Fall 96 class:
Complete Nursery Song Book
by Inez Bertail
Illustrated by Walt Kelly
Publ. by Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Co., NY 1947
Catalog No. Juv M 1990 .B53 C6
The book contains all old favorites, with the extra verses. There are pictures with all the songs, however the colors are plain. The book has an index that is alphabetized. The pictures are in good detail, not just stick figures. The author gives ideas on movements to be used for certain songs. Overall, I like this song book because of the variety of songs, but the pictures need some more color.
by Shelly Votaw
Fireside Book of Children's Songs, The
Edited by Marie Winn
Music arrangements by Allan Miller
Illustrated by John Alcorn
Published by Simon and Schuster, NY 1966
Catalog card number: 65-17108
This collection of songs includes many songs from other parts of the world. The songs appeal to every mood. There are traditional old songs, silly songs, and songs built around games. The book provides simple directions for the playing games. The only bad thing about this book is that it is a little out-dated.
by Patricia Trejo
Great Songbook, The
Edited by Timothy John
Illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
Published by Ernest Benn Limited, London 1978
ISBN: 0 510 00037-1
Call #: Juv. M1977C5G7471978b
There is a wide variety of song categories in this book: "Songs of Dance and Play," "Nursery Rhymes," Farmer Songs," Folk Songs, "Morning Songs," "Fireside Songs," "Christmas Songs," and "Evening Songs." The songs give the children a view into the lives of many different people, however, the songs are not very culturally diverse; only Anglo culture is depicted. All the songs are musically complex enough to be fun for all ages. The art work is entertaining. In all, the book is a winner with a few flaws.
by Robert Riley
Mother Goose Songbook, The
Music by Tom Glazer
Illustrations by David McPhail
Publ. by Double Day, N.Y. 1990 ISBN 0-385-41474-9
This book is an illustrated collection of 44 traditional nursery rhymes set to music. The introduction to the book contains information about the earliest references to 'Mother Goose." The illustrations are terrific. I would recommend the book for use with piano lessons, in the classroom to teach about poetry and rhymes, and as a general, "read aloud to children," book. My only regret is that a recording was not made available with the book.
by Erica Scott
On Top of Spaghetti
by Tom Glazer
Illustrations by Tom Garcia
Published by Songs Music Inc., Scarborough, NY 1963
ISBN: 0 385 14250 1
Library of Cong. Card No. 81-43042
This song is an excellent children's song book, with magnificent illustrations. Even though the drawings only consist of red, white and black colors, it creates an uplifting creation in the children's eyes. The illustrations depict exactly what the words of song create. The rhythms of each of the songs are simplistic. All in all, I would recommend this song book for my students to read and sing-along.
by Dao Ong
Para Chiquitines
by Emma Holguin Jimienez and Conchita Morales Punel
Illustrated by Gilbert Martinez
Published by Bowmar Publ. 1969
I feel that this song book is very good. The book contains about 20 songs with wonderful illustrations to each song. The book also contains poems that the children will enjoy. Overall I would recommend this book.
by Jeff Gomez
Silly Song Book, The
by Ester Nelson
Illustrated by Joyce Behr
Publ. by Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., NY 1985
Library Call No. Juv M 1992 N44 S54
This song book contains 55 silly songs along with black and white illustrations. I thought this book was interesting for it covered many fun and silly topics. I wasn't very impressed with the illustrations but the songs themselves seemed quite fun to do. They are songs with simple beats but some were a bit too long and exaggerated, especially for younger kids. On a scale of 1 to 10, I would give this one an 8+.
by Anita Power
Wee Sing and Play
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Klein
Published by Price, Stern and Sloan, Los Angeles, CA 1986
ISBN: 0-8431-0391-4
The following collection is a song book with a tape. The book has short words and everything is pretty much comprehensible, but the illustrations are not colored. The tape on the other hand, was ok in the way that it was recorded. The lady performing the songs was boring, but she did repeat the song one time without singing it so the children could grasp the verses. The second time she repeated it, she went slow and sang the song. The third time it was sung with instruments.
This was not so bad, but I think that the children are more better off learning with guides of pictures because they are able to remember easier and faster. I recommend the tape but not the book. The tape seems to have worked a lot better with me than reading along with the book.
by Morena Rodriguez
Winter 1997 class:
An Illustrated Treasury of Songs for Children
The National Gallery of Art
Music and Lyrics copywritten by Hal Leonard Publishing Co.
Illustrations copywritten by The National Gallery of Art, Washington DC
Publ. by Rizzoli International Publications, New York, NY 1991
ISBN #0-8478-1376-2
M1629.046
A phenomenal collection of artworks' accompanies the nursery rhymes, ballads and traditional songs located in this book. Not only does the subject matter of National Gallery's masterpieces reinforce the melodies' theme, but the text is presented so that the time period during which each song originated often coincides with the era of the painting displayed alongside it. All in all, the song book affords parents and teachers a thorough stock of well-known tunes and historically significant art material.
by Lizzy Ebiner
Animal Piggyback Songs
Compiled by Jean Warren
Illustrated by Marion Hopping Ekberg
Copyright 1992
Animal Piggyback Songs is compiled so that pages 1 - 67 are "Animals from A to Z". Some songs are factual and others are silly. The second part of the collection breaks the songs down into categories. All of the songs are set to tunes that we are all familiar with. I think the only thing that the book is lacking is music bars so that one could for example, play it on piano. Otherwise, I love this book. I feel that it would be appropriate for any elementary classroom.
by Klara Schovanec
Animal Songs, Part of "Play-a-Song" Series
Illustrated by Judith Love
Sound Design by Kristan Nordine
Publ. by Publications International, Ltd., Lincolnwood, Ill. 1994
ISBN #0-7853-0673-0
This is a large hard cover book with a battery operated song panel on the right-hand edge. The book includes ten children's songs. The words of each song are printed and surrounded by a full page-and-a-half of illustration. Next tot he title of each song is a small picture symbol. The symbol coincides with the song panel at the right. The child looks for the matching symbol, and when the symbol on the panel is pushed, the tune of the indicated song is chimed. The illustrations are very detailed, clear and colorful.
This is an excellent book. There is no age limit suggested, but I think any child between the ages 1 and 6 would find it entertaining. The only thing I didn't like about the book was that the tunes for the songs seemed to play too fast for a beginner. Overall, I would give this book an excellent rating.
by Ami Bailey
Boy Who Loved Music, The
by David Lasker
Illustrated by Joe Lasker
Publ. by The Viking Press, New York, NY 1979
ISBN 0-67-018385-7
ML 393 H3 LA
I found this book to be an excellent source of childrens' musical literature. Specific references were made to various aspects of music. With regard to the orchestra, the book referred to symphonies, composing, solos, duets, tuning, and reading notes. The instruments discussed were the horn, violin, bass, viol, piccolo, trumpet, drums and cello. And finally the book also mentioned gypsy dances and folk songs.
by Lisa Tillie
Circle of Friends
by the Parachute Express
Disney's Music Box Artist Series
Produced by Walt Disney Records, Burbank, CA
UPC Code 5008-60813-2
Parachute Express was formed to write and perform music for children. "Circle of Friends" contains mostly original compositions that have fun easy activities that can be taught to young children suggested by the lyrics. The music is inviting and lively with enjoyable vocal harmonies and a variety of instruments. The lyrics are about everyday things that concern young children. The lessons contained in the songs are kept simple and fun. In addition to simple lessons, a sense of unity and security are found in the songs. Many of the songs are cumulative with each verse adding a little more to the chorus. I feel the song, lessons and activities will be fun to do with the young elementary age children.
by Malinda Durfee
Craig n Co. Rock n Toontown a Rock n Concert Experience
Disney CD
Artist Craig Taubman
Disney Characters
This CD comes with a lyric book. All the songs are original with an upbeat rock and roll sound that speaks directly to kids. Every song is about something that kids can relate to. I really would recommend this CD.
by Darlene Guzman
De Colores and Other Latin American Folk Songs for Children
Selected, Arranged and Translated by Jose-Luis Orozco
Illustrated by Elisa Kleven
Publ. by Dutton Children's Boos, New York, NY 1994
ISBN #0-525-45260-5
1997 0664 1994
This song book is an excellent book to use in elementary classrooms. It is a collection of folk tales from various countries in South America. The song book is written in Spanish with English translation at the end of each song. For each song there is an explanation of the country it comes from and the use of it there. Many songs for celebrations are found as well as songs for just fun and play. An explanation of ideas to use with each song are included, such as games to play, hand movements to use, and instruments to create. The song book is beautifully illustrated. Overall De Colores is a useful tool to use in a classroom and provides variety for the students.
by Brooke Mayhew
Disney Children's Favorite, Vol. 1
ACUFF - Rose Music Inc.
Walt Disney Music Camp, 1977
The Disney Favorites have great songs that children can sing-a-long and dance too. My personal opinion is that Walt Disney is a wonderful resource when you have to deal with children.
by Roxanna Sanchez
Disney's Classic Collection, Vol. 2
Distributed by Walt Disney Records
Disney Enterprises, Inc., Buena Vista Pictures Distributions, Inc., Burbank, CA 1996
60899
This tape is a sample of 8 well known Disney songs from various Disney movies. Along with the tape, a full-color, 20 page song book complete with lyrics is included. The book is full of big , bright pictures from favorite scenes of the movies; the lyrics are printed in large, legible print; large page numbers on every page; and a clearly understandable Table of Contents. The only problem I found with the song book is that it is bound with a spiral binding, not very sturdy. The sing-a-long duo will help build any childs' vocabulary and enhance the childs' reading skills. This is an easy way to make learning fun.
by Laurie Barton
Go In and Out The Window - An Illustrated Songbook for Young People
Music arranged and edited by Dan Fox
Commentary by Claude Marks
Publ. by Metropolitan Museum of Art and Henry Holt Co., New York, NY 1987
ISBN #0-87099-500-6 (MMA)
ISBN #0-8050-0628-1 (Henry Holt)
This song book has a wonderful selection of young children's songs. The book has gathered together 61 beautiful songs for children of all ages. The selections in this book are more traditional than contemporary. The book is a collection of childhood music containing a variety of nursery songs, ballads, play songs, lullabies, folk songs, spirituals, patriotic music and work songs. All the songs that are displayed in this book are songs that can be taught to kindergartners thru sixth graders. Every song in the book has a piece of art to go with it. And along with he art and music there is a commentary that discusses the music and art.
by Alison Paulus
Go In And Out The Window - An Illustrated Song book For Young Children
Music Arranged And Edited by Dan Fox
Illustrated with various works of art found in the Metropolitan Museum of Art
Publ. by Henry Holt and Co., New York, NY
ISBN 0-87099-500-6
This is a tremendous book of classic Children's songs with beautiful works from The Metropolitan Museum of Art along with each song. The 61 songs and the art are explained in the text. The text explains who composed the song and in what period it was popular. The artist of each work is covered and there are probably three to four times as many art works as songs. Another nice aspect is that the art is used in many different mediums. I feel the only con to the book is that it is too beautiful to just put out in the classroom. It is relatively expensive ($19.95 in 1991).
by Nicholas Stamatis
Hunchback of Notredame Sing-a-long Song book and Tape, The
Produced by Alan Menken and Stephen Schwartz
Disney Enterprise, Inc., Buena Vista Pictures, Burbank, CA 1996
The lyric book has easy to follow lyrics and is beautifully illustrated. The introduction page helps to recognize some musical instruments and what role they play in the music to make scenes more lively.
by Anny Garcia
Into My Heart (recording complete with song book)
Performed/Produce by: Kim Engstrom and children
Publ. Questar Publ., Inc. 1996
ISBN #0-88070-911-1
Into My Heart is a children's Christian music tape that contains over 60 classic songs and rhymes for children ages 5 - 9 years of age. An Accompanying sing-along book is available for children to not only sing along with the songs, but also read-along the several poems contain therein. Each song is a theme that presents different Christian virtues to practice as well as discovering the world around them.
Into My Heart is a Christian children's recording that is a valuable tool especially for the Christian Private school in mind. Not only will the children be incorporating important music skills at their age level, but they will enjoy the many songs, poem, and lessons that each song teaches.
by Sister Rosalie Nagy, O.C.D.
Kids Song Jubilee
by Nancy Cassidy
Music Produced by Ken Whiteley
Illustrated by Jim M'Guinness
Publ. by Klutz Press Palo Alto, CA 1990
The book is well illustrated. The pictures directly relate to each song. The notes, staff, and time signature are written like a child would write them. A tape is attached to them. The tape and book combo is given the Parent's Choice Award. Overall, I would recommend this book if someone is looking for a children's song book, though it needs some improvements.
by Melissa Cripe
Language Through Music, Book 1
by Vena Luthry, Audrey Mc Pherson, Paulette Miller and Julia Ray
Publ. by Language Through Music Co., Pasadena, CA 1992
This book is very thorough. It gives the teacher many ideas for each song. There are suggested movements, actions (asking kids questions to expand the song), extensions (multiple ideas for other verses), visuals (there are things to photocopy for the children and there are also more visuals you may buy) and multicultural ideas. The book includes the music with many verses and a tape of the songs may be purchased. Overall I really like this song book and I definitely would by it.
by Tara Paulin
Let's Begin With A Song
by Doris Edmund
Illustrated by Rudy Morales
Publ. by Creating Teaching Press, Monterey Park, CA 1975
This music book contains wonderful illustrations. It has simple piano and autoharp music. The book contains lesson plans for each song. A wide variety of topics are covered.
by Uyen Vinh
Let's Sing and Learn, ABC Songs
Executive Producer Allan Hardin
Music Produced, Arranged and Performed by Frank Defino, Jr. and Tommy Defino
Vocal Coordinator Stevi Marks
Illustrated by Rick Incrocci
Recorded and Mixed at Toucan Studios
Publ. by Tukaiz Creative Services, Inc., Franklin Park, ILL 1996
Web Site: http://www.tatoo.com
This is a tape and book sing-a-long. The lyrics are good and easy to understand and sing to. A couple of the songs are kind of fast. The book has all the lyrics and what was really nice was that it is a color book too and came with crayons. Another nice feature is that you can listen to the music or the lyrics separately because the recording separated them by audio channel. The song book unfortunately though is in lyric form only. I would recommend this book for ages 4-7.
by Paula Chamberlin
Mickey Unrapped
Produced by Robin Frederick and Michael Lewis Becker
Disney Records, Buena Vista Distribution, Burbank, CA 1994
60627-7
I thought this is an excellent recording of music that is fresh and hip and appropriate for kids to listen to. Every song is clean and fun. This is perfect to have as a treat in the classroom.
by Lisa Gonzale
My Toes Are Starting To Wiggle and Other Easy Songs for Circle Time
by "Miss Jacki" Silberg
This book was very illustrated and had over a hundred songs to sing in a circle for preschool through grade school. Each song had an appropriate lesson plan to go along with it.
by Vivian Joaquin
Peter and the Wolf
Story by Dick Auener and Eric Gurney
Music composed by Serge Prokofieff
Publ. by Walt Disney Co., Buena Vista Home Video, Burbank, CA
This video is a good introduction into the world of musical instruments. The video acquaints them with different musical instruments that belong to the instrument families: such as winds, strings, brass and percussion. It illustrates how the sound of music can create different moods or a certain ambiance.
by Emirick Juatco
Raffi's Top 10 Songs To Read
by Raffi
Illustrated by D. Allender and more
Publ. by Crown Publ, Inc., New York, NY 1989
Torrance Publ. Library J 782.421.R
This song book is comprised of 10 well known songs, each one with a small story, brilliant drawings and activities in the back of the book. He has made it easy for those of us that do not know too many songs and activities by supplying us with all the information instead of us researching for information and activities for our class and young ones.
The only problem that I can find in this wonderful book is that the activities are in the back. I can only give this song book nothing but praise and good reviews.
by Caroline Park
Silly-Song Book, The
by Esther Nelson
Illustrated by Joyce Behr
Publ. by Sterling Publishing Co., New York, NY 1992
Juv M 1992 N44 S54 c2
This is song book o fun and lively songs. It has good list of contents with each song individually listed. The book has the words to all songs (all verses) and the sheet music to each song. The age level of the songs range from Preschool, Kindergarten, First, to maybe Second grade. The songs are based on similar tunes and are not very hard. Most words seem to be short in length and most tunes rhyme and are easy to remember.
by Pam Acevedo
Singable Songs For The Very Young
Sung by Raffi
Drawing done by Troy Hedley age 7
Various songs have various composers/performers
Publ. by Homeland Publ. division of Troubadour Records Ltd, Vancouver, BC 1976
ISBN #1-886767-31-9
Raffi is one of the most beloved children's singers. This particular album is his first. It contains classic songs, counting songs, and rhyming songs. The songs are all easy to learn because of the lyrics as well as the upbeat melodies. The songs on this album not only teach music, they also incorporate other areas of cirriculum-science, math, history, etc., without the children realizing they are learning. Overall, this was a very good album. I would highly recommend this for use in any elementary classroom.
by Heather Wilson
Sing Along Songs (Video)
Walt Disney Home Video, stock no. 3491
Distributed by Buena Vista Home Video Dept. CS, Burbank, CA
ISBN #0-7888-0029-9
The video contains seven songs which last a total of thirty minutes. Each song is baked up by the part of the movie in which it appeared. The words of the song appear at the bottom of the screen and the word that is sung is highlighted.
by Christa Pravecek
Singing Bee
by Anita Lobel and Jane Hart
Publ. by Lothrop, Lee and Shepard Books, New York, NY 1982
This book is a great children's song book for all ages. There are more than one hundred songs that is or should be a part of every child's musical heritage. Singing Bee is complete with piano accompaniment and guitar chords. It also has sparkling and lively illustrations. The song book can be used along with any subjects being studied. At the end of every song there are suggested games or activities children could do while singing the song. There is also a quick introduction to the song.
by Emily Bang
Wee Sing Around The World
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Spence Klein
Publ. by Price Stern Sloan, Inc., New York, NY 1994
Wee Sing Around The World is a great recording especially in combination with its song book. The book provides notes and words as well as translations and history of each song. It is an excellent tool to integrated music with geography. I would highly recommend this recording to anyone pursuing to enhance higher learning.
by Alma Garcia
Wee Sing Around The World
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Spence Klein
Price, Stern, Sloan, Inc., New York, NY 1994
ISBN #0-8431-3740-1
I enjoyed this song book because it had the entire song written out, what area around the world it came from, and a brief description of each area that had a song in the book. Before each song the area that was singing the next song would introduce themselves and then tell what they were going to see and from which area the song came from. The majority of the songs are sung by children. The only concept I did not like about this tape is that when singing a few of the longer songs they would only sing part of it and not all he way through. Overall, I found Wee Sing Around The World to be a good children's recording and would use it in my classroom.
by Karen Sidebottom
Wee Sing Around The Campfire
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Spencer Klein
Publ. by Price Stern Sloan, Inc., Los Angeles, CA 1982
This is a song book accompanied by a tape. Some songs are long and a little difficult for upper grades and some songs are short and easy for lower grade levels. The book itself was simple and fun to look at, but the recording made me sleepy. I do not think I would use this song book in my classroom.
by UnJun Lee
Wee Sing Bible Songs
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Denise Hockerman and Nancy Spence Klein
Publ. by Price Sloan Stern, New York, NY 1986
This is a wonderful collection of children's Bible songs and poems. The song book is accompanied with a tape. Pictures and illustrations are included on almost every page. Sign language that coordinated with some of the songs was included with illustrations showing how to perform the hand movements. Many of the songs and poems included detailed hand and body motions that went with the lyrics of the songs and poems. Another feature that I found to be beneficial was the suggestions for lyric, tune and tone variations to many of the songs. Suggestions for singing in rounds and parts are also included in this song book. I feel that this is a worthwild purchase.
by Maureen Headon
Wee Sing Children's Songs and Fingerplays Book and Recording
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustratated by Nancy Spence Klein
Publ. by Price Stern Sloan, New York, NY 1979
This book is great because it has variety of songs for different ages in the elementary school level. Most of the songs have their music notations, which is great for teaching or emphasizing musical notes. It also contains illustrations and directions on the songs that have fingerplays. The song book includes a recording.
by Maria Lourdes Morales
World Sings Goodnight, The
Produced by Tom Wasinger
Publ. by Silver Wave Records, Boulder, Colorado 1993
SC 803
This is a compilation of "night-night" songs from five different continents (including four different regions of the US). Each of the lullabies are sung in their native tongues by relatives of all kinds, including young siblings. The recordings are clear and beautiful and give the listener a deep sense of the similarities and differences among the people of the world. This is an ideal album for teachers who wish to give their students a taste of cultures outside their own.
by Valerie Gosselin
Spring 1997 class:
Animals-Kids Classics
EMI Reocrds
This specific CD contains classical music that is designed to relate to a child's interpretation of animals and the way that they sound, move, and act.
After listening to each piece on the CD, I was left with many ideas on how to incorporate each composer's music into a lesson plan. As a whole Animals-kids Classics is a very useful recording for an elementary teacher to own.
by Tashanda Limon
Big Big World
by Bill Harley
Produced by Round River Records 1996
ISBN 1-818126-22-9
This CD contains 13 songs of which all but one are sung by Bill Harley. Each song contains subject matter that kids can relate to. The rhythms of the songs range from country to calypso and make each one enjoyable., I think this CD would be very helpful to use in a classroom setting from kindergarten to 6th grade.
by Jennifer Trumble
Book of Kids Songs, The
by Nancy Cassidy
Music Produced by Ken Whiteley
Illustrated by Jim M'Guinness
Publ. by Klutz Press Palo Alto, CA 1990
ISBN 0-932592-13-9
The book is appropriate for ages four and up. The songs in this book are very simple and easy to follow along, especially with the aid of the recording. Each song is accompanied by the music notes, the lyrics and very bright colorful pictures. The font of the lyrics are big so that it is easy to young children to follow along. The songs in this book are fun and promotes physical activity, which is good and very appropriate for young children because they can't stay still anyways. There is a good variety of song s to help young children to be aware and well-rounded about their environment or surrounding.
by Lilly Chou
Bruce Haack Songbook, The
by Bruce Haack
Published by Bruce Haack Publ., Penn. 1975
I think this book is really good because the tones and harmony are simple to follow. The lyrics are sensitive, humorous, and instructive. Many of the elements used in the songs are combined to make the songs enjoyable. These elements are a combination of rock, baroque, bluegrass, ethic and medieval. The one thing I found in the book which is hard is the fact that the book may have been written for higher grades such as 4th grade and up.
by Tou Cha
Chipmunk Punk
Produced by Steve Vining and Bob Mc Nabb
Production Consultant - Ross Bagdasarian
Cover Art by Doug Oudekerk
Art Direction by Yves Roux
Pblished by Pickwick International, Inc., Minneapolis, Minn. 1980
This album is a compilation of popular punk rock songs taken from the 1970's. The singers on the album are the ever popular Chipmunk characters Alvin, Simon and Theodore. The pros for this album is exposing kids to various types of rock music played at there level. Each song has some type of message that parents or teachers can discuss with there children.
The con for this album is that the lyrics are from an adult level.
Overall, I would recommend this album.
by Daniel Krawiec
Country for Kids
Various Artists
Produced by The Walt Disney Records, Burbank, CA 1992
5008-60837-0
The recording is of country music songs which the tape's cover clearly presents. Each song and its respective lyrics are found in the cassettes J Card. The recording includes songs that the children can relate to. Disney's "Country for Kids" is an excellent children's recording. I felt it appropriate for children because of its freedom from vulgarity, its uplifting beat, and positive messages to children about topics related to them.
by Kathy Szerdahelyi
De Colores and Other Latin American Folk Songs for Children
Arranged and translated by Luis Orozco
Illustrated by Eliisa Kelven
Published by Dutton Children's Books, a division of Penguin USA, New York, NY 1994
All of the songs contained in this book have been recorded by Jose Luis Orozco and are available from Arcoiris Records. The 27 songs, chants, and rhymes found in this book are all translated into English (from Spanish) and have musical arrangements for piano, voice, and guitar. The book also gives notes and suggestions for group activities, hand gestures and games. The information enclosed also has some background to the songs and where it came from. There are also suggestions for ideas and activities.
This book is for use in a kindergarten throug fourth grade classroom. I highly recommend this book for bilingual teachers or for teachers who plan to teach units on Latin American Countries.
by Monica Mendez
Family Folk Festival, A Multi-Cultural Sing-Along
Produced by Music for Little People, Redway, CA 1993
SNR 942506-4
I purchased this tape for the purpose of adding multi-cultural music to the classroom. I am thoroughly satisfied with it because of its familiar songs, but with a different sound and beat. The voices of the adults and children singers have a rich sound and the musical backup adds more depth to the song. The songs also have different types of instrument sounds. I cannot think of anything negative about the tape except that several songs are in a different language which we may not understand. I know the students will enjoy this tape and it will also expose them to music of other cultures. I think this tape will be an added asset to one's music library.
by Audelia Ursua
Goodtimes 36 Sing-A-Long Classics
Compsed by the Goodtime Audio Corp.
Published by GT Audio Corp., 1995
09-0116401
This is a nice, classic, sing-a-long set of cassettes. This set is comprised of 3 cassettes that make up the goodtime sing-a-long songs. Each cassette has about 12 songs, and each tapes deals with a certain topic.
All the songs are great, but the set itself could use sometype of guide, booklet, or handout to follow the songs along.
by Dimas Molina
Great Songbook, The
Edited by Timothy John
Music Edited by Peter Hankey
Illustrated by Tomi Ungerer
Published by Doubleday and Company, Inc., Garden City, NY 1975
Library of Congress: 77-74707
Fullerton City Library: J 784.6 GRE
I thought the songbook was a very good one. There is a wide variety of songs with there music notation. The one thing that I did not like about the types of songs is that they do not represent a wide range of cultures and religions. There are some pictures in the book to hold the interest of the children but I do not feel that the pictures will capture the attention of today's child. The pictures are of soft colors and pencil drawings with water colors. There are songs in different languages but the book does not inform the reader what the language is. One thing that I did like about the book is that there was an index in the back of the book with a list of songs in alphabetical orderand what pages the songs are found on.
by Denise Papero
Hush Little Darling (A Christmas Song)
Adapted and illustrated by Joan Elizabeth Goodman
Published by Scholastic Inc., New York, NY 1992
ISBN 0-590-45247-9
I liked the book. This book takes an old familiar melody and uses a new set of lyrics with a Christmas subject. The book has descriptive pictures and bright colors that will grab the children's attention.
by Behti Nunez
Kids Songs Jubilee
Music Produced by Ken Whiteley
Illustrated by Jim M'Guinness
Performed by Nancy Cassidy and Kids Choir
Published by Klutz Press, Palo Alto, CA 1990
ISBN 0-932592-84-8
Call (415) 424-0739 for Klutz mail order catalog
This sturdy and colorful songbook won the Parents' Choice Award in 1990. It contains 22 songs, 9 of which are traditional, and claims to be for "ages 4 to forever." It has a very useful format for both adults and children (who can read) which includes the words to the songs, piano music, and chords for the harmony instruments. The book includes two ideas for making instruments, a tambourine and kazoo. It also includes a tape recording 46 minutes long of the songs in the book. The songs are sung by the main vocalist, Nancy Cassidy, and a group of children, along to country style music. The recording is upbeat and cheerful, an ideal supplement for teachers who find it hard to maintain the melody.
by Audra White
Mickey's Favorite Sing-Along
Album compiled by Randy Thornton
Produced by Walt Disney Records, Burbank, CA 1995
ISBN - 1-55723-962-2 (Book)
Recording ID 60891-4
There are several good children's songs in this sing-along. Some of the songs are sung in male voices, making them clear. Others feature the very distinct animated voices of Disney characters, making them a bit more difficult to understand. The sing-along book is a favorable feature for children, especially for readers. Children can sing along while following the lyrics in the songbook. The book is laminated and wire-bound, making it flexible, easy-to-handle, durable, and easy to wipe clean. It is colorfully illustrated.
by Mary Garcia
New Illustrated Disney Songbook for Piano, Voice and/or Guitar, The
by Harry Abrams, Inc.
Designer: Darilyn Lowe
Foreward by Steven Spielberg
Copyright 1986 by The Walt Disney Co.
Co-published by Harry Abrams, Inc., NY and Hal Leonard Publ. Corp., Wis.
ISBN 0-8109-846-8 (Abrams)
ISBN 0-88188-467-7
The publishers have compiled 73 songs from famous Walt Disney cartoons and animated or live-action features that most children already know and love. All are presented in sheet music format so that they can be sung as well as played ion the piano or guitar. The characters and illustrations capture the child's attention and denote the movie or cartoon origin of each song.
As a teacher, the songs can be viewed as good tools to teach the elements of music. All of the songs, with the exception of one, are written in duple or quadruple meter - a good beginning for teaching time signatures.
Along with themes which could be used that parents would, there also various themes which could be used to extend other lessons. The possibilities seem endless if a teacher cares to use his or her imagination and creative abilities to make a good lesson plan.
This songbook would be a good addition to any music library.
by Sharon Harrington
Old Mc Donald Had A Farm
Author/ Illustrator: Tracey Campbell Pearson/ Susan Lu
Published by Dial Book fro Young Reader, New York, NY 1984
ISBN 0-8037-0070-9
This songbook is suitable for Kindergartners thru 2nd grade. It has excellent illustrations and a good binding. Every farm animal makes a distinct sound.
by Amy Hsu
Old Mc Donald Had A Farm
Illustarted by Rick Brown
Published by Penguin Group, New York, NY 1993
ISBN 0-670-85157-4
There are far more good things than bad in this songbook for children. The way that the book is put together is great for children. The illustrations are large and colorful. The usage of different font sizes are vary appropriate. And, I love the format of the book. The songbook stretches out over six feet and the children can see the entire farm with all the animals in it. The book is very appropriate for children between the ages of 2 and 5.
The only problem I noticed about this songbook is that the children as small as two will probably have a difficult time holding it.
by Vana Keodara
Reader's Digest Children's Songbook, The
Editor: William Simon
Music Arranged by Dan Fox
Published by The Readers Digest Assoc. Inc., Pleasantville, NY 1985
ISBN 0-89577-214-0
This is a great songbook intended for children from toddlers to teenagers. It contains 131 songs, all of which are perfect for an elementary school classroom. The book indexes the songs by title and then by sections. The book has such a wide variety of songs. It comes with a big book full of the piano sheet music along with the words and another small book which contains only the words to the songs.
by Stephani DiBlasi
Silly Sing Alongs
Performed by the Purple Balloon Players
Published by GAA Coorporation, Carrollton, GA 1995
ISBN 1-55569-758-5
This cassette contains many of the most popular children's songs, and was designed for a child to listen to while traveling in a car on a long road trip. While listening to this cassette I immediately began to notice several things which I did not like about it, and felt would make it inappropriate for use by a child. All of the songs sounded alike, the rhythm of all were only slightly varied. However, despite all the negatives features, there were also a few things which I thought were good about the tape. The repetition in many of these familiar songs selected for this tape would help the children to learn the songs easily.
by Lisa Olsen
Silly Song Book, The
Author: Esther Nelson
Illustrator: Joyce Behr
Copyright: Sterling Publishing Co., Inc., NY 1992
CPU Library: Juv M1992.N44 S54
Well, there are many pros and cons to this book. The book contains 56 songs of which are divided up into six categories. Each song is notated with the complete set of lyrics.
However, from a teacher's perspective, many of the songs have no teaching value to them. These songs are more appropriate for campfires and general entertainment, not for scholastic purposes. Eventhough the outside cover of the book is appealing the inside illustrations are somewhat drab and of the same style.
Overall, The Silly Songbook does have some redeeming musical qualities that I would recommend to teachers.
by Jenny Linville
Singing and Dancing Games for the Very Young
by Esther Nelson
Illustrated by Minn Matsuda
Publ. by Sterling Publishing Co., New York, NY 1977
Juv M 1993N44 S55
I really enjoyed this book for children. I found a lot of really neat ideas on how to tech songs to children My favorite thing about this songbook is that along with every song it gives you an activity to do along with it. Each song is listed in the back and there is an asterisk next to the age that is best for that song.
There are only a few things that I did not like about this songbook. The first is that it is really geared towards adults, not children. There are no colorful pictures of any sort and it seemed to be a bit short.
by Josie Bangerter
Tubby the Tuba
Performed by Manhattan Transfer with The Naples Phil. and Tommy Johnson
Copyright: 1994 Summit Records, Tempe, AZ
Tubby the Tuba is a compilation of four stories performed by the musical group, Manhattan Transfer. It is a great story of Tubby a tuba, who encounters various instruments throughout his many adventures. We are introduced to the individual sounds (tone color) of various instruments that are found in an orchestra, jazz and marching bands. It also teaches the concepts of melody and rhythm, and relates them to everyday occurrences.
Overall, I would highly recommend this recoding and would give it a grade of an A.
by Chri Bosshardt
We All Live Together, Vol. 3
Recording Produced by Greg Scelsa and Steve Millang
Activity Guide by Margaret Allen
Illustrated by Terri Sopp Rae
Copyright: 1980 Youngheart Records
Publ. by Publications International, Ltd., Lincolnwood, Ill. 1994
ISBN #0-7853-0673-0
The recording, as well as the activity book, for We All Live Together is suggested for use in PreK through second grade. The songs used on the recording are somewhat entertaining, but not easy for all grade levels to learn. The recording includes songs to teach about numbers, shapes, and the value of money. The activity book is a good source for ideas on what to do with the song as well as activities for after the songs.
Overall, I would recommend this recording as well as the activity book for the classroom.
by Claudia Cardona
Wee Sing America - Songs of the Patriots and Pioneers
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Spence Klein
Published by Price Stern Sloan, Inc. Los Angeles, CA 1987
ISBN 0-8431-4702-4
"Wee Sing America" is an excellent teaching resource for home or classroom instruction. This set, consisting of one book and one tape, provides many Patriotic and Folk songs to aide an instructor with lesson plans or for pure enjoyment. This set provides approximately 40 songs with a book illustrating all the words and the music. It is easy to read and the music is pleasant and sometimes enthusiastic. The audio provides the listener with a wide variety of musical instruments and a wide selection of voices. The book provides information and trivia surrounding the events of the appropriate time in American History. If I could change one thing, I would change the illustrations throughout the book.
As the awareness of multicultural education begins to rise, I feel "We Sing America" can successfully aide a teacher with a diversity in his or her instruction.
by Regina Ringo
Wee Sing and Play
Author: Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrator: Nancy Spence Klein
Published by Price Stern Slaoan, Inc., New York, NY 1981
PSW-3796-01
I have to give it a poor review. The tape contains 55 minutes of music, but I only found a few of them to be fun enough to sing in the classroom. One good thing about this songbook was the actual book, it is printed very well, with pictures, it makes it easy to follow along. There is also notes to go along with some of the songs. But in all I was not happy with this sing along tape.
by Bridget Carlson
Wee Sing Around the Campfire
by Pamela Conn Beall and Susan Hagen Nipp
Illustrated by Nancy Spence Klein
Published by Price Stern Sloan, Inc., Los Angeles, CA 1982
ISBN 0-8431-0311-6
I think this book is very educational. The collection of songs in the book are mentioned that they are for around the campfire. I think that they can go beyond the campfire and into the classroom. These songs actually make learning and enjoyable experience. The subjects of these songs vary from people, objects, and animals. The only negative aspects I can find is that the book does not give the composer of the song or any other background information about when, where, and how the song was created. Also, the book does not have enough foreign songs.
by Melinda Yang
Witches' Brew
Music and Lyrics by Hap and Martha Palmer
Copyright - 1976 Activity Records Inc.
Published by Educational Activities Inc., Freeport, NY
Identifying Numbers: AC 576
Witches' Brew is one of my all time favorite Hap Palmer recordings. The featured song "Witches' Brew" has a good rhythm, a catchy beat and a haunting chorus. This song is perfect for Halloween parties and activities. As with many of the other songs on the recording, the songs are sung in their entirety on the first side then repeated with only the music and the chorus on the back side.
This recording deals with preschool and early elementary subjects and should not be used above first grade.
by Kathleen Mc Pherson