Posts Tagged ‘kids’ music for grown ups’
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway for Anna and the Cupcakes by Bari Koral’s Family Rock Band. Anna and the Cupcakes is their third album. They just keep getting better and better!
Congrats to Heather, comment #3, who won the album. Please check your email for details on receiving the CD.
We have more great music to share with you over the next several weeks. We hope you’ll come back to find some new artists to share with your families.
Once again we are excited to tell you about the latest musical sweetness from Bari Koral. We have enjoyed listening to her newest album Anna and the Cupcakes. Just perfect for Valentine’s Day is the first single off the album “Hearts.” Give it a watch.
Arms are for big, big hugs! We love Bari’s upbeat music and positive messages. Her last album, Rock and Roll Garden, is perfect for toddlers and preschoolers with its easy to hear and follow lyrics. It guides the littlest ones on a journey of music and movement. The songs are playful and center around themes familiar to little ones.
In Anna and the Cupcakes Bari Koral presents songs for a slightly older crowd. Don’t get me wrong, Elli (3) also loves the CD but these songs are perfect for Sammi (5). The songs tell stories and include such wonderful imagery. Sammi loves the songs Butterfly and Gingerbread Man. While still upbeat, the overall feel of this album is calmer and more mature. It sets a mood of creativity and storytelling. I love watching our kids play while and after listening to the album Anna and the Cupcakes.
Bari Koral’s latest album Anna and the Cupcakes is available today on Amazon.com and on her website barikoral.com. Happy Valentine’s Day and sweet listening.
The giveaway is now closed. Congrats to our winner, Heather!
We’re excited to be able to offer a free copy of Anna and the Cupcakes to one lucky BBGU reader!
To enter the giveaway for your copy, please leave a comment on this post. The winner will be chosen by Random.org and announced next Tuesday. Giveaway closes Monday night, Feb 20, 2012 at 10 pm EST.
We received an advance copy of Anna and the Cupcakes from Bari Koral to assist in our review. The opinions in this review are our own. The giveaway is open to US residents 18 yrs and older. The winner will be chosen at random and emailed with information on receiving the CD. The winner will also be announced on the blog on Tues Feb 21, 2012.
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We were listening to our Bari Koral station on Pandora today when Brent said to me, “I’m so excited for Bari’s new album to come out! When is that again?” “Why it’s Valentine’s Day, dear!” I replied. It’s a cheesey intro, I know. But it was a real conversation. So if you, like us, love Bari Koral, I thought I’d share her news with you.
We’ve loved Bari Koral since our first listen through of Rock and Roll Garden in 2009. We even had an interview with her on the release of Rock and Roll Garden in Jan 2010. Then we adored her first music video for The Backpack Song. We never tire of Bari Koral’s music. And so we’re really excited to receive an advance copy of her CD soon so we can share our review. To whet your appetite, here’s a sneak peak at her new album with the song Anna and the Cupcakes:
We can’t wait to hold the new album in our hands! Yeah, Bari Koral. You rock, girl!
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At the beginning of this year we introduced you to Aaron Nigel Smith’s album “Everyone Loves to Dance.” It is still a favorite at our house. Aaron has just released a holiday song that he recorded with his two sons and Rhythm Child. We’ve had fun groovin’ to it!
Aaron Nigel Smith – Happy Happy Holiday featuring Rhythm Child
Happy Holidays from Because Babies Grow Up and Aaron Nigel Smith!
Looking to update your Halloween music selection for this year? I have just the thing for you!
And the best part: 10% of proceeds from sales in October will go to The Children’s Hospital to help children battling cancer. You can purchase Count Crowe’s Halloween Spooktacular on iTunes and Amazon.
If you’re looking for ideas for the perfect Halloween party, check out this post on armelle. She’s got everything from party invites to goody bags. She’s also got my creative juices flowing. I’ll be sharing some of our craft projects during the week.
Your creative juices are flowing now, too, huh? She’s compiled all the links to these great projects and more so check out her ideas for a Halloween party.
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So the other day Brent came home from his test telling me that he had The Backpack Song
Not more than a day later I got an email from Bari Koral saying they had just made their first music video. And the song they chose was none other than The Backpack Song! I shared it with the girls and they were wild about it. It’s a fun video for a fun song. Check it out!
Don’t forget, you can also get Bari’s album on Amazon.com.
Thanks to everyone who entered for a chance to win Recess Monkey’s newest album, The Final Funktier. This album is available June 15. Now for the winner:
Catherine, whose favorite space-themed something is Battlestar Galactica, won her own copy of The Final Funktier. Congrats, Catherine. Please look for my email today and respond quickly 
Hello, Energy!
The Final Funktier by Recess Monkey is one of the most creative albums I’ve ever heard. From the lyrics to the music to the elevator in the middle of the album, it’s a creative feast from beginning to end.
For our family, this album made really great background music. We enjoyed listening to it while we did craft projects or cleaned up the kitchen. In contrast, some albums for our family take center stage. Listening to them IS the activity. These are albums geared toward very young children with action-oriented lyrics. The Final Funktier is definitely geared toward the elementary age range with clever lyrics and plays on words that would be comical to children slightly older than my own. A lot of that was lost on the girls, but Brent and I enjoy the lyrics and the crazy song titles.
There was one song that really snatched Sammi’s attention. Track #11: Booster Seat. It starts, “I’m not a toddler, not any more. I’m forty-two pounds and half-past four.” Sammi loves categorizing baby, toddler, and preschooler so this song resonates with her. She always shouts, “That’s me! I’m not a toddler and I’m almost four!” She’s obsessed with counting down to her birthday and starting preschool. 8 weeks till her birthday and another 6 weeks after that till preschool. As she informed me, that is one long paper chain!
Fortunately, it’s not quite that long till The Final Funktier is released on June 15th. But, if you’re excited to get your hands on a copy sooner, I’ve got a deal for you!
The Final Funktier Giveaway
We have one copy of The Final Funktier by Recess Monkey to give away. The giveaway is open until 11:59 pm Eastern time on Monday, May 24th.
Required entry: Leave a comment sharing your favorite space-themed book, movie, game or TV show (or anything else space-themed)
Additional Entries:
- Visit Recess Monkey’s site and listen to the songs from The Final Funktier. Leave a comment telling me which one you like the best.
- Tweet about the giveaway: “Win Recess Monkey’s latest album from @ajpassey. Great music for the whole family! http://bit.ly/a5qC7X” Leave a comment with a link to the tweet.
- Share the giveaway on Facebook: “Win Recess Monkey’s latest album from Because Babies Grow Up. Great music for the whole family! http://bit.ly/a5qC7X” Leave a comment telling me that you shared it on Facebook. No link required; this one is on the honor system.
Good luck! I’ll announce the winner and contact them by email on Tuesday May 25.
Thanks to all who entered. I loved reading your ideas on why classical music and the performing arts are so important for little ones. Green Golly and Her Golden Flute is a great introduction to the performing arts and I’d highly recommend it for any family collection.
Heather won the giveaway from her second entry (that she’s a fan on Facebook!) Thanks Heather! Please check your email for details on getting your copy of Green Golly and Her Golden Flute.
We’ll have another giveaway on April 27 so please check back for your chance to win one of three copies of Motherhood is Easy…As Long As You Have Nothing To Do For The Next 50 Years.
When we were offered the chance to review a CD whose purpose was to expose children to the world of classical music in an engaging way I was thrilled. Since one of the ways to help little ones appreciate the performing arts is exposure to them and since I feel rather under-educated when it comes to classical music, I was looking forward to this album at least as much as the girls were.
Magical moments happen when interests and opportunities coincide. Sammi recently became enthralled with the story of Rapunzel and we’ve read several variations of the story. When we received Green Golly and her Golden Flute Sammi recognized Rapunzel on the cover immediately. She was definitely ready to give this album a go. In just a few days of receiving the CD we had listened to Green Golly’s story three times!
Green Golly and Her Golden Flute
The first 12 tracks are a dramatized retelling of Rapunzel (named Green Golly, for the golly good greens that in the witch’s garden did grow) along with clips of classical music woven seemlessly into the story. Keith Torgan is the narrator of the story and does an amazing job of appealing to young children. He has a grand storytelling voice and says the silliest things with such majesty that it’s hard not to be completely captivated.
Then there’s Barbara Siesel on the flute and as the voice of Green Golly. She does a marvelous job going from a newbie on the flute to an accomplished flutist. Siesel’s performance was inspiring. She’s bound to inspire children to want to create music. I want to learn to play the flute now!
One thing that sets this introduction to classical music apart from others I’ve seen is how the music is woven into a story. Each moment when a song is played highlights the meaning and feeling of that piece. My favorite feature is that the name of the composer is given for each piece. I loved that I didn’t have to keep looking to the CD case to see which song and who composed it. That info was included in the storytelling. Well done. After the story, tracks 13-22 are the complete version of each song included in the story. It’s a terrific collection of classical music for using with little ones in a variety of ways.
A final thought on the story. You’ll never believe the twist at the end! Not your typical Rapunzel ending, at all. But fitting for Green Golly, her independence and desire to see the world and perform.
Giveaway!
Keith Torgan and Barbara Siesel are excited to share a copy of Green Golly and Her Golden Flute with one BBGU reader. We are excited to host this giveaway for them and know you’ll just love this storytelling/classical music combination. The giveaway closes Monday, April 12 at 11:59 Eastern time and the winner will be announced Tuesday, April 13 and contacted via email.
Required:
- Leave a comment telling me why you think it’s important to expose children to classical music/the performing arts.
Additional Entries:
- Subscribe to Because Babies Grow Up (if you’re already subscribed, leave a comment saying that)
- Become a fan of Because Babies Grow Up on Facebook (if you’re already a fan, leave a comment saying that)
- Tweet “@ajpassey has a #giveaway for Green Golly & her Golden Flute, a combo of classical music and storytelling for children: http://bit.ly/9HPb4L” (Leave a comment with a link to your status)
- Post on Facebook “Because Babies Grow Up is giving away Green Golly and her Golden Flute, a great album introducing children to classical music through the story of Rapunzel: http://bit.ly/9HPb4L” (Leave a comment saying you posted on Facebook)
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