Lee is a jazz musician. He plays piano with a band at a jazz club, until one day, his bandmates notice that he's losing his hearing. The bandleader fires Lee, asking "Who will listen to a deaf musician?" Feeling sad and discouraged, Lee decides to attend a school for the deaf. There, he learns sign language and meets a deaf saxophone player named Max. Together, they begin playing jazz on the subway by signing notes to one another. Other deaf musicians join them, and crowds begin gathering to watch their band rehearse.

This would be a fantastic book to read aloud in the classroom because it filled with onomatopoeia to represent jazz sounds. Children would love the language in this book. It's a story with a clear moral that even young kids will understand -- don't exclude people for being different. The illustrations are colorful, vibrant, and fun. I would recommend this book to kindergarten through third grade teachers. ( )

This great story is about how a piano player, Lee, overcomes obstacles. He had always played jazz music for a crowd, yet know he seems to be losing his hearing since he is way off key. The bandleader lets him go which upsets Lee. On his way home he noticed an advertisement for a school of the deaf and decides to go. He began to play music with Max by doing sign language. They always played their music on the subway and a lady named Rose decided to also join in. Rose brought her friend Ellie to become their lead singer. Together they performed each night in the subways attracting crowds and crowds of people. A person that really enjoyed their music was Lee's old bandleader, the one that had lost hope in him. ( )

The Deaf Musicians by Pete Seeger is about a musician names Lee who is going deaf. Lee started to go deaf, and was kicked out of his band. Lee wasn't sure what to do next, so he went to school for the deaf where he learned sign language and then eventually started a band with other deaf people. They became so in-sync with each other, that people came and watched them every night. Lee didn't let his disability stop him. Instead, he found a way to be able to still do what he loves, and that was play music. ( )

Lee is a musician in a band who is going deaf. He does not want to admit this to his band members, but they know something is wrong because he is not on tune with the beats. One day Lee is on the subway and sees advertisement for a deaf school and decides to check it out. The best decision Lee made was checking out that school, he learned sign language so fast and his hands were “dancing” because he was so good at sign language. Lee made a new friend at his school, Lee, and they started their own band. I can relate to this in so many ways because of my mom being deaf. Just because they are deaf doesn’t mean they aren’t capable of doing things hearing people can do. Just like Lee, even though he lost his hearing that did not stop his love for music and his talent. Lee and his band were a huge hit! The same as my mom, being deaf does not stop her from doing and trying new things. I loved this book and will absolutely use this in my classroom to show students that not everyone is the same and that people with disabilities are still equal like us. ( )