The Sandy Bottom Orchestra

I'm always searching for music-related movies, and here is a sweet one that your whole family can enjoy.  There seems to be only a few movies like this that get made for television, so we were thrilled when we discovered it through NetFlix (because we don't have TV at home).  Based on the book by Garrison Keillor and his musician wife, Jenny Lind Nilsson, the storyline features a Midwest family who is trying to fit their classical-music personalities into a rural and not-so-cultural community.  If you live in a small town, you will easily relate to the issues. Set amongst a breathtakingly beautiful landscape, there is honesty about neighbors, marriage, and teenage peer pressure.  Not a love story (as the cover might suggest).  The mother hopes to use her piano degree and the daughter is a talented violinist, but both are wondering about their friends and their sanity.  Sound familiar?  In the end, the movie has a clear but not patronizing message about staying with your principles and offering understanding and forgiveness to others. Inspiring enough for me to take it to Youth Group in the near future.  And the music played (see list here) is quite good!