Symphony for a Broken Orchestra

Starred review from October 3, 2022
The music-filled city of Philadelphia resounds with “sharp noises and dull noises and funny noises and sad noises,” some of them made by the musical instruments of school children. But when instruments are damaged and abandoned, “away they go”—until a local artist decides to play the broken objects “in new and creative ways” (“Just because something is broken doesn’t mean that it can’t also be beautiful”). The figures in Millward’s digitally rendered illustrations reflect contemporary Philadelphia’s racial and ethnic diversity, while bold yellow highlights pop from the saturated palette, emphasizing musical instruments and onomatopoeia. Ignatow’s reiterative, sound-focused text builds toward the final symphony, which readers can view at a provided video link. Back matter also includes a note from the person behind the symphony. Ages 6–9.

Starred review from July 1, 2022
Does a room full of broken musical instruments mean the Philadelphia schools will go silent? Not when Robert Blackson, the artistic director of Temple Contemporary--a center for exhibitions and public programming at Temple University--gets onboard, according to endnotes explaining the inspiration for the titular symphony, a music education nonprofit, and this book. The story opens with children, depicted with a multitude of skin tones and hairstyles, in classrooms and on the streets enjoying their instruments: "Philadelphia is full of NOISE." Millward's scribbly, digital illustrations and high-octane settings and colors have a childlike quality perfectly attuned to the subject. The sounds, rendered in black letters with yellow highlighting, dominate the designs; musical notes and bright squiggles pulsate across the pages. A young Black saxophonist bops along, passing a mural of Grover Washington Jr., but the sax is abandoned when the musician runs for shelter during a storm. The drummer sets down his snare to purchase a soft pretzel, and someone steps on it. A small child stuffs a sibling's trumpet with toy animals, then comments that it "sounds like a fart." But "just because / something is broken doesn't / mean that it can't also be beautiful," and a performance using the discarded instruments is held--the fundraiser that occurred in 2017. Listeners can tune in on the Vimeo link provided. The concert and narrative conclude in a crescendo of joyful cacophony. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A splendid example of urban renewal. (Picture book. 4-7)

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Starred review from October 15, 2022
Grades 1-3 *Starred Review* Books like J. H. Shapiro's Magic Trash (2011) and Alison Goldberg's Bottle Tops (2022) celebrate leftover scraps that become found art, but what about discarded, broken musical instruments? This picture book tells how the city of Philadelphia turned its scrapped instruments into an exquisite celebration of music. Colorful, childlike artwork sets the right tempo, depicting students with varying skin colors playing musical instruments around the city. The sounds of each instrument float and bounce across the pages while such cultural connections as hot pretzels and a mural of saxophonist Grover Washington Jr. reinforce the setting. But when a violin gets dropped, a drum gets stepped on, and other instruments become broken, they are locked away in a school's abandoned gymnasium, with no funding for repairs. After discovering these instruments, Robert Blackson, the artistic director of Temple Contemporary, is inspired to put on a performance with musicians from across Philadelphia using only broken school instruments in an effort to raise funds for the instruments to be repaired. The result is a cacophonic yet beautiful performance that honors the skills of musicians over their instruments. Concluding notes offer more information about the symphony's creation, a link to the inaugural performance, and the continuing success of Symphony for a Broken Orchestra as a nonprofit. A euphonious and unique look at urban renewal.

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