Honor Band #3

This proud mama is home sweet home after delivering an amazing sibling to and from a national honor band weekend. No photos were allowed during the concert; this photo was taken during the warm-up.

Jeremy Riddle: FURIOUS + giveaway!

I am late on this review (and a couple more). I'm embarrassed. I have a good excuse - real life got in the way. Marching band competitions and some remodeling on the house have had our days in upheaval. We had flooring replaced in the entire second floor, which involved a lot of packing-up and moving-around stuff and furniture, not once, but twice, as the whole event had to be completed during parts of two different weeks.

For several weeks, I have been listening to artist Jeremy Riddle's FURIOUS, a Contemporary Christian music CD in the car as I am going from place to place.

And FURIOUS has been the calm for me in the craziness of the schedule and the remodeling.

FURIOUS is a studio album from Jeremy Riddle; I would describe the music, 12 tracks, as "worshipful". Upbeat "worshipful". Every time I turn on the FURIOUS cd in the car, I am reminded that the drama of our schedule, that the frustration in the remodeling, that all the little upsets and disruptions are nothing. Zero. My focus should be on the One who made me. And the music instantly refocuses me, no matter what track I begin on.

Riddle describes Furious saying, “It’s hard to come up with words that depict the magnitude of Christ’s love – the depth and width of it. Furious doesn’t work outside of the context of love; we tend to translate the word as angry, but I see it as a super-powerful force; stronger, deeper, broader than our vocabulary can fully describe."

This is the kind of cd I would pop in as I sit down to work on a Bible study or do a daily devotion. While it is certainly not slow and dragging, it is not the type of CD I'd pop in late at night to keep me awake on a trip, which I write, not as a negative, but to try to give you type of CD this is. I am enjoying the worship of it.

I have been offered a copy to give away. If you want to enter a drawing to win this CD from my blog, enter a comment, below, before midnight, 13-Oct-2011. That's it! I think you'll enjoy this one, too!

Check out more about Jeremy Riddle and FURIOUS here:

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/pages/Vineyard-Music/18257532074

Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/vineyardmusic

Website: http://www.vineyardmusic.com/vm/

"Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255: "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising."

I'm All In - Robert Pierre - Review and a GIVEAWAY, too!

I love music. I love Christian music from hymns to worship praises to gospel to contemporary Christian tunes. When I was offered a CD of Christian music, I quickly said "yes, please!".

And then I had a moment of doubt. What if I didn't like it? What would I say on the blog?

Thank goodness, that did not happen!

Robert Pierre's CD, I'm All In, arrived and I popped it into the player in the car. Eldest got to listen to it with me the second time through; I'd already picked up some of the lyrics. (There are some catchy tunes here. *smile*)

I have enjoyed this CD. The tunes for me fit into three categories. Some I'd like to sing as part of musical praise and worship in worship services. A couple would make great solos at church. And some need to be played on the radio.

After listening to it with my daughter, I think that the album will appeal to a wide age range. Pierre is a teenager; his music appeals to young people, yet reaches to us middle agers and old folks, too.

The album is mostly peppy and upbeat, and to be honest, peppy and upbeat is exactly what I need right now. There are a couple of slower, more what-I'll-call serious tunes on the CD, and it is a good balance for me. (I still remember my disappointment in a Christmas CD by a rockin' country artist that turned about to be all slow songs - I need upbeat, and Pierre delivers.) I'll reach for I'm All In not only when I'm feeling happy but also when I need a pick-me-up. My teenager read the info and lyrics with intensity. She wanted to know what songs this young man wrote. He wrote or co-wrote most of them. He wrote my favorite song on the CD, Maker of the Stars.

For a chance to win your own copy of this CD, leave a comment to enter. I'll pick a winner from those who entered by midnight, Friday, July 29th.

From the press release:

For Robert, I’m All In is more than the name of his third studio album, due July 26 from thinkaboutit records. It has become Robert’s life motto as he responds to God’s calling to live fully committed to Him. In addition to writing and recording I’m All In and playing on a summer tour, Robert also leads regular Sunday morning worship at his 800-member Orlando, FL church. And he’s done it all as a high school senior. “All of the songs have something to do with things I was going through my senior year,” Robert said of I’m All In, “preparing to say goodbye to friends and not really knowing what would come next, but finding comfort and peace in the Lord’s plan for my life. The Bible talks about how the eyes of the Lord are searching to and fro throughout the earth, searching for someone whose heart is wholly His, someone He can strongly support. This CD is me saying, ‘I’m all in.’” Creating I’m All In was a powerfully personal experience for Robert, who teamed with veteran songwriter Jason Ingram (Tenth Avenue North, Sanctus Real, Bebo Norman) and legendary producer Matt Bronleewe (Jars of Clay, Michael W. Smith, Steven Curtis Chapman) on the album. The result is a collection of songs that enthusiastically and energetically worship God while wrestling with what it means to be a Christian in a world full of difficulty and joy, anxiety and excitement.

Everyone who picks up the CD remarks about Pierre's resemblance to Elvis Presley. ;)

The album has a July 26th release date. You may 'like' the I'm All In facebook page here and purchase the album here.

“Disclosure of Material Connection: I received one or more of the products or services mentioned above for free in the hope that I would mention it on my blog. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will be good for my readers. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Mamamorphosis: The Latest Music from the Swingset Mamas

I love music. I wish I were a better musician. Piano was difficult for me; handbells at church a slightly better fit. I really enjoy listening to music; I tried to expose my children to lots of music; and I still use song to teach (or remind) them.

I like songs made for children that are fun and catchy and that introduce concepts or teach something at the same time. Swingset Mamas do just that. Marlowe Bechmann and Lizzie Swan are both musicians, and more importantly, are both mothers who have combined music and fun and learning and taken all that to the studio and stage for children everywhere.

Mamamorphosis ($14.00) is the newest CD from Swingset Mamas, a lively and entertaining mix of musical genres and styles that cover "universal themes ranging from ability awareness, self esteem, water safety, animal science, counting, telling time, good-time dance parties, rock-star dreams, magical hamsters and more....."

The Mamas bring children into the music with them; the songs are interactive, that feature children on the tracks (which increases the attractiveness for my kids), that are engaging. They introduce vocabulary (science, in particular, on this CD) and concepts and traditions (Hanukkah) and teach us about perspective taking.

My favorite song on the CD is the one about Ralph & Rosie & metamorphosis; my favorite message is, "Take A Walk In Someone Else's Shoes". (One of Bechmann's children is on the autism spectrum.) And I've heard several songs about crossing the street safely as my children were young, but do not recall one about water safety until hearing the one on the Mamamorphosis CD.

In my experience over the years as a Mom, there are bands that make kid music that are fun for everyone, and at the other end of the spectrum, bands that make kid music that are barely tolerable for mom; there are kid songs that annoy Mom (like fingernails across a chalkboard) and kid songs that that are for Mom, too. Mamamorphosis, written by moms, is fun for moms, too!!! I have to think that Lizzie and Marlowe heard enough grating kids music to want to create some good stuff for us moms to enjoy while we are with our children! ;)

They use a variety of instruments, too, and each song has a different sound (I don't like the CDs where all the music sounds the same, which is very hard on this mom's ears).

I suspect that moms everywhere will like the way that the Swingset Mamas pack a lot of learning into the fun tunes. This one is great for long trips or short rides in the car; would make a gift for a little one; or a fun gift to a pre-school or co-op.

I wish I'd had all of the Swingset Mamas CDs when my children were little.

Head over to the Swingset Mamas web site and listen to some song samples here. You can watch a Swingset Mamas video at their web site, too.

Disclaimer: Swingset Mamas gave me a copy of Mamamorphosis to enjoy at home and review. I am not paid for reviews and am not obligated to provide a positive review.

Peter and the Wolf from Maestro Classics; a TOS Crew Review

When I saw Maestro Classics on the list of vendors for this Crew voyage, I hoped I'd be chosen to review another audio CD from the Simons.

When I was chosen for this review and saw that the selection is Peter and the Wolf, I was thrilled. It brought back a fun memory. I saw Timothy Dalton perform the part of the narrator in Peter and the Wolf in the '90's at the Hollywood Bowl.

The CD's provide more than a story set to music; the CD's offer music education, information about musical instrumenents; the Simons also give us auditory/listening skill-building experience, and the history of the story, music, and composer within a fun, entertaining format.

Each of the seven tracks on the CD adds layers of learning to the listening experience.

1. Peter and the Wolf

2. The Life of the Composer: Prokofiev

3. A Russian Peter

4. The Magic Maestro Talks About Peter & the Wolf

5. Peter and the Wolf without Narration

6. Invitation to Grandfather's Party

7. Kalinka - Dance Along

I can't decide which 'educational' track I like better; they tie, in my opinion. Bonnie Simon's background about the composer in track two teaches me. I am unfamiliar with Prokofiev no longer. After I hear Stephen Simon's presentation about the music in the fourth track, where he spotlights different aspects to listen for, I hear the music in a new way. The listening experience becomes richer, more special. He spotlights for listeners pieces of the musical part of the story that use a kind of auditory attention that so many individuals with developmental delays need to use and practice and experience.

The layout of the CD's is impressive to me - they follow a developmental progession that grow the listener's experience and knowledge - I really, really like the very deliberate order of the tracks. If the Stephen Simon track spotlighting the musical aspects came first, the CD would lose some value in my opinion. Being able to hear the whole story set to music once, first, and then learning new things to listen for sets the stage for (scaffolds) some neat discoveries about "what I thought I knew but didn't" and "what I hear now that I didn't hear before". Listeners make a discovery that a second look or listen can reveal new, exciting things.

The one negative for our situation is that the story is so long (almost a half hour). We have to listen to one track at a sitting; we can't do the entire hour-long CD in one session. I really enjoy this CD and this story - however, while Peter and the Wolf is just nine minutes longer than The Tortoise and the Hare, those nine minutes make a big difference for a child with attention challenges. Even listening while coloring and cutting, this almost half-hour long story pushes past way my daughter's limits. If you have a child with attention challenges, you might choose to order one of the CD's with a shorter story.

Maestro Classics CD's would be great for trips; for child care settings (MOPS, anyone?); for birthday gifts.

Priced at $16.98 (or three titles for $45), the Maestro Classics CD's provide an entertaining and quality learning experience.

Please go HERE to read my Crewmates' reviews of this product.

Maestro Music sent me a copy of the CD, Peter and the Wolf, for review purposes. I am not paid for this review and am not obligated to provide a positive review.

Kinderbach, a TOS Crew Review

Kinderbach is an online music and learn-to-play-the-piano program for young children. The first two lessons are free.

There are SIX LEVELS in Kinderbach. Each LEVEL contains 10 weekly LESSONS. Each weekly LESSON contains four sessions. The curriculum is HERE.

Karri Gregor offers an introduction to begin the weekly lesson where she describes what the sessions are about, and she tells parents what items will be needed. She uses items like crayons, noisemakers, easy-to-find-around-the-house extras.

The sessions are brief and engaging. I like the pace that Gregor uses - she understands that children process information more slowly than adults, and she speaks and teaches at an appropriate pace for her target audience.

We don't have a keyboard or piano. My homeschooler has a weekly music therapy class and she's beginning to explore the piano with her music therapist. My homeschooler has expressed more of an interest in the drums, so her interest (which means fewer protests and a lot more cooperation) is really new. When I encourage a new interest too much, my daughter sometimes begins to feel pushed, her anxiety rises, and she begins to resist something that I saw her enjoying. I don't want to interfere with her enjoyment of music therapy, with the discoveries she's making there, thus, I chose not to use Kinderbach with my homeschooler at this time. This is one item that I want to get to know first, so that if we use it for a child w/ autism, I can time it appropriately for her. This review is an informational review.

To read reviews of this product by my Crewmates, go HERE.

Jean Welles Worship Guitar, a TOS Crew Review

I received The Jean Welles Worship Guitar Class, Volume One (English & Spanish) DVD and booklet (actually two booklets, one full size and one that fits inside the DVD case) with all the music, free, to review for you as part of TOS Homeschool Crew of reviewers.

Welles is highly qualified; she has a Master's in Guitar Performance from USC. Volume One offers seven lessons that teach seven (one song per lesson) well-known worship songs:

He’s Got the Whole World in His Hand
My All in All
More Precious Than Silver
Take My Life
Lord, I Lift Your Name on High
This is the Day
I Love You Lord

Students use these chords in the songs

A & E7

A & E7

A D G

A D G

C D G

A7 D G

A A7 D Em D9/F# G

We have a couple of child-sized First Act guitars (not the best instrument from what I understand) that we've never learned to play. My middle schooler began playing the trumpet a year-and-a-half ago and within a couple of months moved up to the french horn. She's my musical princess. ;) She understands more about music than anyone in our family, with me being the distant second (handbell choir is my big experience with music) and I sat her down with me to try out the video lesson.

My daughter and I are both right-handed. So is Welles. I notice that there are some instructions in the back of the full-size book for lefties.

I sat with her as we began to try to tune the guitar. Our little guitar sounded pitiful. It needed a lot of help. Welles does not show the viewer how to tighten the strings and we needed a few minutes to figure out which gizmo loosens and tightens which string. My daughter was frustrated because Welles didn't demonstrate how to strum the strings. Welles appeared to be using a rigid thumbnail; my daughter's nails are quite short. We paused the video and found a pick.

I don't know how a new student could use the video alone. My daughter needed a "helper" (*me*) to run the DVD for her, stopping it, backing it up, as we tightened the strings to tune the guitar to match the sounds Welles produced for us on the DVD. and again when Welles demonstrated the finger position for the two chords in the first song. I I had not been there to operate the DVD player, my daughter would have had to let go of the carefully found finger positioning and refind it every time she let go of the guitar to back-up the DVD to the right place. We backed up quite a few times. I think that either of us would have quit in frustration had we been trying to learn alone, without someone to re-cue the DVD to the parts we needed to see and hear again. My daughter and I would have liked more examples with slower pacing so that we wouldn't have had to pause, go backwards to find the right spot, and see a demonstation again (and again) (and again). A sample excerpt from the first lesson is available on THIS web page.

Having done that, we (okay, SHE) had quick success with the A and E7 chords, and we turned the DVD off while my daughter practiced shifting between the two chords so that, eventually, she could try to play, "He's Got The Whole World In His Hands". Once she got the guitar pick and had the hang of the chords (just a few minutes), her confidence rose, the frustration dimmed, and she moved forward, and she actually wanted to learn more. The second song uses the same two chords. My musical princess began to use the booklet more (with the DVD in pause) -- she says the booklet is a big help. When she tried to play the song with Welles on the DVD, my daughter wanted to go more slowly.

Perhaps if an individual is familiar with the finger positions for some basic guitar chords, the video moves at a good pace. However, if you are a real beginner, I recommend that you have someone "man" the DVD to back it up and replay the parts you need to see again so that you don't have to lose and refind the finger positions every time you need to re-watch a segment.

I want to stop and spotlight the fact that we like this DVD. I'd want a reviewer to tell me about the frustrations before I ordered a DVD, so that's why I included that experience in the review. HOWever, with two of us working together, we got the guitar tuned and my daughter learned two chords and one song (while stopping the lesson to look for a guitar pick) in less than an hour. And she wanted to keep going (and she did keep going).

This DVD is priced at $24.95. The full-size book is $5.95. You need the full-size book. The book that comes inside the DVD case is quite small. The set of four (Volumes 1, 2, 3, & 4) is priced at $99.80 and you can add the four full-size books, bringing the cost of four DVDs and four books to $119.80.

Music lessons are expensive. Music lessons at one of the nearby music stores are $96 per half-hour for the french horn (that's what lessons cost a year ago when I called to price them, anyway). My opinion is that $25 is a reasonable, even extremely low, price to pay for an introduction to the guitar and seven lessons. I believe that having some musical experience is a plus for a beginner guitar student. The DVD lessons may be one way to work through frustration and build resilience in some students while learning a musical instrument at the same time. There's an element of cooperation, co-ordination, co-regulation involved as one student plays while a helper manages the DVD.

I think, despite our beginning frustrations, this is an inexpensive, no-appointment necessary, no-need-to-leave-the-house, do-it-on-your-own-schedule, way to try out a new instrument and master a recognizable song or two very quickly. Who knows -- if you try this DVD with a so-so guitar, you may, like us, find yourselves considering the purchase of a "real" guitar and more lessons. (Welles offers tips for folks like us who are considering the purchase of a used guitar on the web site. See question 4 near the bottom of this page.)

I would not start my homeschooler on this video. With the fine motor challenges see on the autism spectrum, she'd probably need to begin with the class for younger children, which I understand uses one-finger chords.

If you're interested in music lessons, spend some time on the web site. Worship Guitar Class dot com has a lot to offer, including an e-newsletter, Christian guitar, drums, piano and voice lessons. There are many testimonials and samples on the web site. (I may have to look at the lessons for drums. My homeschooler w/ asd is showing some interest in the drums at music therapy.)

Some of the Crew received a version for younger children. To read the reviews of my Crewmates, go HERE.

Maestro Classics - one day sale

FYI: I just opened an e-mail from Maestro Classics offering a buy 2 CDs, get 1 CD free offer, today only (expires 12/16/09), if you use the coupon code ONEDAY. Here's my review if you'd like to peek at it. No, I don't get a commission if you take advantage of the offer.

Maestro Classics, A TOS Crew Review

I homeschool a child with auditory processing challenges. I look for ways to help her grow her auditory processing.

Maestro Classics' stories set to beautiful classical music may be one unique way to do that.

I was thrilled to see Bonnie Simon on the presenter list at a homeschool convention I attended in April. The information provided in the convention materials explained that Simon would be talking about growing listening skills. I wanted to hear what she had to say, to ask her if she knew if her stories combined with classical music had been used with children on the autism spectrum, and had they made any differences.

I had absolutely no idea who the Simons are -- that's something I learned in Simon's presentation at the homeschool convention -- and you can check out the bios HERE. Wow. I realized quickly that I was in the presence of an "insider", an expert, a lover of classical music who desires to share this love with children. What impressed me more than the education and experience of the Simons is Bonnie Simon's heart, her passion for bringing classical music to children, all children, and especially young children.

Simon also stresses the importance of listening *together* to create "musical memories". Anyone who spotlights the "between you and me" value is way up there on my list!

Bonnie Simon talked about Prokofiev's Peter and the Wolf, a story performed to classical music (which I saw many years ago at the Hollywood Bowl with one of the James Bond actors doing the reading), and took that idea to a new level, combining stories that are considered classics with classical music.

Classical music intimidates me. I know little-to-nothing about it. And I'm terrified that my ignorance shows. Oh, I can name a few composers, and hum a few bars of some popular pieces, but that's about it. (Thanks to playing handbells at church in my teen and adult years, I'm probably familiar with more than I give myself credit for, but still...) What if I buy an audio CD and hate it? Or what if I like it and it's not considered "good" or "quality" by those who have studies classical music? What if someone gets into my car and hears what I'm listening to and knows that I don't know "good" music??!!! Horrors!

Simon encouraged us to play classical music at home and in the car, to listen to lots of it, and to find what we like. She explained that the best classical music is what we like. What appeals to one person or one family may not appeal to another, and that's okay! I *love* the fact that she gave me permission to play what I like and ignore another's standards of what's "good".

The Simons combined two kinds of classics into one product -- Stories in Music^TM.. When you open the Maestro Classics web site, you'll hear excerpts from the different audio CD's. Click on the link to see the selections. (You have the option to turn off the story, too, as you browse the web site.)

I spent some time talking with Bonnie Simon at her vendor booth at the homeschool convention, and she told me that yes, her products have been used with children on the autism spectrum, and they're worth a try to see if we can use them to grow listening attention. I knew Simon was on our fall list of vendors, and I decided to wait to learn if I would receive one of her products to review.

The entire Crew received The Tortoise and The Hare, free, to review for you. A note on the back of the CD says, "CD for children ages 5+ and their families". I'd agree with the 5+ recommendation, based upon my homeschooler's level of development. She's at a preschool level in joint attention and comprehension and we stick to that level, academically.

My homeschooler tends to find anything on audio CD, well, aversive, and she has been known to scream and screech in protest when we tried to listen to books or stories on CD. She likes to have a visual to go with the narration. I planned to listen to this CD alone, and one afternoon, I popped the CD into my player and began to listen while my daughter was in the next room. Amazingly, Little Miss I-Don't-Like-To-Listen-To-Stories-On-Audio inched toward the room where I was working and listening. I didn't *make* her join me, and she was able to listen from a distance, which must have seemed "safe" for her. She tolerated the story. That's HUGE. The "about the story" track -- nope, not the first time through (she listens a little more each time I pop it in the CD player). What amazed me, though, was how she really enjoyed the third track, the "Pretzel Vendor of Paris" song, and she listened to it several times. (!!!) That's one way IN, a way to making her comfortable to listen to the other tracks on the CD. :)

There are seven tracks on the CD:

1. The Tortoise and the Hare (the story told with a musical background)

2. About the Story (includes info from Bonnie Simon about the original story and history of Aesop and fables )

3. Pretzel Vendor of Paris Song (it's lively and I can't help tapping my toes; it makes me smile every time I hear it *grin*)

4. About the Music (Composer Stephen Simon explains how he interpreted the characters, musically, which is a beautiful spotlight for the next track.)

5. Now That You Know a Little More... (a repeat of the story from Track 1, so that listeners can listen for the musical interpretations the second time around)

6. Want to Have Some Fun? Prepare to Perform (Bonnie Simon preps listeners to sing the Pretzen Vendor of Paris song that follows in Track 7)

7. Pretzel Vendor of Paris Sing-Along

With the London Philharmonic Orchestra and voice overs from the Simons, and narrator Yadu, the CD's are the Stories in MusicTM are beautifully done. ***For children with delays in speech and language and auditory processing challenges, the pacing that the Simons and Yadu use is excellent. I am impressed!

The Tortoise and the Hare has a running time of 53:57. Each CD is priced at $16.98 and comes with a CD-sized, kid-friendly program book (everything tucks neatly inside the CD holder). The program book gives readers a photo of instruments in an orchestra, a page on tones and fractions, a page about time signatures, a page about turtles and tortoises and another on rabbits and hares, a page about the contrabassoon (which composer Simon describes in his track), a dot-to-dot, the Pretzel Vendor of Paris lyrics, a word jumble, a crossword puzzle and photos and information about the Simons and narrator Yadu.

Using the code MAESTRO45, buyers may purchase three CDs for $45. Gift sets are also available.

To read reviews of this products by my Crewmates, go HERE.