music

Maestro Classics Carnival of the Animals is Zoological Music Kids Will Love-Giveaway

December 12, 2012 by Kathryn

The Maestro Classics Stories in Music collection is one of my very favourites series in children’s music. I absolutely love the way that the CDs marry engaging stories with stunning classical music tracks to ensure that some of the most acclaimed music in the world becomes a family-friendly listening experience.

The newest release from Maestro Classics, Carnival of the Animals with the music of Camille Saint-Saens, is definitely one of the more child-friendly CDs in this series and I played it for the boys one day after school to see how they liked it. They had previously listened to the Maestro Classic CDs Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel and My Name is Handel, so they were familiar with the format of the CDs and sat down with me to enjoy the story. [Read more...]

Create, Edit and Share Your Media in a Snap with Roxio Creator NXT-Giveaway

December 9, 2012 by Kathryn

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With Christmas quickly approaching, capturing and sharing all those special holiday memories is so important. And when the time comes to edit and share those photos and videos, I want them to look their best. So when I got the chance to review the newest version of the Roxio Creator NXT digital media suite, I knew I would put it to plenty of use in the coming weeks.

Roxio Creator NXT is the ultimate do-it-all program for family media. From music to data to videos, this software has all the features you need to create and share with friends and family. I installed the software and sat down to explore exactly what Roxio Creator could do.

The first thing that I appreciated about the software was that it included video tutorials. I don’t have a whole lot of experience with editing and so I really liked the fact that I could learn how to create better photos, videos and music compilations quickly and easily.

Roxio Creator NXT also allows you to capture streaming video from sites such as YouTube and convert videos to different formats so that they can be enjoyed on a variety of devices. Having one program that could do so much with my media was incredibly convenient. And Roxio Creator even includes the incredibly popular PhotoShop Pro X4 photo editing software! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: computer, creator, data, editing, editing software, media, music, nxt, photo editing, pictures, roxio, roxio creator, roxio creator nxt, software, video, video editing

Create a Peaceful Bedtime Tradition with the I Am Sleepy Children’s CD by Sukey Molloy-Giveaway

October 31, 2012 by Brenna

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Bedtime is always a challenge in my home. Neither of my daughters take it well. In our efforts to make it easier for them my husband and I have a fairly consistent routine for them at bedtime which includes a half-hour warning, a bath on some nights but not all, moisturizer, teeth brushing and always three stories for each girl. However most nights still end with the frustration of them continuously coming out of their rooms to go pee, ask us “very important” questions or otherwise delay the inevitable task of falling asleep. Needless to say we are generally willing to try most reasonable tips we hear about easing your children to sleep when the time for bed arrives.

i am sleepy cover art So when we got the opportunity to review a musical CD called I Am Sleepy by Sukey Molloy that was designed to help young children fall asleep, I was hopeful and excited to give it a try. First of all I must say that even as an adult I found the music to be extremely soothing. The CD has 17 tracks which are mostly musical but also includes a few whimsical stories mixed in. Sukey Molloy states that her inspiration for the CD came from her warm childhood memories of her own mother singing to her at bedtime and I found that peaceful feeling really came through in her music. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: bed, bedtime, bedtime music, child, children, children's music, i am sleepy, kid, molloy, music, music cd, night, sukey, sukey molloy

The Great Gazzoon Provides Fanciful Audio Entertainment from Award-Winning Children’s Performer Rick Scott-Giveaway

September 27, 2012 by Kathryn

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I don’t make any secret of my love of children’s music and literature. They are, in my opinion, one of the best foundations for future success and the fact that children are born with a natural love of music and stories only strengthens my beliefs. That’s why I take every opportunity I can to expose my children to a variety of stories and songs that will increase their appreciation for the diversity of the arts and the limitless boundaries of the human imagination.

the great gazzoon cover When I received an illustrated musical audio novel entitled The Great Gazzoon: A Tall Tale with Tunes and Turbulence by Rick Scott, I knew that I had found one of those gems in the world of children’s entertainment that would become a favourite in our home. Here’s a brief synopsis of the set:

Like his ancestors before him, Gazoon Wazoo is supposed to be practicing for the terrifying Walk across The Wire between the terrifying peaks of Mount Lanadoon. Instead he’s been playing his shnookimer and making up songs with his special ekko and a poetry-writing Princess. Can one boy’s love of music outsmart the angry Winds, defeat wily Lord Grot and bring balance and safety to the Kingdom? Join Rick Scott and 25 actors, singers and musicians for a musical audio adventures on 4 CDs with 40-page illustrated songbook. [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: audio novel, children's music, gazoon, gazzoon, great, great gazoon novel, great gazzoon, music, rick scott, rick scott music

Give Your Kids a New Way to Learn the Alphabet with W is for Wapiti: An Alphabet Songbook-Giveaway

September 20, 2012 by Kathryn

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Almost every family has a colourful board book featuring the alphabet to help children learn that A is for Apple and B is for Bear. But what about a book that breaks out of that mould with an enchanting song for each letter? A book where M is for Marmot, I is for Imagine and W…is for Wapiti?

w is for wapiti cover art Having seen my fair share of alphabet books in my lifetime, I was delighted by the originality of W is for Wapiti: An Alphabet Songbook, the newest storybook and CD release from The Secret Mountain. With songs for each letter of the alphabet and bright, engaging pictures, it was the type of book designed to really engage a child instead of just being an endless repetition of letters and objects.

The songs had such a unique style and I especially liked some of the humour-based songs. In fact, the very first song, Aha Aha! Did You Do That? was one that kids and parents everywhere will be able to relate to. With a stern authority figure wondering who was being mischievous in the house and innocent-eyed children declaring that it certainly wasn’t them, it was like a song right out of our family’s home. (Though fortunately I’ve never had to deal with anyone putting a toad on my pie a la mode!) [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: alphabet, alphabet book, alphabet songbook, book, book reviews, children, children's cd, kids, mountain, music, secret, secret mountain, w is for wapiti, wapiti

Explore Another Culture with Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree Storybook and CD-Giveaway

September 4, 2012 by Kathryn

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I love breaking out of the mould when reading to my boys. As a lifelong reader, I spent my childhood devouring books as fast as I could turn the pages, from classics like The Chrysalids and Alice in Wonderland to more modern children’s books including The Babysitter’s Club series and anything by Judy Blume. So even though my boys aren’t quite at the level of reading chapter books on their own yet, I’ve always tried to expose them to the same amount of diversity in their reading.

That’s why the newest book release from The Secret Mountain, a publisher that specializes in combining music and picture books to create original experiences for children, sounded so intriguing to me. Songs in the Shade of the Flamboyant Tree is a collection of 30 Creole Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies. The book itself contains vibrant pictures in a bold African style along with a few lines from each of the traditional songs on the CD. The back of the book features the full text of each song in both French Creole and English so that older children can try singing along and parents can read the full version of some of the longer lullabies and nursery rhymes to their children.

The CD contains the songs themselves and they are hauntingly beautiful. Performed with indigenous acoustic instruments, it is a cultural listening experience that is sure to engage both children and adults. I decided to read this book to my boys one night when we had some extra time before bed. Since the CD has a runtime of 43 minutes, I planned to read through half of the book and listen to half of the songs. But my boys were soon giggling away at the different nursery rhymes and so we ended up finishing the book and CD in one sitting that night! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: book and cd, creole, creole lullabies, french creole, kids music, mountain, music, music storybook, nursery rhymes, secret, secret mountain, songs, songs in the shade of the flamboyant tree

You and Your Kids Can Both Rock Out to Big Bang Boom’s Because I Said So! CD-Giveaway

August 23, 2012 by Kathryn

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Funky. Modern. Addictive. That’s the only way to describe the newest CD release from North Carolina’s favourite power pop band for kids, Big Bang Boom. Because I Said So! was a high-energy, totally rocking listening experience that my boys and I both found endlessly entertaining.

big bang boom because I said so cover art So what makes the CD so appealing? It starts with the great melodies, which combine rock, alternative and hip-hop for an appealing feel that adults will actually enjoy as much as kids. In fact, during the intro of I Can Sing, I subconsciously became convinced I was listening to one of my favourite Sublime CDs! [Read more...]

Filed Under: Reviews, Reviews and Giveaways Tagged With: because i said so, because i said so cd, big bang boom, children's cd, children's music, kids music, music

Walk All Day and Jam All Night with Will Stroet’s New DVD Will’s Jams-Giveaway

June 21, 2012 by Kathryn

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Last year my boys and I discovered the fun-filled music of Vancouver-based children’s musician Will Stroet. It only took a few songs for us to fall in love with Will’s music and to this day, the CD my youngest son keeps in his room ready to play at the push of a button is Will’s Walk ‘n’ Roll album. So when I got the chance to review Will’s new DVD, Will’s Jams, I was thrilled.

will's jams box art Unlike my boys’ other DVDs, this disc wasn’t a story with music incorporated into the plot. It was a collection of ten music videos for Will’s songs. Since my boys had never really watched an entire DVD consisting only of music videos, I wasn’t sure how they would like it. I shouldn’t have worried; they were dancing and singing within minutes! [Read more...]