In this Under the Covers episode, we meet John Gerdy, scholar, musician, author and illustrator of the book, “Alphabone Orchestra,” a book designed to help children get excited about music and offer adults tidbits of music education through the “Grace Notes” sprinkled throughout.
John is a lifelong musician who has served as an “artist in residence” teaching the Blues to children from Pre-K to grade 6. He performs regularly under the stage name “Willie Marble.”
This is an alphabet book with a music twist. John painted every letter (52 of them… 26 upper case and 26 lower case), each with a bell of a horn incorporated into the letter’s design. Someone needed to play those AlphaBones and who better than the triangle headed figure (now named “Dr. Dude B. Fonky)?