Great fun for all ages, but perfect for ages 2-10!
Join Steve on an entertaining and interactive musical journey as he
performs creative songs and stories from his Parents’ Choice Gold
Award Winning releases Marvelous Day and On a Flying Guitar, along
with favorites from PBS Kids and his other popular CDs. Kids can sing,
dance, laugh, and have fun with Steve’s dynamic performance and
engaging songs.
www.stevesongs.com
Find Steve at www.stevesongs.com or at www.facebook.com/stevesongs
Find Wonder! at www.shopwonder.com or at www.facebook.com/wonderstores
Need a lift? September has been a grueling month in our household.
Soccer in full swing, co-op and classes finding their place on the schedule, and evenings full more than empty for this fall season. I find myself dragging a bit as the days fill up.
My faith in Christ is a huge part of why I homeschool, and it needs to be a priority in my personal life if it is going to keep spilling over into the kids as well and strengthening our home. Music is an easy way for me to stay energized and making my life one of worship. The refrain running through my head now is, “Your love never fails, never gives up, never runs out on me.” That’s the constancy that I need to be reminded of in this crazy season. And, it’s what I want my kids to see in my each day. Love poured out on them.
Do you need this reminder, too? Jeremy Riddle’s new CD is the perfect fit to offer encouragement. Pop it in the CD player in the car when you are glad you are finally in the car, even if it is 15 minutes late. Play it in the background when you are cleaning that school room that always seems like a disaster by 9:00 am no matter how clean it started. The words are contagious and will breathe new life into your day.
I would definitely encourage you to purchase this great CD, but one reader has the opportunity to win a copy of this CD! Just leave your name with an email address that I can reach you at in the comments and I will draw a winner at the end of the day on Sunday. I look forward to getting this great new release into one of your hands!
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.”
Don’t know where I’ve been, but when I was given an opportunity to review a brand new CD from Robert Pierre, I thought, “Who?”
No, he’s not homeschooled, but I am always looking for great music to listen to while I read my great books, so . . .
Then I started looking at his bio. Oh, he’s only 18. That’s why I haven’t heard of him. Just some brand new, trying-to-make-it kid, right? Heh. Well, I looked a little further.
His first album was released almost 5 years ago. No newcomer here. He leads worship at the church his parents helped start in Florida. He knows how to lead a crowd, knows how to perform, but most importantly he knows how to worship on a grand scale.
When most young people are just trying focusing on narrowing down college choices he is penning lyrics that show the depth of his faith, that he’s all in.
While I think the songs will appeal to young people, I personally enjoyed just about every single one of them. I would love to hear these added to our Sunday morning line up.
These are great songs to have in the background as you surf the net, in the car while you are running errands, or crank them up when you or your kids need a dance break (what? you don’t take those now and then?) All of my kids enjoyed these tunes. So, I guess they are suitable from 1 year old on up.
Take a little look for yourself (9 minute video about the album and Robert Pierre himself):
The CD is just now coming out. July 26th. You can pick it up online or at your local Christian book store.
But that’s not all. One reader will get a free copy of the CD to enjoy in their home, car, backyard, etc. Yep, giveaway time! Here’s what you have to do:
– Leave a comment to enter yourself in the drawing.
More entries? I’d be happy to . . . You can get additional entries for each of the following:
– Share about this giveaway somewhere else (email, twitter, facebook, etc.) and leave another comment here saying you did so.
– Follow this site on our facebook fan page or google friend connect (both in the right sidebar) or RSS/email and leave another comment.
The contest is only open to US residents and will close on Thursday at 5:00 central time and I will choose a random winner at that time from the comments on this post. Can’t wait to get this CD into your hands!
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.
(June 27-July 1) for Guitar-strumming, drum-pounding, keyboard-playing 6th-12th grade students interested in learning how to form and play in a worship band.
Form a worship band on Monday — Play a concert on Friday!
Cobey Bienert from the band The Hudson Branch will
show your students how to do it at the Fox Valley Music Camp at Judson
University, June 27- July 1.
Jeffrey Cappelli of the Cappelli Institute for Music contacted me about getting the word out about his school in the central Oak Park area. He founded this institution in 1980 and holds many degrees and honors within the music community. They offer lessons on a variety of instruments as well as voice.
They are excited about making their services available within the homeschool community, so please feel free to contact them about various daytime opportunities for lessons and music instruction. Jeffrey Cappelli also offers piano tuning and repair throughout the Chicagoland area.
Contact information for the Cappelli Institute of Music:
Address: 1053 Lake Street, 2nd Floor • Oak Park, IL 60301
The perfect cure for cabin fever — something new that won’t let you sit still.
Recently I had just my three youngest at home and we needed something. School goes much more quickly when you aren’t wrestling through Algebra, spelling lists, and creative writing assignments. So, we got to have some extra fun. We built a fort and put this wonderful CD in to listen to. The kids quickly came out of the fort as the music made them fly like birds and then hobble like Grandfather and then skip like a young boy and even prowl like a wolf.
Sergei Prokofiev wrote Peter and the Wolf 75 years ago to introduce children to the instruments of the orchestra. Generations have enjoyed this piece and his masterful creation that uses instruments to truly bring the characters to life. This incredible teaching tool took over in our house and my kids were enchanted with the instruments, the music and the story.
Details: A CD of Prokofiev’s well known musical piece Peter and the Wolf including background information on the music and the composer. Disc also includes narration and two tracks of the whole work. In the package you also receive a small booklet with some information and activities for children to do during or after they hear the CD. It also includes information on Russian folk songs and stories and other related items.
Price: $16.98
What we loved . . .
Great music. Peter and the Wolf has long been a favorite of mine, ever since listening to it as a child on one of those “big black CDs” as my kids call them.
Fun supplements.. The little booklet has some fun goodies in it, and on their site you can even print some simple piano music (and other instruments) to go along with the study.
Memorable. Of course the piece itself is always a crowd pleaser, but the arrangement with the narrator was wonderful. My kids talked about it for days and continue to ask to hear it again and act it out as we listen.
Gets you moving. While it is perfectly okay to sit and enjoy the piece, my kids just can’t. They have to walk around and “scold” Peter along with Grandfather’s lumbering music. They get down on the ground and prowl as the wolf enters the scene. They walk along as the hunters come in and they listen for the big “guns.” They absolutely loved it.
Covers topics we sometimes miss. As homeschoolers we make sure we cover the basics and we also try to throw in lots of extras for fun and good measure. This product helps introduce and create an appreciation for orchestral music. We read, talked about Russian folk songs, did some impromptu acting, and reveled in a high quality musical production.
A great teacher. This could also be a great CD to put in for the kids to listen to when you have something else to take care of, or need to work with one child while keep others productively engaged. Without any effort on your part they cannot help but learn where this piece came from, some of the instruments in the orchestra, and enjoy some orchestral music.
Some considerations . . .
Only one booklet.My kids weren’t too concerned about the booklet, but they did take a look through it. If you have a child that likes to have something in his hands while listening that could be an issue.
That’s it. I can’t tell you much else that I think you would need to consider before purchasing. This is a great product that can be enjoyed repeatedly by a wide range of kids.
Peter and the Wolf is a treasure that kids should not make it through childhood without experiencing. It has so much to teach in a fun way. Listening to it again was like spending the morning with a childhood friend. Such a great addition to our home listening library.
For more TOS Crew reviews on this product, check out the TOS Crew blog.
Disclaimer: This product was provided to me free of charge through Maestro Classics as part of my participation in The Old Schoolhouse Homeschool Crew. I received no additional compensation and the opinions expressed here come from my personal experiences and sincere thoughts.
