Magic has always fascinated humans, sparking their imagination and pushing their boundaries of what is possible. The idea of bending the rules of reality and conjuring up fantastical feats is an enticing prospect for many. While supernatural powers might not be within our grasp, we can still create our own form of magic in various aspects of our lives. To make your own magic, it is important to tap into your creativity and open your mind to the possibilities that lie beyond the ordinary. Magic, in essence, is about transforming the mundane into something extraordinary. This can be achieved through various means, such as art, music, writing, or even everyday actions.
This tale of a prince, a princess, and a magic flute begins in a mountain ridge between two magical lands. Prince Tamino enters, chased by a dragon, but three brave mountain rangers gallop past on horseback to rescue him. The rangers ask for one favor in return: their boss, the Queen of the Night, asks Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter, Princess Pamina, from the evil Sun King. She gives Tamino a magic flute and Papageno some magic bells to help them.
Discover the sorcery of The Magic Flute in this musical retelling of the opera just push the button on each beautiful scene to hear the vivid sound of an orchestra playing and singers singing from Mozart s score. Next to this, you can replay the musical excerpts and, for each of them, read a discussion of the instruments, rhythms, and musical techniques that make them so powerful.
This can be achieved through various means, such as art, music, writing, or even everyday actions. One way to make your own magic is through artistic expression. Whether it is painting, sculpting, or dancing, art has the power to transport us to different realms and evoke emotions we never thought possible.
Music Book Review: The Story Orchestra -The Magic Flute
This month’s Music Book Review is another in the fantastic Story Orchestra series of books. I love this series, which takes famous pieces of classical music – some opera, some ballet, some orchestral music – and through either telling the story behind the opera or ballet, or writing a story to go along with the music, and combining that, Jennifer Courtney-Tickle’s beautiful illustrations and excerpt from the piece that each book is based on, the books bring the music to life for young readers. You can read my previous reviews here:
The very first page of the book gives you an introduction to the story:
Once upon a time, the world was split into two lands. One land was ruled by the sun and the other, the moon. After a disagreement, they fought day after day, year after year. This was the way of the world, until a curious prince became lost in the mountains that separated these two kingdoms.
The tale of The Magic Flute is brought to life in this lovely sound book. Based on Mozart’s opera of the same name, the book has excerpts of Mozart’s music throughout the book which you can hear by pressing the musical note on the page.
At the end of the story, the book gives you a glossary defining some of the terms used either within the story itself or the description of each of the musical excerpts on the following page that your children may not be familiar with, such as “aria”, “melisma” and “opera”. There is also a very short biography of the composer along with a very brief introduction to the opera itself and a little historical context about the times when Mozart wrote this opera. Finally, you can hear all of the different excerpts from The Magic Flute in one place on the final page of the book. For each excerpt, there is a short description of the music as well as information about where in the opera you can find this particular excerpt.
The Magic Flute is a great introduction to opera for children with fun characters like Papageno and Papagena, the fairy tale story of a prince going on a quest to rescue a princess, and of course as in every good fairy tale, good triumphs over evil- or peace over war. Once you have read this book with your children you might want to consider listening to or even seeing the opera itself. Look out for a production, they are often on. Or checkout this version online/on TV:
Would your child enjoy this book? Well as always, you know your child best and the sorts of stories they enjoy. I don’t think the book is particularly frightening, although there are references to two lands being at war with each other, and needing to work out their differences to live in harmony with each other, so you may feel that is a bit much for very small children. In terms of understanding the story, I would say that depending on whether you are reading this to your child, or they are reading it for themselves, this is a great book for children aged 5 to 8. Of course with buttons to press to listen to the music, that is always a winner in my house with both children. And the buttons are quite light touch as well, meaning it is easy for quite young children to press them and get the music to play.
At the time of writing this book is available on Amazon priced at £13.99, but be aware that prices on Amazon do go up and down depending on availability. I have also seen this book available to buy in our local Waterstones and I am sure it is available from other good retailers.
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His cowardly friend Papageno comes out from his hiding place and they revive the prince. The rangers ask for one favor in return. Their boss, the Queen of the Night , asks Prince Tamino to rescue her daughter, Princess Pamina, from the evil Sun King. She gives Tamino a magic flute and Papageno some magic bells to help them.
By honing your artistic skills and letting your imagination run wild, you can create your own magical world filled with beauty and wonder. Music is another form of magic that can transport us to different emotional states and connect us with others on a deep level. Through the power of melody and rhythm, music has the ability to invoke feelings of joy, sadness, and everything in between. By learning to play an instrument or composing your own songs, you can create your own musical magic that resonates with others. Writing is yet another way to make your own magic. With the stroke of a pen or the click of a keyboard, you can create entire worlds, characters, and stories that captivate readers and ignite their imaginations. By creating narratives that transport people to different realms and inspire them, you can create your own form of literary magic. Magic can also be found in everyday actions and interactions. Kindness, for example, has the power to create a ripple effect that spreads love and positivity. By performing acts of kindness and making a positive impact on the lives of others, you can create your own magic in the world. In conclusion, while we may not possess supernatural powers, we can still make our own magic in various aspects of our lives. By tapping into our creativity, opening our minds to possibilities, and embracing different forms of artistic expression, we can create our own magical worlds. Whether it is through art, music, writing, or everyday actions, making our own magic allows us to transcend the ordinary and create something extraordinary..
Reviews for "The Science of Sorcery: How to Create Your Own Magic Potions"
1. John - 2 stars - "I was really disappointed with 'Make your own magic'. The activities are poorly explained and the materials provided were low-quality. It felt like a rushed and unfinished project. The book also lacked variety, with most of the activities being repetitive and uninteresting. Overall, I expected more from this book and would not recommend it."
2. Sarah - 1 star - "This book was a complete waste of money. The activities outlined were confusing and didn't produce any magical results as promised. The instructions were poorly written and didn't make sense half the time. It seems like the author didn't put much effort into researching or testing the activities before including them in the book. I was highly disappointed and regret purchasing this book."
3. Michael - 2 stars - "I was excited to try out some magical activities with 'Make your own magic', but it failed to deliver. The instructions were convoluted and hard to follow, resulting in frustrating experiences with each activity. The book also lacked clear explanations of the magical principles behind each activity, leaving me feeling confused and unsatisfied. I would not recommend this book to anyone looking for a comprehensive guide to magic."