AMY NATHAN's Web Site WELCOME!

To contact author:
amynbooks@gmail.com

Amy Nathan's books are available from online booksellers and can be ordered from any bookstore.

"An inspirational guide. . . . Throughout, the emphasis is on the pleasure that can come from making music, whatever one's skill level. Making music isn't just for professionals, according to this guide that aims to make the joys of playing and singing accessible to adults. . . . In this encouraging, engaging volume, she quickly dispels the notion that being musical requires innate talent or years of rigorous training that must begin in childhood." — KIRKUS Reviews

"Almost everything a parent needs to know about the challenges and rewards of children’s music lessons. . . . highly recommended source of advice and solace for anyone guiding a young musician’s life."
— KIRKUS Reviews

“With clarity and passion, Amy Nathan portrays the struggle of everyday citizens to end racial segregation in Baltimore. This compelling history, for and about young people, is simple but profound like freedom itself.”
--Taylor Branch, Pulitzer Prize-winning author of the trilogy America in the King Years.

The WASHINGTON POST on YANKEE DOODLE GALS: ". . . really sparkles when Nathan tells the stories of individual WASPs. Dozens of memorable black-and-white photographs showing the WASPs at work and play help round out this absorbing look at a group of gusty women who were ahead of their time."

“What a great book to have in a studio or rehearsal room, just waiting for young musicians to pick up and explore. Fascinating bits of advice from both professionals and student musicians fill every page.”
-- American Music Teacher

". . . filled with practical advice about how to find time to practice, how to calm down before playing in public, and how to handle that chatterbox who sits behind you at rehearsal."
-- The New York Times

"An excellent book to introduce young musicians to those who have traveled the path before them....An ideal gift...for any orchestra buff."
-- American Music Teacher

"An upbeat title that should find its way into every core music collection."
-- Center for Children's Books

"Young dancers will find inspiration in this collection of pros' tales... the subjects share the challenges they encountered in their rise to success."
--Dance Teacher magazine

"...a chatty and informative look at 16 dancers, their childhoods, their training and their professional lives."
--Kirkus Reviews

"Nathan has a knack for choosing genuinely original and informative aspects of the dancers' lives, and chapters are bedecked with sidebar tidbits."
--Center for Children's Books

"Meet the Dancers is a perfectly wonderful book for anyone who wants to understand why pursuing a career in dance is so demanding and rewarding."
--Amanda McKerrow, Former Principal Dancer, American Ballet Theatre

“Amy Nathan's book describes the courageous struggle by blacks and whites to end discrimination in the park, the city and the nation. Youths who read this book will walk away with a clearer understanding of segregation and the valiant Americans who fought against this injustice.”
--Debra Newman Ham, Professor of History, Morgan State University

"A profoundly moving tribute to the intrepid unsung heroes who risked their lives to help bring an end to Baltimore’s Jim Crow Era. . . . the author seamlessly interweaves eyewitness accounts of the long effort to desegregate Gwynn Oak with descriptions of what was simultaneously transpiring elsewhere around the country in the Civil Rights Movement. "
--Kam Williams, syndicated columnist

"Nathan drew on the experiences of 265 parents and educators for this book of advice, emotional support, and important reminders of why the pursuit of music is worth the sacrifice."
—Peter Dobrin, Philadelphia Inquirer/ Philly.com

“. . . any music parent will find stories and advice that will resonate with them in this book. The sidebars and stories from professional musicians were particularly delightful . . . could also be considered essential reading for any music teacher. . . So whether you are a music parent (struggling or otherwise) or an educator who has found oneself counseling a frustrated music parent, this book is worthy of a place on your bookshelf!”
— American Music Teacher Magazine

“An important read for every family engaged in music studies: a delightful collection of ideas and moving accounts from loving, dedicated parents.”
— Aaron P. Dworkin, President, The Sphinx Organization

“I'm thrilled that Amy Nathan has provided such an encyclopedic guide. Now I can refer parents who ask about starting their kids in music to this thoughtful, balanced conversation among so many parents who have been there.”
— Theodore Wiprud, Vice President of Education, New York Philharmonic

TO BUY BOOKS, use this link to find an independent bookseller who can order ANY book you might want....

“Round And Round Together tells the inspiring story of how a generation of college and high school students provided the energy and enthusiasm that ended racial segregation in Baltimore’s Gwynn Oak Amusement Park and changed the direction of Maryland’s history.”
--James Henretta, Professor Emeritus, University of Maryland

"An excellent book to introduce young musicians to those who have traveled the path before them....An ideal gift...for any orchestra buff."
-- American Music Teacher

"An upbeat title that should find its way into every core music collection."
-- Center for Children's Books

"Perfectly pitched to its target elementary audience . . . a good choice for elementary classrooms as part of a Civil Rights unit. A winner." KIRKUS Discoveries

PBS's Judy Woodruff onCOUNT ON US:"With vivid detail, Amy Nathan paints a picture that puts women where they belong -- not on the sidelines, but at the center of our nation's history. This fascinating book is for everyone who is interested in the American military, or in American women."

AMY NATHAN, award-winning author of books on music, civil rights, women's history, dance —& allowances & homework, too! Please CLICK on titles (at right)

NPR interview with AMY NATHAN on NYC's WNYC midday program, "All of It"

Interview starts at MINUTE 39 and lasts for 10 minutes

NATIONAL PRESS CLUB ANNUAL BOOK FAIR & AUTHOR NIGHT — Friday, Nov. 2 - 5:30 to 8:30 pm

On November 2, author AMY NATHAN and her new book MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC: HOW TO BRING MUSIC INTO YOUR BUSY LIFE (Oxford University Press) will take part in the National Press Club's 41st Annual Book Fair & Author's Night. This is the Capitol region's premiere holiday book event—done in partnership with DC bookseller Politics and Prose as a fundraiser for the National Press Club Journalism Institute.

AMY NATHAN will be on hand to share stories from some of the hundreds of adults who aren't professional musicians but who still make time to make music — despite the demands of their non-music "day jobs" and family and community commitments. A large contingent of DC avocational musicans are featured in MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC. Come hear how they manage to keep the joy of music-making part of their lives. National Press Club Book Fair 529 14th Street, NW, 13th Floor

KIRKUS REVIEWS link on MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC: "An inspirational guide."

WASHINGTON POST link on MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC

"MUSIC IS WAY TOO FUN TO LEAVE TO THE PROS"

KIRKUS review of THE MUSIC PARENTS' SURVIVAL GUIDE

"Almost everything a parent needs to know about the challenges and rewards of children's music lessons." — Kirkus Reviews

KIRKUS REVIEWS on ROUND AND ROUND TOGETHER

"A snapshot of the civil-rights movement in one city provides insight into the important role of individual communities as change moved through the country." — Kirkus Reviews

Huffington Post on the NEW, UPDATED: YANKEE DOODLE GALS

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AMERICAN MUSIC TEACHER Review of THE YOUNG MUSICIAN'S SURVIVAL GUIDE

Blog post on music parenting's surprise benefits!

KIRKUS REVIEWS on TAKE A SEAT—MAKE A STAND

NPR interview with Amy Nathan and Civil Rights hero, Sarah Keys Evans, whose story is told in Amy Nathan's book: TAKE A SEAT--MAKE A STAND

KIRKUS REVIEWS on MEET THE DANCERS

Involving Kids in Music: A Lifelong Gift - Oxford University Presss Music Blog

KIRKUS REVIEWS on MEET THE MUSICIANS

OpEd on MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC

Review and interview on MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC

TV news report featuring MAKING TIME FOR MAKING MUSIC