"For years I've distributed Christmas presents of Peter and the Wolf to small children starting flute/clarinet/piano lessons. This year I'm breaking new ground with this thoroughly modern musical for kids about a boy called Moog and a dog called Rockford...
Ingenious story, foot-tapping music and three booklets containing not just the lyrics so you can all sing along, but lots of quirky pictures of strange animals, sci-fi scenery, Battersea power station and other stuff that children think about while practising arpeggios."
Sue Arnold (The Guardian)
*****
"Rockford's Rock Opera is an amazing mix of story, songs and sound effects. It has a freshness that makes you smile as you listen and could become a cult favourite as beloved as Wallace and Gromit."
Christina Hardyment (The Times)
*****
"Magical rock-opera stories feature Battersea boy Moog and his dog Rockford in the land of Infinity. Sounds fey, but the exploration of ecological themes is serious and also inventive fun. Part 1 can be sampled as a free download and the website alone is a resource worth browsing."
Rachel Redford (The Observer)
*****
"Rockford’s Rock Opera is a unique audio-visual adventure for children....The aimis to teach children about ecology, eco-systems and the dangers of extinction. The quality is really superb and it has been widely acclaimed by leading ecologists and charities including the World Wildlife Fund."
PRIMARY TIMES Magazine
"This extraordinary story spreads a most important message in a mysterious and magical way. Rockford's Rock Opera has been created and produced with love, passion and great skill and will endure as a classic to be enjoyed by the world's children and adults for generations to come."
Susan Stranks (Broadcaster and TV presenter)
"Want a multi-media resource to meet the challenges of the Primary Framework for literacy? Well give Rockford's Rock Opera a try. It is a cornucopia of different media: video, spoken word, music, drama, pictures and written texts. This wonderful resource gave a very wide range of opportunities for speaking and listening, drama and reading and writing. My class year 4, middle and lower ability children - predominantly boys - loved it!!! Rockford took over our whole classroom and was used as an inspiration for work in almost every other subject - a truly cross-curricular theme. We celebrated our work in an assembly shown to the rest of the school, parents and friends. The children excelled themselves. Their learning and self confidence has exceeded expectations. Please take a look to find the creatures' secrets. You and your pupils will not regret it!"
Jane (Literacy Manager, Primary School UK)
"....The story may sound a trifle far-fetched, but our listening panel thought it was brilliant. It is described as a rock opera. I’m not too sure that it was very rockish, but the songs were pleasant, easy-listenin’, and fine to sing along to. The story-telling is graphic and atmospheric, and you can never tell what the next oddity or bit of imaginative thinking is going to be. They say it is for people from 0 to 106, so that means most of us, and our Panel did agree that it was suited to both adults and children."
David Lane, with help from the panel (Children's Webmag)
"I sincerely believe that your songs including the lyrics, rhyme, voice are so refreshing and inspiring. Please do consider releasing it on Itunes or Amazon and I am sure it will be very popular.I look forward to hearing many more of such inspiring songs in the future!
From one Earthonian to another (as I like to say!) Thanks!"
radical80 - Blogger
"I downloaded Rockford's Rock Opera to my iPod and I listened to it on the train on my way to work. It was nice listening to the story, which appeals to adults as well as children. This story would be ideal to listen to on a long journey. If you have an interest in saving the world then you will love Rockford's Rock Opera. And if you don't, you will after listening to the story!"
Brownie Book Club Editor
"Totally love it ... exciting, entertaining, stimulating, multimodal, literate .... "
Doug Dickinson (ICT consultant)
Sweetapple © 2010. Rockford's Rock Opera ® audiobook on CD, download or stream. Part 1 available as a free audio book.