Introduction
Do you sing along to your favorite songs or enjoy putting on shows with your friends? Maybe you play a musical instrument or think you might like to learn how to someday. Whether you make music or just love hearing it, one thing is for sure: music is an essential part of life for people all over the world.
Music can make us want to dance. It can inspire us to create art or motivate us to run faster. It can allow us to express our feelings, helping us cry when we are sad and adding to our pleasure and sense of belonging when we come together to celebrate.
There are so many different kinds of music to listen to and learn about: classical, jazz, rhythm and blues, reggae, country, pop, hip-hop, and many more! And music is always changing, as each new generation of musicians learns from the lessons and legacies of those that came before them, building on the innovations of the past to create their own unique sounds.
The musicians in this book composed, sang, played, and performed in ways that pushed boundaries and changed the world of music. Today, they are all famous—but of course, they were once kids, too.
Some of these musicians started learning their craft at an early age. When Mariah Carey was just a toddler, she used to listen to her opera singer mother practicing her scales. Yo-Yo Ma’s father began teaching him the cello when he was three years old.
Many of them knew they would be musicians when they were still children. A young Prince told his teacher that he was going to be a rock-and-roll star, and eleven-year-old Cher spent hours practicing her signature for when she became famous. Still, other people didn’t necessarily believe these future musicians. When Dolly Parton announced that she was going to Nashville to become a country singer, her classmates laughed at her.
Childhood was difficult for some of these musicians. In New Orleans, little Louis Armstrong dropped out of school at age eleven and learned to play trumpet in a reform school. Growing up in the 1950s, singers Diana Ross and Stevie Wonder often faced racism and discrimination. And in the Canadian prairies, singersongwriter Joni Mitchell spent months in the hospital battling polio.
Some of these musicians were very poor before they became successful. Reggae artist Bob Marley found himself homeless at age seventeen, and singer Ella Fitzgerald lived on the streets for a time until she won a talent contest as a teenager.
But no matter how great their talent or how challenging the obstacles in their paths, all of these musicians started out as kids who loved to play and be creative. Stevie Wonder rode on a bicycle with his brother, Harry Styles liked dressing up in a dalmatian costume, and Taylor Swift invented imaginative stories on her family’s Christmas tree farm. Classical pianist Glenn Gould loved animals so much that he even made a newspaper for his pets!
These musicians pursued their dreams and made music that has touched the lives of millions of people around the world. Many of them inspired each other! Ella Fitzgerald used to imitate Louis Armstrong’s singing, Mariah Carey was a big fan of Stevie Wonder, Beyoncé studied the musical careers of Diana Ross and Prince, and Taylor Swift’s first demo tape included songs by Dolly Parton.
Through music, people are able to communicate feelings and ideas—which means that songs can bring people together and help make big changes in the world we live in. Music has formed the soundtrack for movements towards civil rights, social justice, and world peace.
All the musicians in this book have created music that has enriched our world. We hope their stories and music will enrich your life, too.
Copyright © 2024 by Robin Stevenson; illustrated by Allison Steinfeld. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
