About the Book
When 4th grader Alex Schwartz first met his cello, his eyes lit up with wonder and a smile appeared on his face as bright as the potential his new cello teacher saw within him. The cello positively impacted all aspects of his development including focus, fine motor and gross motor skills.
Through the transformative power of music, Alex's voice sings through his cello in songs of joy, determination and strength. Up Bow Down Bow shares the beauty of his ongoing musical journey and tells of the vital teamwork between a young music teacher with an endless belief in the abilities of her students, and a mother with ceaseless love, support and hope for her son who has Down syndrome, epilepsy and hypotonia.
"Children with varying abilities have much to offer us all. This book speaks to how parents, families and communities can support children with diverse capabilities and the joy we can receive in return" -Barbara Bowman, Irving B. Harris Professor, Erikson Institute
"This is a tale of the triumph of the human spirit: the triumph managed through a parent's love and persistence, a teacher's dedication, a young boy's desire to learn and music's power to transform." -Russ Walsh, Rider University, author of A Parent's Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century
"This collaboration offers a promising and powerful blueprint for educators, parents and caregivers everywhere to collab-orate, teach and love all children within the space of strength-based perspectives." -Kass Minor, Co-Founding Educator and Executive Director, The Minor Collective
Learn more at www.UpNotDownBook.com
From Modern History Press
About the Author :
Nancy M. Schwartz has taught in Pennsylvania for twenty-seven years. She holds certificates as an ELL Program Specialist, Reading Specialist, and Elementary and Early Education educator. Nancy's undergraduate degree came from Temple University, and she attended graduate school at Saint Joseph's University. Nancy spent several summers studying at the Teachers College, Columbia University, Reading and Writing Project. She enjoys ballet, reading, writing, art, fashion, animals, acting, music, and most of all, motherhood. This is her second book. You can find more photos and stories on her website www.upnotdownbook.com. April E. Beard is a music educator and violist in eastern Pennsylvania. Originally from Long Island, New York, she completed her undergraduate degree in Music Education at the Crane School of Music at SUNY Potsdam. She received her Master's in Viola Performance from the University of Delaware. April looks forward to continuing to dedicate her work to sharing the beauty of music with children and leading them to find their own artistic success. When not teaching or playing her viola, she enjoys spending time with her fiancé, Mark, and cat named Marty, kayaking, and exploring new places.
Review :
"This book is a must-read for everyone. In eloquent prose Nancy and April share how music can give a voice to everyone and break down seemingly insurmountable barriers. The cello lessons in this book sing to the reader on so many levels. This book teaches that G-d sends all of us challenges and tests, and our job is to find the beauty and blessing hidden in those challenges. This is what Nancy and her hus-band have been able to do with their wonderful son, Alex, who was born with many disabilities. They chose to focus on the positive and what Alex can do, and that is the message to us all. What a blessing this is to anyone who reads it." -- Susie Garber, educator, mother, grandmother, reporter, speaker, and author.
"This remarkable book continues the story, begun in the wonderful Up Not Down Syndrome, of Alex, a boy with Trisomy 21 and an insatiable desire to learn and grow, and his mother, Nancy, a woman with an insatiable desire to see that Alex gets those learning and grow-ing opportunities. Now Nancy teams with a remarkable young music educator, April Beard, to tell the story of Alex's introduction to the world of music through instruction in playing the cello. The story is beauti-fully and compellingly told through three voices, Nancy's, April's, and Alex's, as this trio navigates the challenges of achieving what some might see as an impossible task. In the end, this is a tale of the triumph of the human spirit. The triumph managed through a parent's love and persistence, a teacher's dedication, a young boy's desire to learn, and music's power to transform." -Russ Walsh, Rider University, author of A Parent's Guide to Public Education in the 21st Century
"Up Bow, Down Bow: A Child with Down Syndrome and His Journey to Master the Cello by Nancy M. Schwartz and April E. Beard is a multivocal learning narrative that weaves the rhythms of a mother's vision and persistence, a teacher's skill and dedication, a young boy's vitality and commitment to learning with the power of relational music instruction. In this book, the cello is a portal-to an illuminating vision of how families, educators, and communities can optimally support children with diverse capabilities in ways that generate reciprocal learning and transformation." -Sharon M. Ravitch, Ph.D., University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education
"This book, co-authored by the kind of teacher or parent that every child deserves, captures the magical powers of music to meet learners where they are. It is a loving thank you note to every teacher whose lessons have built our competence and confidence. While it is the continuing and triumphant story of one child's journey towards independence, Up Bow, Down Bow is also a universal guide to how to live a good life-working together as a team and looking beyond obstacles to embrace new challenges." -- Betty Litsinger, Director of Multilingual Writing, Bryn Mawr College
"This beautiful book shows the inner beauty of a whole community, focused on the inner beauty of Alex, a little boy with Down syndrome. It is the joint account of a loving mother and a talented, loving music teacher in helping Alex to grow through learning to play the cello. At twelve years of age, Alex is unable to do many of the things we take for granted, including speech, and yet... Read, and be inspired." --Bob Rich, PhD, professional grandfather and author of From Depression to Contentment
