Little Voices Raised in Praise

Don't you just love the sound of little voices raised in praise to the King? I sure do. One of the things we are striving to do in our homeschool is to make sure that all of our children are raised with an appreciation for the classic hymns of our parents and forefathers because they are so rich in doctrine and reflect our church history as Christians. One way we do this is to learn different hymns each month along with our Bible verses, one verse at a time. Since the Four Amigos are young, we sometimes stop after two verses, but with our favorites, we learn them all. That way when we are listening to music in the car, on the radio, or singing at church, the kids can join in, even if they can't read (or read fast enough to keep up) yet.

Sadly, many churches aren't teaching those precious hymns anymore in favor of more modern praise songs which tend to have fewer words, a more narrow focus, and to be more repetitive. Please don't get me wrong. I have my very favorite praise songs and worship tunes, too...we listen to KLOVE and a local station that plays contemporary Christian tunes, too. But there's something about the way those old hymns were written...to instruct, build up, and yes, even sometimes chasten, that makes them so valuable, we just can't afford to lose them. Alas, if you walk into many churches on a Sunday, they will not sing even a contemporary remake of an old hymn, and I think that is sad.

It used to be that when you went to church (or so I've read or been told) that you would be taught how to really sing those songs well in a group...you would learn how to harmonize and join in so that your voice enriches the sound of the song and adds to the worship of the Lord. People would sing together at parties, and sometimes perform for groups as part of the fun. Singing was something many people did...not just something people watch on television.

Now there is not really anywhere to learn to sing correctly, unless you join a choir or can afford to take voice lessons, and I think you have to feel that you have some natural ability or calling to sing to do that. Alas, while my father has a magnificent voice, and my mother is amazing on the piano, I think musical talent skipped me (hopefully in favor of my kids). I can read music passably well, and can pick out tunes for the kids to sing along with (as long as it is a beginner book, or by using just the top line of notes in a hymnal...add the left hand? Never!). I was in the choir in junior high school, but I don't remember much beyond "stand up straight" and "sing from the gut." For many years now, I've wished that I could find an older, non-judgmental woman who knows something about music and who would think my kids are cute and want to teach us how to harmonize. It's a dream of mine to be able to have the Amigos sing together for everyone at church...not for my glory, but for God's.

I also think the discipline behind singing together and learning to work together would be good for developing a family teamwork attitude. It's also a great way to be able to pass the time anywhere, with no advance preparation! Imagine road trips spent in harmony instead of irritation. What fun it would be to visit a sick grandmother and cheer her up with a sweet rendition of Jesus Loves Me, or The Old Rugged Cross. Picture holidays with everyone singing together around the piano (my mom playing, not me) as their voices blend perfectly to sing Christmas carols instead of their voices hollering at the TV shouting at the referees over a bad call in a football game. *happy sigh*

Sounds great, but where to I find that sweet lady with tons of free time and generous heart? If you know where to find her, give me a call and let me know her phone number, okay? Until then, I am happy to say, I recently discovered a possible solution...at least, a beginning for our family in learning how to sing together, and I am SO excited!

"It's not magic...it's just good training."

Teaching Kids to Sing by The Vocal Coach is a three DVD/CD set that does just what its title says it will do...it teaches your kids to sing. Created by vocal coaches Chris and Carol Beatty, this two DVD set will teach your kids the basics of how to use their voice such as posture, breathing, tone, diction, and control. Basically, they are teaching you how to use your voice as the instrument God designed it to be. Amen to that!

Teaching Kids to Sing is a two DVD set of children's classes taped so your children to participate along with it. There is also one CD which contains all the tracks and vocal exercises from both DVDs (vocal and music only) so that you can practice anywhere you have a cd player (like the car on the way to AWANA, which is what my kids enjoyed). The classes are geared towards ages 5-13, though both Tex and I learned something ( a LOT) from the set.

"Vocal Coach product doesn't teach a particular style, rather we teach you to master the principles of vocal muscle memory, which cause critical body parts to produce excellent sound, amplification, and control with increased stamina to predictably deliver the results you want!

Before you know it, you'll be able to apply what you've learned to any style you want to sing. Just like a well-conditioned athlete often has the ability to play many different sports, a well-trained singer has the potential to sing many different styles."

How did my kids like Teaching Kids to Sing? 

That's easy...they LOVED it!! My sweet Ladybug walked around the house singing "I am an upright child of the King; I stand tall because it helps me sing. I am an upright child of the King; I can sing, I can sing, I can sing." It was so precious. Cowboy liked the breathing exercises best (you know, the kind where you go, "hee hee hee"). It doesn't take much to imagine why...LOL. Little Firefly started thinking she can really sing and be heard. Previously, her voice was so tiny that she got lost under the enthusiasm of the other two voices. With the help of the Vocal Coaches, she started projecting and it was very evident that she was enjoying herself as much as the rest of the crew.

I never heard anything other than complete enthusiasm and anticipation from the kids when I told them it was time to do their vocal exercises or watch (and participate in) one of the DVD classes. I did get more requests for having sing-along time, however, and Ladybug was even more interested in practicing her piano, as well as her songs. Now that's an unexpected bonus!! 

Actually, during the time of this review period, nine-year old Ladybug completely took over our Bible memory sessions in the morning, gaining confidence as a singer and as a teacher to the other three Amigos. She started leading them in practicing their weekly verses and song, even standing in front of them to use hand signals to direct them as they sang, copying the teachers from the dvd. It was positively adorable and inspiring to see...and the best benefit was that with her in charge, she was more enthusiastic about doing her morning work, and the kids never avoided joining in, seeing it as more of a game than school. Nice!

There's more to singing than just making noise. My daughter told me that. She also says that to be a good singer you must have good posture, you have to breathe from your abdomen, you need to use your sides and your back to help your voice make the best sounds, you need to protect your voice by not overusing it or yelling, and she tells me that your voice vibrates...isn't that cool? 

Obviously, she's learning something, and just the process of learning helps you to pay attention and be more aware of what it is you are doing. It also increases your comfort level when you decide to participate in that certain activity, and I can see their confidence in singing growing right before my eyes. I can't predict whether they will inherit my mediocre voice, or their dad's good one (people are always asking him to join the choir), but whichever one it is, I would like it to be a voice they can use effectively and confidently, to the glory of God.

I feel I have learned something from the classes, too, and that perhaps maybe my voice is not a lost cause. I can read music and follow a tune. I can stay on key and tell when someone (or myself) is off. I can learn to breathe better and control my tone and diction. I may never have a gift for singing or playing the way my parents do, but if I can learn enough to enjoy my voice, and to help my children learn to enjoy and share their little voices raised in praise, then that will be yet another success story for The Vocal Coach. You can read more testimonials and success stories from professional singers and normal folks just like me on The Vocal Coach website.

So if you are trying to decide what to do for music with your kids when it comes time to add one of the arts to your curriculum, consider this: why don't you try a year studying the hymns and hymn-makers, and use The Vocal Coach materials to help your children learn to use their voices better so they can have a life-long ability to praise the King of Kings with confidence and clarity of voice. It's a completely portable instrument, easy to learn and use, and it is something you will have with you forever. Sure, learning the violin is nifty, but if you are ever stuck in traffic and need something to do to entertain a busload of youth from your church, how practical is pulling out your violin and playing a few songs? Not to mention the fact that nobody else can join in (unless they happen to have packed a violin, or a flute, or a piano in their bag). Give voice lessons a try in the comfort of your own home, and perhaps, after a while, you will find yourself wanting to join the choir to develop that latent talent further, or just to have more of an opportunity to praise the Lord for all He has done for us.

• The Teaching Kids to Sing DVD/CD set is available from The Vocal Coach website for $44.99.
• The Vocal Coach Singer 12 CD set is available from The Vocal Coach website for $119.99.
• Other products to help you teach your kids to sing can be seen on The Vocal Coach website.
• To read more about the founders and teachers of The Vocal Coach, visit their website and browse for a while.
• If you'd like to read what others on the Schoolhouse Review Crew thought about Teaching Kids to Sing and  Vocal Coach Singer, check out their reviews on the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: We received a copy of Teaching Kids to Sing from The Vocal Coach for the purposes of completing this review. All opinions reflect our own experiences with the product. No other compensation was received.

Kinderbach Music Program

Kinderbach at Home is an interactive music program geared towards preschool aged children through early elementary ages (3-7). Available both online or in dvd format, Kinderbach is a lively and imaginative system for introducing young children to the basics of music theory using a variety of methods and instruments, most notably, a simple keyboard.

Children are taught about rhythm, reading music, timing, pitch, composition, notes and measures, and singing by a cast of friendly characters and a passionate teacher through a series of engaging videos, worksheets, and activities.

While Kinderbach does a great job of exposing young students to a wide array of musical terms and concepts, it takes quite a while for the students to become involved with actual playing of songs on the keyboard. This can be frustrating for more serious students who want to dive right in to playing songs. However, if you have a variety of ages in your home, and have older students who are taking traditional music lessons and little siblings who would like to do the same, but just aren't quite old enough yet (as is the case in our house where Ladybug is taking formal piano lessons, Cowboy occasionally joins her, but Firefly is not quite ready for it), Kinderbach can be just the thing to take the "sting" out of having to wait for those little ones. 

Both Firefly (age 4) and Boo (age 2) enjoyed the interactive features of Kinderbach's online lessons. Kinderbach approaches their teaching using multiple learning styles so that the lessons appeal to all types of learners. The lessons are very active, and not too long, to allow for the shorter attention spans of younger students.

Each of my participating students liked different things about the program. Firefly especially liked the coloring and activity pages, while Boo loved parading around the room with a variety of instruments we pulled out of our music box.

Cowboy (age 6) willingly participated alongside the two of them, dominating the keyboard, as he remembered much of the lessons we completed last year when we tried out this product before. He still talks about finding "Dodi's house" on the piano keyboard, a year after trying out the product last... I guess it made an impression on him! 

Ladybug (age 8), who is learning how to play the piano with her grandmother and me as her teachers, was not so interested anymore. She preferred to practice her songs and scales on the regular piano downstairs. The others were perfectly happy with the simple keyboard, other instruments, and fun activity sheets and crafts upstairs. If you like, you can see a few examples of coloring pages that accompany some of the lessons on the Kinderbach website and a listing of the topics covered in the Kinderbach curriculum.

I like the idea of Kinderbach's online lessons (though you can purchase the same lessons on dvd if you have a slow internet connection) for younger students, especially those with parents who are interested in exposing their younger kids to music, but don't have any experience in that area and need some help. It is also a good compromise for younger siblings of serious older music students.

There is enough variety to keep kids interested for a long time, though more motivated students may wish to do more than the suggested one lesson a day as they are fairly short and simple. The brevity of the lessons is ideal for the youngest members of the family, though. Perseverance in the program eventually leads to playing simple tunes, which your children will love.

Both the dvds and the online lessons are accompanied by printable activity pages. Additional coloring books may be purchased separately.

If you would like to learn more about Kinderbach, you can watch an introductory video about the program on their website. You can also check out this video about the Kinderbach at Home program specifically. If you decide the program looks like it might interest you and your children, you can sign up for a free two week trial! You just can't beat FREE!

If you decide a subscription to Kinderbach is for you, you can purchase a yearly subscription for just $7.99 a month by paying a total of $95.88 in one annual fee, or pay on a monthly basis at a cost of $19.95. For a limited time, use the code TOScrew2012 to get 30% off your subscription!!


You can also purchase the dvd sets by level for $40.45 each. The same coupon code applies for these purchases, or any other purchase from the Kinderbach site.

To read my review of this program from last year, check it out here.
To read what others on the TOS Crew had to say about this product, click here.

Blessings,

We received access to online lessons from Kinderbach for the purposes of reviewing this product. All opinions expressed here are our own. If you have questions concerning this review, please feel free to contact me or leave a comment.

Back to the Classics...Classical Music, That Is

This is our second year on the Crew and we have learned that you don't always get what you want...but you do tend to get what you need. Well, that has been proven to us many times over these two years. Last year we really needed math, as the funds were not available to invest in the math curriculum we needed. What reviews did we get assigned? Five different math programs!! This year we discovered Khan Academy, which is an excellent math program, and best of all, it is FREE! so the need for math program reviews is gone. This year, we decided we really wanted to expand our learning to include more art and music. So what did we get to review this time? Music! Just what we needed...a chance to get back to the classics.

What is a Maestro Classics cd like??

We were sent a cd of Maestro Classics' The Story of Swan Lake performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. Tucked inside the cd cover is a small 24 page booklet which has information on the ballet, the composer, and the music, some fun activities, and the lyrics to the Swan Lake sing-a-long. Each cd is about an hour long (ours was 54:02 minutes long) and includes the story behind the music (the plot), information about the composer, alternative (but related) musical examples (for example, our cd has "Speed Metal Swan," a rowdy, but fascinating version of Swan Lake by Joe Stump that Tex LOVED), information about the music, and a memory-jogging sing-along (plus a karakoe style performance track).

Each cd is available for $16.98 on their website, or you can order an MP3 dowload of the product for $9.98. The company says the product is geared towards 6-12 year olds, but I think the appreciation range is much wider than that. There is not one individual in our home, Hubby included, who did not enjoy this product. In fact, Hubby wished his cd player in his car worked because he wanted to borrow it to listen to on the way to work. We will definitely be keeping this one in the cd changer in the house, or else in the cd player in the car, for a long time. Not one of us is tired of it yet (the narrator's voice is actually very soothing. I liked playing it while I prepared dinner).

Here is what the website has to say about the music cds, or rather (in my opinion), musical experiences:

Experience had convinced [the Simons] that if you educated as you entertained, were sophisticated enough to interest the parents as well as children, and offered only the finest musical performances, all children could appreciate symphonic music. 

Together the Simons created their signature format, alternating music with talking, and explanations with musical adventures. The title track is always a work for narrator and orchestra, where the music is just as important as the story. This is followed by background information about the life and times of the work and/or the composer. Then a new musical genre is introduced, taking a theme form the title track and transforming it into jazz, folk, Dixieland, heavy metal, or other style. This is followed by the conductor talking about what to listen for in the music with musical examples. You are then invited to listen again, sometimes with the narration, sometimes without, and people are always astounded at how much more they hear with their new “educated” ears. Finally, each CD ends with a play-along, sing-along, or dance-along track, because participating in the music making is always fun.

The comment about "listening with new educated ears" struck me as funny, but particularly astute because my Amigos (ages 2, 4, 6, and 8) all LOVED this product and every time it would come around in the cd changer, they'd shout, "That's Tchaikovsky!!" or "He wrote the Nutcracker, too, didn't he Mommy?" Even Boo, who is just two, would say, "What's that noise?" and perk up when he heard the familiar strains of the music (we must have listened to it a dozen times). His "well-educated" siblings would all shout, "Tchaikovsky!" or "Swan Lake!" I love it.

During the review period, the girls got very into dancing, and would flit and float around the kitchen while this cd played on my kitchen under-counter cd player (I love that thing!). They would sometimes run upstairs and put on one of their ballet leotard/tutu outfits, or a princess dress, and perform for me. They even got Cowboy to dress up in his King/Prince get up ("chain mail," cape, crown, sword, sheild) and dance with them. They certainly acted out hero-rescue scenarios more often, thanks to the inspiration of the story.

The only potentially negative thing I saw with the product (this one in particular, not the company in general) is that this story ends a bit tragically. Both the Prince and the Swan Princess die in the end, and are reunited in the heavens. Tenderhearted children might be disturbed by this, though I consider mine to be tenderhearted, and once we'd discussed the specifics of the plot, and the sometimes tragic endings of traditional fairy tales in general, they were fine with the ending. Besides, I told them the story had many alternate endings throughout the years, so they could decide how they wanted it to end when they chorographed their own performances (which was always that the two star-crossed lovers were victorious over evil and triumphantly went back to the castle and lived happily ever after...awwww).

Tchaikovsky

What can you do to turn your listening experience into an all-around learning experience? 

• Check out Maestro Classics' curriculum suggestions for Swan Lake. This helpful collection of links and information includes ideas for using the Swan Lake cd to initiate interest in History, Science, Language Arts, Music, Art, Math, and Geography...can you say, "UNIT STUDY!!"?
• Watch a performance of Swan Lake on youtube. Or, even better, attend one at a local theater! If you get to attend a real ballet, read about ballet performance etiquette before you go.
• I am not into metal music, but this metal version of the ballet performance is interesting. I put this up for Tex. ;-)
• Buy and complete a Swan Lake lapbook at Journey Through Learning.
• Color this picture of a swan as you listen, or try one of these.
• Read about the history of the Swan Lake Ballet.
• Color one of these pictures of ballerinas, or try this watercolor ballerina project.
• Learn about ballet and dance to the music. One dvd my girls like is Creating Ballet Dreams. It talks a lot about arm movements and expression in ballet.
• Dress up and act out the story of Swan Lake. Change the ending if you want to!
• Read about Tchaikovsky at Classics for Kids or Wikipedia, then complete one of these notebooking pages about him.
• Listen to more Tchaikovsky music online.
• Read about the ballet's plot, its alternative endings, and its characters. A shorter plot summar can be found HERE.
• Watch The Swan Princess, an animated version of the story and compare it to the actual ballet.

Okay, you convinced me. I LOVE this idea. Now what?

• You can purchase Swan Lake and other titles from Maestro Classics HERE...there are nine excellent performances from which to choose OR you can splurge and buy the complete 9 cd set. That's what I wish I could do!! Other titles in the set include Handel's Water Music, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and Peter and the Wolf.
• Learn more about the company's philisophy and beginnings HERE. I am certain you will be impressed.
• You can read some informative articles by Co-Creator Bonnie Simon about the importance of music HERE. I have read several and they are excellent.
• Like Maestro Classics on Facebook HERE to recieve coupons and giveaways.
• Check out the TOS Review Crew blog to see what others had to say about this product HERE.

Blessings,

Disclaimer: I received a copy of the Swan Lake cd to enable our family to review this product on our blog and share how our family utilized it in our homeschool. I am sharing our honest opinions and experiences with this product. If you have questions about this review, please feel free to contact me or comment here.

Getting Eternity into the Hearts of the Next Generation

If you've ever checked out my Sermon Sunday posts, you might realize that from time to time, I post them and require my 14 year old son, Tex, to listen to the sermons over the course of the week. Sometimes he's even previewed them and was the one who recommended the series to me! He has a study on the book of Revelation he is doing, but now and then, he appreciates a break from the book work, and likes how listening to sermons offers a change of pace...without sacrificing that important Bible time each day. I have enjoyed listening to sermons online or on tape/cd for years now. Some of my favorite moments are those on a long drive with a new sermon set to dig into!

The Amigos recently started doing a regular Bible time using resources I collected in a few bins (easy reader Bibles, Bible activity books, stories on their level about Bible people or places, character-building stories) and their Time Timer. They set the clock for fifteen minutes and get to choose something out of one of the bins to do. That gives me a bit of time to do my own study. I recently was given the opportunity to review volume 1 of The World's Greatest Stories: The Prophets, a collection of Bible stories read dramatically using the actual Bible text, with added sound effects. After listening to the cd with the kids once completely, I realized that this cd would allow them the same opportunity for "changing it up," that listening to online sermons allows Tex and me.

The Amigos absolutely LOVED listening to the dramatic stories of  Elijah, Jonah, Daniel, and Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego many times. They drew pictures of what they were hearing (a habit we are trying to develop in them since they sit with us during church sermons...they can't take notes yet, but they can listen and draw the main idea), and even acted out the stories with toys (or themselves) a time or two. I really think they got something great out of it, don't you?? They interacted with the Bible stories and made each one's message their own. It was wonderful to see. Mr. Saris' readings definitely turned out to be an excellent way to get the Word of God into their hearts. I am adding a few more of his cds to my wish list (I'd especially like to get my hands on The Life of Christ and Defeating Giants, but all six story collections look interesting).

I have rounded up our old cassette sets of Adventures in Odyssey and a few other Bible story favorites to add to the fun and diversify their choices, but truth be told, I am partial to the World's Greatest Stories cds since they are the unchanged (just dramatically read with sound effects) Word of God (ours was in the KJV, though it is available in NIV, too), and what can be better than that? Mr. Saris' motto is "Getting Eternity into the Hearts of the Next Generation" and I think he does an exceptional job of doing just that (and listening to Bible stories sure beats television for occupying free time!).

Some people seem to think that because a child is young, he or she is unable to process the actual text of the Bible (hence all of the children's Bibles you find around, of which we have many, and the prevalence of Children's Church as an alternative to kids attending the regular service in many churches today). But my kids (all except Boo, who, for my sanity's sake, will remain in the nursery until he is three and hopefully calms down a bit!) seem to do fine in the regular service, listening to Bible readings and sermons tailored to adults. They appear to understand quite a bit, judging from the insightful pictures they draw, whenever I remind them to do so. The funny thing is that they all always choose a different main point, just as we adults do when we are listening. Isn't that interesting? Listening to Mr. Saris' readings is an excellent way to help them practice committing their attention to God's Word, don't you think?

I asked the kids what they thought about the World's Greatest Stories: The Prophets cd, and they all said they really liked it and would like to hear more stories. I know I would. I love it when I get as much out of a product as the kids do. I certainly don't mind listening to this one at all. We received a sampler disk, in addition to the full disk of The Prophets, and it made us want more!! So grandparents, aunts and uncles, big brothers and sisters, or anyone else who wants to get something for the kids in your life that will bring them great pleasure and build up their character and Biblical literacy, here's a fantastic, and not terribly expensive gift idea (each cd is just $7.95, which I think is an excellent deal).

You can find some samples of The World's Greatest Stories HERE. I think you will appreciate the resonance and passion of actor George W. Sarris' voice.  He is truly talented and brings each story to life. You can view the contents of each of the six story cds HERE (a total of 23 stories), as well as order them from this page. Each recorded presentation is available in cassette or cd format, as well as in either the NIV (New International Version) or KJV (King James Version) of the Bible. We loved the KJV. The additional music and dramatized readings made the words and their meanings very easy for the kids to understand...even for Firefly, who is four. The variations in his voice kept the children attending and engaging with the content. Sometimes he'd throw in some funny voices that would have my kids rolling off their chairs, laughing.

The only thing I'd change is that I'd love to see the story collections offered in a downloadable MP3 bundle for a discounted price at some point...now that one would have me using PayPal right away! We have an MP3 player that Tex won as a door prize last year at a Christmas party, and it is our "school player" on which we put books downloaded from My Audio School. I'd love to add a collection of engaging Bible stories to it. Mr. Sarris...will you please offer this option soon?!

Just in case you are interested (if you love listening to seminars and sermons like I do), Mr. Sarris also has several talks on homeschooling, fatherhood, and using dramatic storytelling to pass on Scripture knowledge available on the site. Each is only $4.95, which I think is a pretty good price. He also has a blog called "Engage the Culture," if you'd like to get to know him better. I loved this post about how to do family devotions titled: Getting Eternity in the Hearts of Our Children. You should read it. 

You can read what other members of the Crew thought about the story cds they requested for this review HERE. I did receive a copy of Volume One: The Prophets in order for me to be able to complete this review, but the opinions you have read here reflect our family actual experiences with the product and our feelings about how it worked for us. I hope you will give The World's Greatest Stories a try, too. I think the stories of the Bible ARE the greatest stories in the world, and kids of all ages will enjoy Mr. Saris' tellings of them.

Stand Up! Praising God With Music

Recently, when I was given the opportunity to review a collection of Big Band Praise songs, I have to admit, I was intrigued. I am an old-fashioned girl at heart. This is reflected in the aprons I wear when cooking, by the milk glass and old needlework I collect, and the style of furniture in my "parlor" (as well as by the fact that I even call our front room a parlor!)

Big Band music is another one of my particular nostalgic favorite things, along with old movie classics and "real" dancing (like good old Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers used to do). I have very fond memories of dancing with friends to Glenn Miller songs during college, and have several collections of Big Band music I listen to from time to time when my heart needs a lift, and my feet need some encouragement to get on the move.

If you are a fan of Big Band era music, too, and also love listening to hymns and praise music, then this is one cd you are going to want to go out and buy right away. It is awesome! The first day I received it, I stuck it in the player in my kitchen, and almost immediately, every one of my kids was in there asking me what the good  music was. Within moments, the Amigos were dancing and laughing, smiling at each other as they hummed along with the new take on the timeless hymns we all love so much. I think we played it three times that first day. Twice while we did our chores and school work, then once again at dinner time.

I do enjoy traditional hymns very much. Their messages are so full of Biblical truths and you probably know how much more easily most of us remember things when they are set to music. It can be both a blessing (like when your child memorizes scripture in the guise of a song) and a curse (like when that annoying commercial tune gets stuck in your head). Anyway, one of my favorite Christian radio programs was an all hymn show on Sunday mornings which featured classic hymns played by more contemporary bands, usually true to the tune of the song, but with a slightly updated take. I love the classic sound of many of the old hymns, but sometimes the energy level of the newer versions helps me to get out of a slump in a way a more traditional tune does not.

If you are ever in need of something that will help you scrub your floors with a more cheerful heart, or are simply seeking an innovative way to get your kids to want to learn the life-changing lyrics of some of the best classic Christian songs, then you are going to love this collection of instrumental hymns and some newer praise favorites played with Big Band flair and verve.

From the very beginning (Just a Closer Walk With Thee), you will find your toes tapping, your lips curving in a smile, and your heart more merry. Other tunes include: Fairest Lord Jesus,  Joshua Fit the Battle of Jericho, Hosanna, God Will Take Care of You, Stand Up, Stand Up for Jesus, Indescribable, and four others. Not a single one of them is a song I would skip. In fact, I am going to be checking to see if the Swing Low Praise Band offers any other titles, and if they do, I will be adding them to my Christmas wish list. Every one of my kids, from ages 20-2 LOVES this cd and regularly asks me to pop it in when we are making dinner or doing kitchen chores. I love the fact that as we are doing our work "as if for the Lord," we are praising Him in our hearts through our enjoyment of this music and our renewed positive attitudes.


Another of my favorite things about this cd it is that it gives me the pep I sometimes need to get moving, along with the message (of the Good News) my heart always craves, yet because the songs are instrumental, it is not so distracting that it cannot be on while the kids are doing schoolwork or I am doing something like typing up a post or visiting with a friend. Another BIG benefit is that these songs DO get stuck in your head, in a very good way! I noticed the other day that I do not mind when my mind plays the strains of one of these wonderful tunes over and over again the way I do when it is a song of nonsense, or offense (as you sometimes run across on television or in movies). All it is doing is focusing me back on the Lord, as my brain fills in the words I know go along with the catchy, toe-tapping tunes.

This one is a keeper, folks!! Plan to buy it for your loved ones this Christmas. I know my grandmothers will love it, so I guess if they read my blog they know what they can expect to be in the boxes from us under their Christmas trees this December (I hope you like it!!). I would highly recommend this cd to anyone. The only folks I think should pass on this excellent collection of tunes are those folks who do not approve of dancing. If that is you, don't order this one because it will tempt you too much. For my part, I am glad that I don't mind dancing when it is meant to be an expression of praise to God and a reflection of a joyful heart, because watching my little ones' faces light up when the first song begins to play, and seeing them turn happily in circles in the kitchen with their hands raised high, is a real heart-warmer for me.

You can pick up a copy of this cd from the publisher, Discovery House and if you click on the song titles, you will hear a portion of the music(though I think you are safe taking my word for it on this one!),.

Blessings,

I received a copy of this cd from Discovery House Publishers for the purposes of offering my honest review here on my blog. The opinions you read here are a reflection of our true experiences with this product. If you have any questions about what I have said here, please feel free to contact me.