Hamish and the Double Bass
$25 Standard
$20 Member & Subscriber Price
Hamish and the Double Bass: A celebration of making music with friends
Margaret Dugdale
Hamish and the Double Bass takes the reader on an adventure: a small boy, Hamish, who loves going to concerts, by chance meets the lonely Double Bass, a big instrument that he is way too small to play. With a little magical encouragement from the Double Bass, Hamish goes off with his friends to learn to play the smaller instruments of the orchestra.
Most children’s first experience of learning to play is through these instruments. The book, brought to life on the page by Becky Stout, provides children with a positive contemporary story about the orchestra: the excitement of going to a concert, the imagined places music can take them to, the possibility of growing up to play in an orchestra and most of all, the joy of making music with friends. An underlying subtext is secure attachment, a relationship given by a caregiver who provides a safe base from which the child can grow up into confident independence.
About the Author
Margaret writes for small children, always amazed at their love of books and capacity for imagination and whimsy. With a love of children and music, Margaret also draws from her profession as a mother and infant psychotherapist. In 2013 Margaret won the Australian Association for Infant Mental Health’s Anne Morgan Prize for her story, ’Love in a Lunch Box’.
Category: Juvenile 4+
Format: Hardback
“Hamish and the Double Bass captures the excitement of a young boy's musical adventure. He discovers an array of different instruments by watching the musicians play and later shares these sounds amongst his friends. When children discover the musical instrument they want to play, magic truly happens. I know many musicians will relate to Hamish’s story because his story is also our story — one of being inspired to play music after attending a concert. Playing music is truly a life-long adventure, and when we can share our music with family and friends — well that makes it even better!”
-Karen Kyriakou
Conductor of the MSO’s Jams for Juniors
Music Educator, Composer, Musician
B.Ed (Sec. Mus), M.Ed. (Mus), CF
