Culture 6 - Moses Goes to a Concert

A. Bibliography

Millman, Isaac.1998. Moses Goes to a Concert. Canada: Farrar, Straus and Giroux. ISBN 0374350671.

B. Plot Summary
The story opens with Moses playing his drum. He is walking with his dog and his shoes are off and he is beating a new drum his parents gave him. The reader then learns that Moses is deaf and his shoes are off so he can feel the vibrations through his feet. The next day Moses and his class, including his teacher, Mr. Samuels, are going on a field trip to a concert. All of Moses' classmates are also deaf and speak in sign language as well as Mr. Samuels. The children learn that Mr. Samuels has a surprise for them in a black bag he is carrying. As they arrive at the concert they sit in the front row. Mr. Samuels explains that a friend of his is a percussionist that is playing in the concert today. As his friend comes out on stage, the children notice that she does not have shoes on. Mr. Samuels explains that she is deaf.

He then passes out balloons to each child, and instructs them to hold them in their lap to help them feel the vibrations of the concert. After the concert the children get the opportunity to meet Mr. Samuels friend and play her different instruments. After talking with her they return to school. When Moses goes home he tells his parents all about the concert and how he wants to be a percussionist when he grows up.

C. Critical Analysis
This is a wonderful, heart-warming story about setting goals and achieving them no matter what obstacle might be in your way. It has many cultural markers that contribute to the authenticity of this book. The characters are authentic and reflect the realities of people who are deaf. The book represents what deaf people must do in order to enjoy music or a concert by feeling vibrations through a balloon and their feet or hands.

Moses, his classmates, and his teacher are balanced characters. They are school-aged children attending a field trip with their teacher. Their clothing is that of what school children typically wear to school. The only difference is that Moses and his classmates are deaf, but they are still able to enjoy the concert. The contemporary setting is is also consistent with our contemporary time, including clothing, modes of transportation (school bus), and the general environment of the story.

The themes, values and illustrations in this book are consistent with those in the deaf community. Throughout the entire book sign language is demonstrated along with the text. Either Moses is signing or the musician, Ms. Marjorie Elwyn, is signing with the printed text at the bottom of the page. The movements to the sign language illustrations is explained in the author's note on the first page of the book. Along with this translation, the author Isaac Millman also explains the research he did while writing this books and gives credit to two deaf teachers who helped him get the sign language diagrams correct for the book. The author's attention to detail also contributes to the authenticity of this book. The theme in the book, as Moses signs is, "When you set your mind to it you can become anything you want when you grow up." He then tells his parents that he want to be a percussionist when he grows up.

Moses Goes to a Concert is also rich in cultural details of the deaf community. It explains how deaf people are able to enjoy music. The signing throughout the book helps the reader understand how deaf people communicate and gives them an opportunity to learn how to sign, along with the complete American Sign Language alphabet in the back of the book. This book also celebrates diversity along with the common bonds of humanity. Moses and his classmates are excited about the concert and they celebrate their diversity by embracing the different ways they are able to enjoy music - first of all, through their feet when their shoes are off and also by holding a balloon in their lap and feeling the vibrations. These different ways to experience music were celebrated in the story.

The book includes members of a minority group for a purpose. The deaf community is well represented throughout this book and gives the reader a glimpse inside a the world of a non-hearing person discovering new things about a group that they might not know that much about. Finally, this book has an appealing format and an enduring quality. The illustrations and text compliment each other well and help communicate the ideas the book is intended to express. The sign language translations are easy to read. The illustrations are endearing. I especially enjoyed the friendship and excitement that Moses and his friend John shared. This is a great book to introduce students to the deaf community, and it would also be a great book for students who are hearing impaired to identify with.

D. Review Excerpts
Publishers Weekly: "The seemingly incongruous premise of this harmonious debut, a class of deaf children attends an orchestral concert, leads to a revelation for readers who may well have assumed that the ability to hear is a prerequisite for enjoying music. Holding balloons that their teacher passes out to help them "feel the music," Moses and his classmates are thrilled to pick up the vibrations. Afterwards, they visit with the orchestra's deaf percussionist, who intriguingly, performs in stocking feet so she, too, can feel the beat. She lets the students play her instruments and,using American Sign Language, explains how she worked hard to achieve her career goal.

School Library Journal: "Cheerful watercolor illustrations show the multiethnic children enjoying themselves, while smaller cartoon strips feature Moses' additional comments in sign language. A page displaying the manual alphabet and a conversation in sign language in which Moses tells his parents about his day enhances the upbeat story."

E. Connections
To read more books about the deaf community, please check out the following books
Milliman, Isaac. Moses Sees a Play. ISBN 0374350663.

Milliman, Isaac. Moses Goes to the Circus. ISBN 0374350647.

Aseltine, Lorraine. I'm Deaf and It's Okay. ISBN 0807534722.

Lakin, Patricia. Dad and Me in the Morning. ISBN 0807514195.

Heelan, Janeen Riggio. Can You a Rainbow? ISBN 1561452688.