What We're Listening To...

The children have been asking for new and exciting music (I guess our own stash is boring now....), so here are a few favorites that we've enjoyed and that I would recommend both for musical and kid-friendly reasons.

In choosing music that my kids listen to, I feel like I'm a 'health-food-nut-parent' who will only say yes to something my children want if there is a redeeming healthy aspect about it.  There are so many children's music CD's out there with poor singing and very un-inspiring canned music going on in the background. I often shudder when I hear these...


When you're choosing music for your kiddos to listen to (that music will also do its part in shaping their musical appetite and understanding), listen for good quality singing, use of real instruments not (entirely) computerized music and creativity in the songs. In the instance of kids' songs, if they are tied to familiar characters or stories, they may be more memorable and enjoyable for your little tot.


OK, here's our current playlist:

  1. Sesame Street "Kids' Favorite Songs 2" 

I love this CD. The Sesame Street gang is hilarious and the music is so creative and so well done. The boys had many favorites on this CD and wanted to listen to it all the time, multiple times for a while. Mommy and Daddy were laughing at parts too. I love that because of Sesame Street's great talent, they have real live musicians who make the music so much more vibrant and enjoyable. Awesome.

2. Trout Fishing in America: "Big Trouble"

As I referenced in this post, we really like this duo. They're two very creative and able musicians who enjoy being silly and having fun with children through music. This particular album of theirs contains the ever-fun, "Nursery Rhyme Polka" (Throw It Out the Window), but there are a lot of other creative songs that quickly became favorites here too. Just don't explain too much about the song, "The Cat Came Back." :-)

  3. Sesame Street: "Kids' Favorite Songs" 

Well, there was a "Favorite Songs' 2" so there must be a "Favorite Songs" 1!  I intentionally put this one in the #3 spot because it's a little more challenging for Mommy's patience with Elmo and Big Bird's loud voices throughout many songs, but it's just as popular with the kiddos as item #1 in our list...  The music is still very good and very descriptive... worth giving it a try! The boys especially love Elmo and Snuffy in "Row Row Row Your Boat" when they're trying not to sink because Snuffy is so large).  I just think that "Favorite Songs' #2" is better. Just my opinion. :-)


So, go to your library and check these out (Yes, remember that the library has MUSIC too?!) and have a blast with hearing your kids learn some tunes.

Any album favorites you'd like to share??

Classical Music Album Recommendations

Several people have asked what "Classical" albums they could pick up to get that music going in the home. So, if you're not having a soiree of musicians coming to jam at your house each night, this is probably a good idea!

Here are a few suggestions for a traditional, classical mix that combine some of the most well-known and well-loved pieces. These are not your "classical music for relaxation" types.... there is a mix of different speeds, volumes, time periods, etc.

Just fyi... don't underestimate the value of playing classical music around the home, school, etc. I would never have fallen in love with classical music if my dear mother had not bought that cheesy "Sounds of the Oboe" CD (thanks Mom!) which had on it the Largo from the "New World Symphony"  (Dvorak) and the opening to Tchaikovsky's "Swan Lake" - both of which were a level of beauty that I had not heard before - and when I did, there was no looking back!
Now, calm your fears, your child will probably not turn into a music nerd like me; but a quote that my husband relishes is, "the tide raises all ships." The higher the quality of music you expose your family/classroom to, the higher their appreciation and understanding will go too.

So, in no particular order are three picks you can add to your Amazon, etc. list for yourself, or add them to your gift requests for those family members who have been asking!

1. The Greatest Classical Masterpieces! - London Philharmonic (Create Space) 

Aside from the silly exclamation point on this title, it's a great assortment by a well-respected orchestra.

2. The 50 Greatest Pieces of Classical Music  - Performer: London Philharmonic Orchestra (X5 Music Group)
This is a vast collection by, again, a great orchestra. You probably won't need another after this one! :-)

3. 25 Classical Favorites - various ensembles (Vox Classical)
This is a great collection - lots of diversity and excellent choices!

Hope that helps some of you out there!
These are a few of many to choose from - feel free to browse around yourself!

Do you have a favorite piece from childhood, etc.?

And..... Just for fun:
Check out some classic Bugs Bunny.

"I See a Song" by Eric Carle

I was so excited when I found out about the book by Eric Carle, "I See a Song." I love Eric Carle's children's books (it all started with Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See?) and try to get at least one of them every time we get a bundle 'o books from the library. My boys are..... not such big fans (What gives??!). They seem to have this "Eric Carle" phase during their 1st-2nd year, then poof! It's gone!
So, I knew this would be a stretch for them to get into, but I had to try!

I love the idea behind this book! The basic premise is: a violinist enters on the first few pages. He begins to play and what results throughout the pages is a colorful depiction of his music with beautiful colors and creative artistic displays. as he says before he begins, "I see a song. I paint music. I hear color."
The book ends as it began, and the violinist exits.

So, go forth, ye, and giveth this book a try!

Here's what we did:
1. Gather kiddos at a good time of the day when they are up for creative thinking... not a cranky time of day like I do sometimes.
2. Open the book and show them the violinist, talk about what the man is doing.
   When music is played, we can see colors and pictures in our minds depending on what the music sounds like.
3. Go through the book pointing to the pictures, imagining what the music is like, singing what it might be like, describing if it looks loud or soft, fast or slow, happy or sad.
4. When the violinist exits, applaud for a fine performance! :-)

Adaptions:
You can give your child instruments to play; like a drum, shakers, etc. and they can describe the pictures on their own through instruments if they're not quite into vocalizing a description.

Or, if you are savvy on an instrument, you can go through the book with them as you have your own piano/guitar/violin/flute, etc. there to improvise a little on what the pictures make you think of. They will LOVE this. :-)

My boys liked the whole idea, but as I said, are not (yet?) so crazy about Carle's books. So, we tried this later with one of their favorite Robert Munsch books (Boo!) and they were much more excited and heartily made up songs about those pictures. What can I say? They're my silly boys.

There is also an official animated version on YouTube (Go here!) which is great, but I would save that for after your little one/s have done their own creating. :-)

So, go get this book from your local library or on Amazon/etc. and give it a try!

Have fun!

What we're listening to... in the car!

Isn't our society amazing? Never before has there been such an ability to multi-task! A few-hours' ride to the beach can become an educational experience instead of just a "when will we get there????"-fest.

K will sit and listen to music, stories, etc. often, but in the car, he really seems to zone in on what is going on with the materials. Little J picks up what he can. He's a rather silly lad and will laugh out loud at a word or sound that he thinks is funny.

So, on our most recent rides hither and tither as we get the most out of these last few weeks of summer, here are three listening materials that are getting good mileage on our trips:

"Elmo and the Orchestra" by Sesame Street

 This Sesame Street CD has Elmo and Big Bird meeting up with an orchestra made up of "little birdies" who take them on a musical tour as Elmo tries to remember one very famous symphony he had heard before. The hubs and I appreciated the humor throughout... like the conductor, Leonard Birdseed and the famous pianist Barbara F. Seville... but this is probably the boys #1 requested listening in the car recently. K loves the "storm" piece (from Beethoven's 6th) and J loves the "fast drums" song (Khachaturian's Sabre Dance).   We got this out of the library, but will be purchasing it soon!


"Peter and the Wolf" (Book adapt. by Janet Schulman)

There is no shortage of adaptations of the story of "Peter and the Wolf." It is a tale set to music by Sergei Prokofiev in 1936 on a commission for him to create a 'children's symphony.' Although this piece was not received with much enthusiasm at its first performance (much to the composer's chagrin), it has continued to be performed and loved by children for many years and is one of the most popular pieces of music of the 20th century.

We've been listening to the narrated CD that comes along with this book. The illustrations are very folk-like and I love that the instruments assigned to each character are included throughout.
One spoiler for some will be that the story is adapted from the original... like, the wolf gets taken back to the forest, not the zoo; and the duck gets coughed up, rather than stay in the wolf's belly.
(I'll do a future post on more Peter and the Wolf options someday, I hope....)


"The Carnival of the Animals"  Text/Narration by Jack Prelutsky

Again, a very famous work for children, Saint-Saens "Carnival of the Animals" is a very creative piece with a variety of musical pictures that mimic the animals (or non animals.... like a piano). This book is narrated by the esteemed Jack Prelutsky (who also narrated the Harry Potter audio book series), with is admirable vocal inflections. The illustrations are intriguing and inviting, the rhyming text flows poetically, and the music is, as always, descriptive and joyful.

So, enjoy those long car rides and pick up a few of these to open up your kids' minds to the creative genius in these musical selections.
Enjoy!

Ode to Sandra Boynton

I love Sandra Boynton. I haven't met her, of course.... but I'd like to... what would our chat be like, I wonder...? I imagine she'd keep me or anyone laughing most of the time.

I love the silliness of her books (hilarious, really) with the way they rhyme and flow, the snuggly affection and all the tie-ins she has to fun melodies. So fun.

So, to honor the lady whom I have never met, but whose books we love, I put together a small, very humble, Ode to Sandra Boynton... I hope you all enjoy.

(To the tune/chorus of "Jingle Bells") 

Horns to Toes, pajama-dee-bop, run

up to exercise. 

Oh My, Oh My Oh Dinosaurs!, 

Where is my Bee-Bo? 

Philly Chicks on I-95, 

Moo, Baa, La, La, La!

Blue Hat, Green Hat, Pookie too, 

Ten dogs and one cat (MRROW!!)

With a ba and a moo

and a cockle-doodle-doo, 

Hippos Go Berserk!

Gitchy Goo,  it's Tickle Time! 

I love my Snuggle Puppy too! 

A Penguin who belongs to me, 

14 pets named "Bob"

Hey, Wake Up! a turkey's tripping, 

No, not the hippopotamus! 

If you knew every reference in there, you're a fan too!
Check out a few more of her books, which I think are written as much for the kids as they are for the adults who read them! :-)

What's your kids' favorite Boynton book (or yours)?

What We're Listening to....

I thought I'd make a few posts about what recordings we're listening to recently... (above pic of K singing with his "little buddy teddy"). As our kids' preferences change, there will be different music coming in and out of their ears, but whatever they're listening to should do GOOD things for their musical aptitude.... not destroy it (i.e. good quality singing with age-appropriate lyrics, varied and interesting melodies, etc...).

Most kids are drawn to other kids' voices, but not all - my niece, for example, prefers hearing grown-up voices. My kids love to hear kids sing, so here are the two CD's we're currently getting the most mileage out of recently (and singing around the house most often):

The Broadway Kids Sing Broadway - more info: Here.

This one is in the car and the boys look forward to rides in the car so they can sing and laugh with this one. Being broadway songs, there is an occasional word or two that some might want to avoid for little ears, but overall, we love this one. They also have a "Best of Broadway" one that's pretty good too.

Songs That Jesus Said - Keith and Kristyn Getty - more info: Here.

One great thing about music is that it can be a tool for reinforcing character qulaities that you are trying to develop in your child through the message of the lyrics. So, if you want some new faith-based songs for your child to learn other than "The B-I-B-L-E, yes, that's the book for me..." (wonderful though all those songs are!), this is a great one. Great, quality vocals, creative melodies and great messages throughout.


What are some of your favorites?

Songs and Learning - Shout-Out to "Letter Factory"

Neither you or I are strangers to the fact that learning information by song is immensely helpful in memorizing that information. And, I'm sure your kids have learned or are learning the "ABC" song... but I thought I'd give a shout-out to this fabulous DVD:

"The Letter Factory" produced by Leap Frog.

I thank the two ladies who recommended this to me way back when (both are named Nancy, so thank you Nancy! x2...). It is fun, meaningful and very focused on learning letters... and the little song that goes with each letter and its sound can still be heard throughout my house on any given day.

So, if you're child is learning their alphabet, check out this great DVD and start singing the famous tune, brought to you by the Leap Frog Company... and a sampling below by little-man K:

Happy letter-learning (and singing)! :-)

Tools of the Trade

If you are curious about what "tools" to have around for music making, this post will list some of my favorites for your consideration. If you have anxious grandparents wanting to buy their darling grandchild a wonderful Easter, etc. present, or if you happen to find one of these while browsing on Amazon, consider adding one or two to your list.

We all know that the really good parents like to make their own instruments with their kids... this is of course, wonderful. But, if you still want a cool selection to have around to grab anytime for your music-making jamborees, take a look and then get your groove on.

In no order of importance...

1. A Xylophone.

Don't be bored to tears yet.... we all know they're great toys/instruments, especially for babies and toddlers. Simple and easy to play, these introduce music-making to the young and uninhibited!

2. Shakers (Maracas)

I especially like the fruit shakers. These great shakers are just a few examples.... maracas are great for any rhythm activity.

3. Triangle

These were always the favorites in my classroom - why not give your child free reign on one at home? Within reason, of course.... You may run from the house screaming if you don't keep it hidden sometimes.

4. Tambourine
Another favorite with most kiddos is this one.... I suggest one with a head (skin cover) on it because kids tend to gravitate to that kind more, but more importantly, it allows use as a drum and a shaker too. Please try and keep your child from hitting their sibling on the head with it, though.

5. Pots, Pans, Spoons, Bowls, etc...

Nothing beats what you can find around the house to make into a drum of some sort. Lots of excellent musicians began experimenting rhythmically with these humble beginnings. :-)


Combined Kits: 
Here are two combined kits I like as well where you get a bunch of instruments in one group:

B. Parum Pum Pum Drum:
Great for little ones - there are lots of sounds to explore with this set and they're designed so creatively. The container is a drum which even has a strap so your little darling can march around like the little drummer boy him(her)self!

Rhythm Band Rockin' Rhythm Bag:
This one is better for older kids.... beware of the rhythm sticks. I know what my boys would use those for right now and it would not be for music!

Reminder... As stated before, I vote for getting your child singing first and foremost. Rhythm instruments are also a natural outflow of your child's musical curiosity, so encourage them at age-appropriate levels and demonstrate well by using them correctly and keeping a beat. Don't just expect them to know what to do with these instruments, though - demonstrate for them with enthusiasm.

My suggestions for music to use these with? Any song you're singing with them... or turn on some salsa music and let 'em at it. :-)