A French Horn, a Salad, and a Forgotten Toothbrush is the true story about a tomato plant that accidentally grew inside a French Horn. Renowned French Horn player, Steve Stirling was playing his horn one day, when he noticed that something seemed to be stuck inside the tubes. He shook it, turned it over, and shined a light inside of it. Finally, he took a big breath and blew as hard as he could. Out popped a small tomato plant! This book explains how this strange scientific surprise occurred. Under my guidance, this book was designed and created by 1st Grade students at the Buckingham, Browne & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA, who heard the story first-hand from Steve Stirling. Their beautiful artwork captures both musical and scientific concepts that this unique story brings together.
As a cross-curricular project, the students learned about the intricacies of how a French horn works, created multiple drafts of artwork with our art teacher, and studied plant growth with our science teacher. They listened to Steve Stirling, the renowned French Horn player, as he told us his tomato plant tale via FaceTime in my music classroom, and asked him questions that helped shape the organization of the book. This strange and true story is brought to life through the diligent work of these students who demonstrate just what a 1st Grader is capable of.
Stirling, Stephen: - "Stephen Stirling is a horn soloist and chamber musician of worldwide renown. His discography includes nearly 80 chamber works and concertos - his second recording of the Brahms Horn Trio, with the Florestan Trio (Hyperion), was nominated for a Gramophone award and a set of Mozart Horn Concertos (BMG/Classic FM) with the City of London Sinfonia has been broadcast hundreds of times by Classic FM. He is the principal horn of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, the City of London Sinfonia and the Orchestra of St John's, and appears regularly as guest principle with the Scottish Chamber Orchestra, the London Symphony Orchestra. the BBC Symphony Orchestra and the Chamber Orchestra of Europe. Throughout his career Stephen has been associated with innovative ensembles, commissioning new music, bringing historical awareness to modern performing style and introducing aspects of the theatre to classical concerts. He is Professor of Horn at Trinity Laban Conservatoire of Music and Dance and a faculty member of the Yellow Barn International Summer Music School and Festival in Vermont, USA."
Zur, Sara Stevens: - Sara Zur earned her Bachelors, Masters, and Doctoral degrees in music education, specializing in early childhood. She especially loves exploring and learning music of the world's many cultures. Sara has travelled extensively, collecting ideas and approaches to music teaching that engage her students in creative musical interaction. She believes that the arts can allow children to access and express unique parts of themselves. Sara has published articles in several journals, including Music Educators Journal, The Qualitative Report, and Childhood Education. Sara currently teaches music at the Buckingham, Browne, & Nichols School in Cambridge, MA.
