduction begins with a simple explanation of what defines a musical voice. Young readers are then invited on a global exploration of a variety of different vocal musicians, and then encouraged to use their voice in the world around them. Complete with a mirror for observing their own mouths!

Dr. Rekha S. Rajan is a musical theater and operatic performer, early childhood educator, professor, and author of a number of publications on the arts in education. She is the recipient of several grants, including a two-year research grant from the National Endowment for the Arts, has performed in a variety of venues, including Carnegie Hall and the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, and sits on various statewide curriculum boards. Rekha specializes in introducing children to the arts. Her debut children’s book, Amazing Landmarks (Scholastic, 2022), is a STEAM compendium of the stories behind how and why 10 iconic landmarks were built. Her parenting book The Read Aloud Factor (Chicago Review Press, 2022) will provide a modern, inclusive approach to establishing read-aloud routines for busy families, featuring diverse reading lists, using music, working around technology, and addressing multilingual dynamics. Rekha’s work consistently draws from her professional expertise as an educator and performer, her South Asian heritage, and her abiding love of music. Rekha sings every day with her husband and three children, and when she’s not writing, she is playing the djembe, mridangam, trumpet, ukulele, and piano.

Tania Yakunova is an award-winning illustrator from Kyiv, Ukraine. She finds her inspiration in avant-garde art and design of the twentieth century. Her work spans from commercial illustration, book illustration, editorial illustration, poster design, packaging for clients all around the world to internationally exhibited personal works. Tania is an active member of the local artist community in the Ukraine and regularly gives lectures and workshops about illustration.