List
Showstopping Selections
Even if you’re not always a big fan of nonfiction, these titles offer some unique perspectives on music and dance. They’re also a bit quirky and, well, fun!
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Dancers Among Us : a celebration of joy in the everyday
by Jordan MatterGet this itemThis book says it’s for “the dancer inside each of us.” My daughters, who can actually get their bodies into the positions photographed, find it inspirational enough to give the book as gifts. For the rest of us, we can only rejoice that there are people who can so perfectly capture the emotions and moments pictured.
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Squeeze This! : a cultural history of the accordion in America
2012 by Marion S JacobsonGet this itemMy dad played the accordion when I was little, and a few years ago I found a photo of the Accordion Club at his high school. Twelve farm boys with their accordions. When I heard this author interviewed on the radio, I knew I had to read this book. It’s worth the time.
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Will You Miss Me When I'm Gone? : the Carter Family and their legacy in American music
2002 by Mark ZwonitzerGet this itemYou don’t need to be a fan of country music to enjoy this story of the Carter Family’s oddball personalities, crazy antics, and amazing gifts. It kept me up late, and I learned a bunch, too.
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This Is Your Brain on Music : the science of a human obsession
2006 by Daniel J LevitinGet this itemWhat happens when a rock musician turns neuroscientist (and then author)? Apparently a fascinating and wide-ranging exploration of how our brains process music, and why it affects us so deeply. Just skip the first chapter if you don’t want a quick music theory review. It’s not essential.
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Tap! : the greatest tap dance stars and their stories, 1900- 1955
1990 by Rusty E FrankGet this itemThis book could have been a dry history of a particular art form, but tap dancers are sufficiently quirky that when they tell their stories, it is anything but dry. The tappers who made tap dancing into a peculiarly American institution have great stories!
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Strawberry Fields : Central Park's memorial to John Lennon
2011 by Sara Cedar MillerGet this itemWhat list related to music would be complete without a nod to the Beatles in some way? Not one of mine, anyway. This little book includes great photography and a wonderful tribute to John Lennon.
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Riverdance live from New York City
1998Get this itemIs Riverdance the ultimate in rhythmic entertainment? Maybe? There is no doubt that it is lots of fun.
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