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Symphony for a Broken Orchestra by Amy Ignatow

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Symphony for a Broken Orchestra

How Philadelphia Collected Sounds to Save Music

by Amy Ignatow

Length 8 minutes

Language English

Narrators Tyla Collier & Robert Blackson

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Summary
About the author
About the narrators

The schools of Philadelphia were filling up with broken violins, drums, pianos, and more, making it difficult for students to learn to play. This sparked an idea for a symphony, played entirely with the broken instruments, that would raise funds to repair the instruments themselves. Musicians young and old volunteered, and their captivating performance showed that even something broken can sing—and that great music is always possible with a bit of inventiveness and improvisation. Based on real events, this inspiring story introduces young listeners to a range of instruments as it celebrates a community coming together to make a joyful, meaningful noise.

Children's Music

Amy Ignatow is the author-illustrator of the Popularity Papers series and Mighty Odds trilogy. She lives with her family in Philadelphia.

Tyla Collier is a trained actor, singer, dancer, and audiobook narrator who received her bachelor's degree in musical theater from the Boston Conservatory. She has performed professionally off-Broadway as well as in numerous regional theaters around the country. She currently resides in New York City. For more information, visit TylaCollier.com.

Robert Blackson is the founding director of Temple Contemporary, a research and public-program initiative at Temple University’s Tyler School of Art and Architecture in Philadelphia whose signature projects include Symphony for a Broken Orchestra. A board member of Site Collective, Isle of Skye, Scotland, he previously worked as a curator for Nottingham Contemporary and BALTIC Centre for Contemporary Art, Newcastle/Gateshead. His writings have appeared in monographs and journals.