Name a new song

Hey everyone!

My son has composed another song that he had not named yet.  He is asking anyone who is willing to comment on his YouTube Channel to comment the title they think should be given for this song.

So go listen to his new song and feel free to suggest a name for it.   And please do share with your friends, family and neighbors!

DROPMIX–Music Gaming System

There is a new game in store this Christmas season – DROPMIX from Hasbro and Harmonix.  Essentially the game is a music mixing game which uses a mix of physical cards that possesses embedded chips.   However, be warned that you will need either an Apple or Android  device to play the game because you have to download the app and communicate with the board via Bluetooth.

The box comes with 60 cards and an electronic game board with five marked spaces.     Each cards represent a different song.   Note that you will also have the possibility to purchase new music samples by getting new cards as booster packs.  Each booster packs contains different number of cards.

Each card can be used on at least one of the four colors represented on the board.  Each color represent a specific aspect of a song.  For example: while yellow will highlight vocals, blue on the other end would have the drum tracks.   So all you have to do is drop the card in the appropriate spot in order to create a mix or make points.

Some cards (FX) will trigger special events while other ones are considered Wild Cards which means you can play them in any mix slots.  You will need 15 cards to make a playlist.  Oh and the cards have a different level of power from 1 to 3.   A card with a power level of 3 will have more impact on the mix compared to a card of power level 1.

As mentioned before the board has five spaces to insert the cards.  Three of these spaces will accept cards of two different colors while the two other spaces only accept a specific color of card.  

There are three ways of playing Dropmix.

• CLASH: The goal is to reach 21 points first.   You can explore a variety of combos in this version.   Strategically play your cards in order to win and expect the unexpected with the music you create.
• PARTY: In this mode, you will work together to answer requests quickly in order to get the highest score.  
• FREESTYLE: In this mode, you can discover new music by connecting the cards on the board.  You have the possibility to customize and tweak the mix until to are satisfied with what you have.  Then you can show it to your family and/or friends.

Additional cards can by purchase with the DROPMIX Discover Packs (series 1 or 2) or the DROPMIX Playlist Pack (Derby-Pop, Astro-Electric, Ouroboros – Rock, or Mirrors – Hip Hop).  Below is an example of some of the songs you could have in the cards.

If you have a budding DJ in your home or if yourself like to mix songs, I think that this game will be interesting.   Not everyone is a big fan of music and mixing your own tunes so I am unsure on how this game will be received.  However, I can see potential with it because you can make your own music for parties and so on.  So yes, the game is in interesting concept that is worth checking if you are into music and mixing. 

DROPMIX and the packs are available at your favorite store, even on amazon.ca and amazon.com.

DROPMIX Starter Kit

Discovery Packs

 

 

Playlist Packs

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to Hasbro Canada for sending me the above mentioned products for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Back to School with DK Canada

It is the time of the year where children throughout Canada go back to school or restart their homeschool.   And DK Canada has numerous titles that could help you teach your kids or supplement your kids on specific subjects in their Back to School Boutique.

I have received three titles to present on my blog.

 

Smithsonian Ocean – A Visual Encyclopedia

A stunning visual encyclopedia for kids, packed with stunning photography and amazing facts on every aspect of ocean life.  From the Arctic to the Caribbean, tiny plankton to giant whales, sandy beaches to the deepest depths, our oceans are brought to life with astonishing images, simple, stylish graphics, and crystal-clear text explanations in Ocean: A Visual Encyclopedia. DK's Visual Encyclopedias are the first substantial series of encyclopedias aimed at young children, designed to excite and entertain, while offering a comprehensive overview of core subjects. From science and the human body to animals, ocean, space, and more, each book combines fun facts, amazing pictures, and crystal-clear explanations to take kids into the wonders of our world.

My Thoughts:

Well…. I have a good reason to review this book.  This year at our homeschool coop we will spend three weeks studying the oceans.   I am the leader of this unit and I wanted to have a book that would be a great resource for the kids.   I am not disappointed.  This book is packed with information about everything linked to the oceans.    In the first section of the book, the reader will learn much about the different oceans around the planet.  Then you discover more about our blue planet – how oceans are formed, the ocean floor, the ridges and the depths, and so much more.   In Open Ocean you learn more about the zones, the zooplankton, the jellies, the food chain and various animals living in and from the sea.   In Shallow Seas you will explore the seabed and seaweeds, the seafloor fish, and the animals living in and around the coral reefs.    In Coast and Seashores you are transported in the living areas of cliffs, caves, tide pools, beaches, dunes and more.  Then make sure you are dressed warmly because the book will bring you in the polar seas where you can learn not only about icebergs but the animals living in the colder waters.  Finally, the book concludes with sea exploration and will present how we exploit the oceans in various ways.

This book is perfect for a unit study on oceans.   It will inform you and your child about everything related to the seas around the world.

Help Your Kids with Music

Help Your Kids with Music is a step-by-step visual guide to music theory.  Help Your Kids with Music is the perfect primer to help students gain a solid foundation in music, no matter their age, skill level, or instrument.

Help Your Kids with Music clearly explains key concepts in five step-by-step chapters:

• The Basics explains the types of instruments, notation for keyboard and stringed instruments, the "musical alphabet," and counting a beat.
• Rhythm covers the length of notes and rests, as well as basic rhythms and meters, phrasing, syncopation, tempo, and using a metronome.
• Tone and Melody includes everything a student needs to know about tones and how they work together to build a melody.
• Chords and Harmony shows how intervals work together and includes examples for horn and woodwind instruments.
• Form and Interpretation helps students understand how musical form can aid appreciation and interpretation for classical, jazz, blues, and other musical styles.

My Thoughts:

This book is unique in many ways as it can help you as a parent to guide your kids in the world of music.   Essentially, it is a book about the theory behind music.    Being an homeschool mom I thought it would be nice to have something to help me teach the kids about music theory a bit.   I feel rusty since my days of high school playing in the school band.  I used to play clarinet.   Still have it…  So now I want to pass a bit of knowledge to my kids.

This book is divided in nine sections:

1. Pitch:  where you can learn the difference between high and low pitch, the piano keyboard, the notes on the staff and the clefs.
2. Rhythm: where you will learn about beats and measures, note values, beams and dots, time signatures, compound time, rests and ties, grouping notes, triplets and tuplets, syncopation and swing, beginnings and endings as well as tempo.
3. Intervals, scales, and keys: where you learn about sharps and flats, half steps, whole steps, intervals, major scales, minor scales, keys, relative minor, circle of fifths, accidentals, modulation, transposition, other scales, modes, tonality and atonality.
4. Melody: where you discover what is a tune, phrasing and phrase marks, types of phrases, sequences, ornaments, dynamics, musical expression, musical markings, analyzing melodies, two or more notes, writing your own melody and learning by example.
5. Chords and harmony: where you learn about harmony, consonance and dissonance, diatonic and chromatic harmony, degrees of the scale, triads, inversions, chord types, other chords, cadences, passing notes, suspension, modal harmony, music for choirs, bass, chord symbols, harmonizing a song melody.
6. Form: where you learn about repeats, binary form, ternary form, counterpoint, theme and variations, ostinati, loops, riffs, breaks and fills, as well as orchestral forms.
7. Instruments and voices: where you discover strings, woodwind, brass, keyboards, percussion, the orchestra, the conductor, ensembles, rock bands, voices, what is the score?, as well as words and music.
8. Styles and genres: where you will learn about musical textures, folk, world, roots, classical music, Baroque period, Classical period, Romantic period, Modern period, dance music, Blues and Jazz as well as popular music.
9. Reference: where you can find quick references on note-values and rest-values, time signatures, keys and key signatures, chords, scales, musical terms glossary, musical periods, and instrument families.

The book also comes with a CD which demonstrates the music examples indicate throughout the book.

This book is a great reference to have at home so that you can reconnect with the world of music and even teach your kids about it.

How to Play the Recorder – A step-by-step guide

How to Play the Recorder is a highly visual and user-friendly guide for learning to play the recorder independently, and also a perfect companion to recorder lessons. Designed to educate without overwhelming, How to Play the Recorder is carefully structured to challenge readers a little at a time. Notes are clearly introduced at appropriate stages, alongside specially selected musical pieces that provide context and a sense of achievement. A range of useful hints and tips offer additional guidance and encouragement throughout. Written with an expert music consultant, How to Play the Recorder also introduces key points of music theory, helping increase general knowledge of music and note reading as practical proficiency grows.

My Thoughts:

I used to play the recorder when I was younger.  Still have my wooden one too!   When I saw this title I though it would be great to teach my younger child to play with my recorder.  Maybe she will like it… 

In this book, you will have a step-by-step guide on how to play the beloved first instrument of many kids.    This book will introduce the child to the recorder itself as well as the family of recorder. Quickly after the introduction, the child will be guide in starting to play, how to read music, learn about the time signatures, how to breath, how to position the tongue, the position of the hands.  Once this is all covered, it is time to learn notes and much more.   At the end of the book you will have a fingering chard and a glossary.

This book is useful if you want to introduce your child to basic music using a recorder.   Once this has been mastered, the child might want to learn a more challenging instrument.

The Back to School Boutique contains numerous titles that could be interesting to your children whether their interest is space, dinosaur, human body or something else.   You will also find books for your in order to help your child with computer coding, music, English, math or science.    Check out the books available on their Back to School boutique.

 

 

 

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned books for review purposes . I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Learn and Master Piano

Back at the end of August, I presented a product that we were going to use in order to learn piano – Learn & Master Piano.   I had promised to post at the end of September in order for you to see the progress my son and I had made with the program.   Well here I am today – a month later that planned – and I want to update you on this product that will allow your child or yourself to learn piano.   First, I must tell you that my oldest son is diligently learning the piano at his own pace.  So far he has watched and practice for three lessons.  We have not schedule this on a weekly basis but he practices regularly during a week.   The main reason that it is not schedule as much as I would have hope to is that he has already a big workload with his regular lessons as well as Awana memorization.  But to top it off, he went through numerous appointment in the past two months for braces and planning for a small surgery in order to remove two teeth – one being impacted.   The appointments are not finished for the braces as we have five more weeks of scheduled appointments for him to go through to complete the braces installation.  Nevertheless, now that the surgery is in the past, I find myself this morning in front of my computer in order to tell you more about his progress on learning the piano.

What is Learn and Master Piano you ask?

Well, Learn and Master offers a wonderful package for homeschoolers wanting to learn piano.   The Learn and Master Piano is offered as a Home School Edition which makes it affordable for families.  This complete 2-year piano curriculum is specifically designed for home study.   It contains the complete piano course, a 68 pages teacher’s guide which includes a full 2-year scope-and-sequence as well as a DVD containing teacher’s resource.  Learn And Master Piano Home School Edition has been widely recognized as the best home instruction course for learning piano available anywhere and when you see how my son is advancing in his lessons, I think you will understand why. Essentially, the program consists of 20 professionally produced DVDs, 5 Play-Along CDs, a 100+ page lesson book, and a free online student support site.

I have to admit that I like the fact that it is a completely independent learning program.  My son, Alexandre, choose to do a lesson depending of his workload.   Recently, as he was doing one, I decided to take some pictures in order to show you how he does it.  Alexandre is thirteen years old and is currently in grade 8.

Once the DVD is in the player, the lesson starts.   Alexandre has set up the keyboard in the living room.  He is listening attentively while waiting for the practice part to begin.

At some point during the lesson, he sits up at the keyboard and practice at the same time as the teacher.

Here you can see him doing more practices throughout the lesson.

When we go to our homeschool coop on Wednesdays, he brings his binder of songs and practices on a full piano that is in the basement.    This past week, while he was playing a lady asked me since when he was playing the piano because she thought he was playing beautifully.   I looked at her and answered, “Since September really.”  She couldn’t believe it.  So I mentioned the program Learn & Master Piano that he was using and she thought it was interesting to have such a product on the market.    She also mentioned that my son  must be gifted musically which I am sure she is right because it is so easy for him to learn the guitar and the piano.   

Seeing him striving in learning the piano, I know without a doubt that Learn & Master Piano is a great product to have in your home.  He could easily get on the online student support line if he needs and get answers to his questions.   However, he doesn’t seem to have any issue at this point in time.   He would like to have a full size piano but for now he can advance quite a bit with the keyboard.  Besides, when we go to coop, not only does he has a chance of practicing on the full size piano but he can experience with the pedals as well.

From our experience, I think that the Learn & Master Piano is a great product to own and would make a wonderful gift for someone who has expressed an interest in learning the piano as well.   I find that this product is great for young people and adults.   It could bit a bit too advanced for children.

In my next post later this month, I am planning to include a video of Alexandre playing the piano.  

Learn and Master offers various courses if you are not interested in piano.   Check out the guitar, drums, dance, painting and even photography courses available by clicking on the image below.

Learn and Master offers Homeschool Editions of Piano, Guitar and Painting instructional courses. Shop now at LearnAndMaster.com and save BIG on award-winning course materials.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Learn & Master for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Learn and Master Piano

http://www.learnandmaster.com/homeschool/piano/

Are you looking for a way to incorporate music lessons in your homeschool?   You would love to learn piano but can’t afford the one-on-one lessons?    Someone gave you a keyboard or a piano but you don’t know where to start?

No problem.    Learn and Master offers a wonderful package for homeschoolers wanting to learn piano.   The Learn and Master Piano is offered as a Home School Edition.  This complete 2-year piano curriculum is specifically designed for home study.   It contains the complete piano course, a 68 pages teacher’s guide which includes a full 2-year scope-and-sequence as well as a DVD containing teacher’s resource.  Learn And Master Piano Home School Edition has been widely recognized as the best home instruction course for learning piano available anywhere. It consists of 20 professionally produced DVDs, 5 Play-Along CDs, a 100+ page lesson book, and a free online student support site.

It’s quite easy to go through the lessons.   Pop in a DVD in your player and listen to the lesson given by none other than Will Barrow.    Listen to what he has to say about the Learn and Master Piano course.

This specific course will allow you to learn piano from the comfort of your home.  However, make sure to practice because listening to the lesson itself won’t be enough.  Before moving on in your lessons, you need to master the previous one and practice quite a bit before continuing.   

When I initially received the product, my intent was to get all my kids on the piano and learn.  However, I quickly realized that this product was mostly geared for older students and adults.   I didn’t find it flexible enough for my younger kids.

Over the course of the next few months, I am planning to take the lessons and advance at my own pace.   I will also challenge my oldest son to do some lessons as well.    At the end of September, I will post an update on how we are doing.    Then again in November I am planning to update on our learning the piano adventure so you can discover how it is working for us.

In the meantime, I would like to encourage you to check out the product on the website.  They do have a 60 days money back guarantee if you are not satisfied.  When you consider that the average music lesson is around 35-40$ for 30 minutes per week, I think the price tag attached to Learn and Master Piano isn’t that bad.   Granted you might not have feedback from the teacher immediately but there is a student support forum which consist in a vibrant community of 15,000 active users.   Will Barrow himself is online regularly and will take time to answer questions and offering encouragement.   It is possible to build a student profile, post recordings, track your progress, and get feedback from the experts and students.

So this year as part of your homeschool, why not incorporate a bit of music lessons?    Piano Lessons with Grammy Award-Winning Pianist Will Barrow - Home School Edition from LearnAndMaster - ORDER NOW!

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Learn and Master offers various courses if you are not interested in piano.   Check out the guitar, drums, dance, painting and even photography courses available!

Learn and Master offers Homeschool Editions of Piano, Guitar and Painting instructional courses. Shop now at LearnAndMaster.com and save BIG on award-winning course materials.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Learn & Master for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Start Something New Boutique

2014 is here and with a new year people tend to set new goals of things that they want to do.   DK Canada currently have a new boutique for you to choose something new to start this year.  In the Start Something New Boutique at DK Canada you will find something for you with a few clicks.  In that special boutique you will find books about running, boosting your brain, yoga, stretching, wine, cake decorating, crochet, astronomy, gardening, crafts, photography, beading, cooking, baking, learning a new language, woodworking, preserving and much more.   The book that caught my eye in the Start Something New Boutique was The Complete Guitar Manual.

Let’s go back in time a little bit so I can tell you more about how music has entered in our home.   A few months back, I spotted a note from someone in the Homeschool FREE Market for our town on facebook.   The note was saying that the woman had an electric guitar to give away with an amp.   Knowing that my husband wanted to learn guitar I asked him if he would like to have it.   He said sure and I quickly emailed her to let her know we could pick it up.   That same day, we drove to go pick up the guitar.   The strings needed to get changed and we brought it to a music store near our place.   When the guy learned that we got it for free, he told us we had an amazing deal since it was a guitar of about 350$. 

My husband looked for a course on the internet and found one that he enjoys with our two older sons.   Problem was…. the guitar had to be shared between the three of them.    Seeing how the boys practiced and learned with him, we had the idea of getting them a guitar each for Christmas.   It was close to Christmas day when we finally got to two electric guitars – trading for comics and other things.   But the boys were delighted when they got their big gifts on Christmas morning.   And dad had taken the time to wrap them up nicely.  They were not expecting this whatsoever.  Along with guitars, we are now have a drum set and a keyboard.   Funny how things happens something.

Anyhow, though the oldest two boys are learning guitar with dad over the internet with Justin as their teacher, I thought that a book on guitar would be nice to have too.    That’s the main reason why I picked the book The Complete Guitar Manual from the Start Something New Boutique.  Let’s check what the book covers together.

The Complete Guitar Manual, published at DK Canada, covers every aspect of learning how to play the guitar, from choosing an instrument and using a pick for the first time to starting a band and writing your own music.  The book is essentially a complete course of professional lessons that works both as a personal tutor and a comprehensive textbook.  The Complete Guitar Manual is a self improvement guide for all aspiring guitar players and could be a great tool for aspiring guitarists and professionals alike.  It includes techniques and step by step photographic instructions that help you build new skills or hone existing ones as well as a DVD with video sequences showing how to play and how it should sound.

For the benefit of my readers, I have included the Table of Contents.

• Chapter one – The Kit:  The guitar, anatomy of an acoustic guitar, anatomy of an electric guitar, acoustics guitars, semi-acoustic guitars, electric guitars, tone and hardware, buying a guitar, guitar amplifiers, anatomy of an amplifier, guitar effects.
• Chapter two – Essential Theory: How music works, Scales and keys, Notation and tab, Forming chords, Rhythm and time.
• Chapter three – The Sessions:  Essentially you will have ten sessions to follow through with lessons in each of them.  Each sessions are clearly marked to refer to the DVD included in the book.   You will learn the basics of playing guitar and slowly but surely advanced in more chords and playing songs.
• Chapter four – Becoming an Artist: Covering songs and writing original material, playing in public, forming a band, home recording, and getting your music out there.
• Chapter five –Guitar Maintenance: Choosing and fitting strings, cleaning and storing guitars, setting up your guitar, customizing and upgrading your guitar.
• Chapter six – Useful Resources: Chord directory, scale directory, key signatures, notation decoder.

As you can see this book will cover numerous aspects of learning the guitar.   I showed this book to my husband and he was immediately intrigue and interested by it.   He is getting back playing the guitar as he used to have lessons when he was younger.  He read part of the book already and learned a thing or two from it.   He told me that this will be a book that he will go back to it in order to better understand guitars and learn from it.

The Complete Guitar Manual will give you the motivation to discover more about this musical instrument and hopefully develop a new talent in 2014.

  

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned title for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

VOTA Special Request For Their New Album Love Found Me

For a few months, my husband has been using RDIO to discover music from new artists based on his music preferences.  So far he is quite pleased with RDIO as he has discovered new artists that he is enjoying quite a bit.

Through RDIO, he has stumbled on VOTA a Christian rock band from Lincoln, Nebraska which features Bryan Olesen who was a former guitarist with the Christian rock band Newsboys.   When I started going out with my husband, he introduced me to Newsboys and we had the privilege to attend two of their concerts in the past.   Needless to say, we are fans of Newsboys and we introduced our kids to them since then.  

Discovering that one of their former guitarist was part of VOTA immediately triggered my husband to check out their songs and he got hooked.    VOTA was originally founded as Casting Pearls back in 1997 but in 2008 the name was changed because of the confusion with Casting Crowns another Christian band.

My husband says that VOTA is one of his favourite now.  On January 8th, VOTA released a new album – Love Found Me.  Though you could purchase this album on places like Amazon.com, Best Buy, Christianbook.com, Rhapsody, iTunes, RDIO, as well as AmazonMP3, I would like you to consider another option – getting it for free in exchange of a donation.

WHAT DID SHE SAY?  Did I just read the word FREE?

Yes.  Free.

All you need to do is go to the website Love Found Me, watch the video of Bryan presenting Meena and her story as well as the plan that VOTA has to save girls from human trafficking in Nepal.

All you have to do is jump to https://lovefoundme.org/ and let God speak to you (as he did for my husband – I don’t see my husband in tears very often but this video definitively touched his heart.    And after watching it myself, I was touched to the point that tears were coming freely too!) as you watch the video.

For a simple 15$ of donations to help rescue human trafficking in Nepal and save girls, VOTA will give you not only their new album Love Found Me but also include a second album No Plan B as a thanks for your donation. 

100% of all proceeds are going to Tiny Hands International.

Interested in getting not one but two albums from VOTA? Quickly go to LoveFoundMe, watch the video and be touched by the story shared here and how VOTA is planning to rescue 3000 girls.  Together we can do it. Please join us to fight human trafficking in Nepal. 

Back to School with DK Canada–Part 4: Children’s Book of Music

To celebrate the Back to School event in our lives, DK Canada is having a special limited time offer (30% off) on selected titles in their Back to School Boutique.  Consequently, to celebrate the Back to School time of the year, I will present you some of the titles found in the DK Canada Boutique in the week to come. 

To continue this Back to School theme, I present you today the title How to Be a Children’s Book of Music. 

About the book

Music has always been an amazing way for people to connect with each other and to express their ideas and emotions. In this clear and lively introduction to music history, readers take a chronological journey around the world, exploring the sounds and rhythms of different cultures, the development of instruments, and the progression of musical styles. From the beginnings of music for ritual or magical purposes to the technological developments that have taken modern music in new directions, children will discover the fascinating history of music and how it has become an international exchange of ideas. The book also includes a bonus CD, featuring a selection of music from around the world.

My Thoughts

This book is interesting because it will introduce your kids to the world of music through history via text, images and tracks from the CD. 

The book is divided in three major sections:

• Early Music (50,000 BCE – 1600 CE): In this specific section you will discover the world of music at the beginning of time – with the ancient world music, the didgeridoo, the world of wind and strings as well as some other interesting instruments.
• Classical  Music (1600 – 1900): In this section you will get exposed to the Baroque, Classical and Romantic period of music.  You will also learn major composers like Mozart, Beethoven, Berlioz, Wagner, Tchaikovsky, and others.   You will also have the opportunity to discover operas, national music, and great conductors.
• Modern Music (1900 – )": In this section, you now explore the new styles of music since the 1900 – blues, musicals, Reggae, Hip-Hop and more as well as popular artists like Sinatra, Elvis, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin.

The CD contains tracks on various style of music from the different sections mentioned above.  Throughout the book,  you will see an icon of a Cd with headset on it which will inform you of which track you will need to listen after reading a specific part of the book.   In total there are 35 tracks on the CD for your to listen.   I would use the CD only with the book because there isn’t any explanation on it to tell you which era the music sample is from.   Consequently, it is essential that the CD be used with the reading of the book.   I really enjoyed listening to the Gregorian chant on the CD which is sang in Latin as well as the Hallelujah chorus from the Messiah by Handel.

Each section of the book will also be illustrated with images, drawings and musical instruments in order to give you an introduction to the world of music through the ages.    This book is the prefect tool to introduce your kids to music and expose them to a variety of styles at the same time.    I am very pleased to have this book in my hands so we can explore the world of music this year.      What I also find interesting in this book is that the kids will have an idea of the different instruments that can be used to make music.   They will also be introduced to the orchestra and learn the various families of instruments that can be played.    Recently, we watched a DVD title Pulse: a Stomp Odyssey which explore how Stomp got some of the ideas for their show throughout the world.  My kids were fascinated with it.  Reading this book and listening to the tracks on the CD will give them a better perspective of the world of music.

If you want to find these titles and many more that could be interesting to supplement school works/studies as well as inform your kids on specific themes, I would suggest that you check out the Back to School Boutique at DK Canada.  Don’t forget that they offer 30% off on titles listed in this specific promotion. Click on the image below to discover the various titles found in the Back To School Boutique at DK Canada!

The title presented in this review are available for purchase at your favourite bookstore, even amazon.ca and amazon.com.

    

Disclaimer: Thanks to DK Canada for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

Musicopoulos

Musicopoulos
From Spartan Apps

About the App

Introduction to intervals, Introduction to scales, scale relationships, major chords, altered triads, diatonic chords, key signatures, diatonic intervals, chromatic intervals, clef notes, clef notes with sharps and flats, relative minor scale, harmonic minor scale and melodic minor scale.

There is no other app out there that offers such a variety of content!

And now you get the choice of input method. Use a standard keypad in portrait view or rotate your device to submit your answers using piano keys!

Musicopoulos is the best drilling music theory and sight reading app out there, but it's even better than that. Musicopoulos also includes detailed studies so that you can learn and understand the concepts.

If you are or want to be a musician, you need to check this out!

Understanding Music Theory will help you become the best musician you can be, the musician you want to be.

Download Musicopoulos now and become a part of the music family!

My Thoughts

In my youth, I played various musical instruments – the recorder, the guitar and even the clarinet.    There are times today that I miss not being able to play an instrument.   I almost wish I could play the piano but we don’t have one.   Part of me would like to grab my clarinet but some of the cork is not glued anymore and I don’t have the money to check to see if it is worth it to get it repaired…  Mind you my husband saw one on Costco.ca for 140$ which isn’t expensive considering I paid mine a bit more when I was in high school.   I used to be part of the orchestra.  You can see me in the picture below (I’m the fourth one from the left side or the right side… *grin*).   Ah the memories it brings back to me…

But when I learned music, I was in Quebec and learning it in the French language (do, ré, mi, fa, sol, la, si, do) and not with the letters like in English.    So wanting to learn the English version of reading music, I discovered Musicopoulos.    This app is not only one that can teach me - or should I say help me revise after so many years – the music theory through a series of lessons that is guiding me through the principles of music theory.   

Each lesson also has some exercises that will help you (or your child) to reinforce the principles learned.    And the best part of it is that each lesson builds on the previous one you have done so that your knowledge builds up as you go.

In the music theory section, you will learn about notes and intervals, get introduce to scales, understand the relationship between the scales, learn more about key signatures, major cords,diatonic chords and intervals , chromatic intervals, as well as the different minor scales (relative, harmonic and melodic).    In the sight reading section, you will learn to read clef notes, sharps & flats, key signatures and more.

So far what I have seen from the app is impressive.   It explains in detailed terms that are easy to understand the music theory.    Having a background in French, I am delighted to finally have a tool to learn more about music in English.   I am seriously thinking of introducing my oldest son to this app to see if he would have an affinity with music.   

Musicopoulos is available for the price of 2.99$ on iTunes.

Disclaimer: Thanks to Spartan Apps for sending me the above mentioned product for review purposes. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way. All opinions expressed here are only my own.

KinderBach

Every now and then you discover a product that is out of the ordinary.   I guess it helps a lot to be part of a group like the TOS Homeschool Crew since we get the opportunity of reviewing online and physical products throughout the year.

This is our 2nd experience with KinderBach and I am not disappointed with it.   Back in 2009, my boys were 4, 5 and 7 and they enjoyed every minute they spent on KinderBach.  

This time around, my oldest son who is soon to be ten didn’t feel the need of sitting with his younger brothers and sister (ages 3, 5 and 7) to watch the KinderBach lesson.  However, my youngest three enjoyed spending time together and learning more about music.

KinderBach is unique in itself has it uses songs, games and puzzles to teach the children aged 3 to 7 about music.    Ideally, you should have a piano at home but with the digital world these days, you can download a free piano app on for the iPad and still learn with KinderBach.

Using the piano keyboard as the base, you will be introduce to a unique neighbourhood where the characters will help your child to discover the notes and the music elements.

The founder of the program has extensive background in music education, singing, visual arts, keyboarding theory as well as dramatic.   She demonstrate all these skills via the innovative concept of early childhood music she has created with KinderBach.

Currently available are six levels of learning.   Each levels will give more music lessons for your child as they watch it.    The image below illustrate how a week is presented.   Throughout the week, the child can watch the lesson multiple times and also do fun activities that will anchor the learning experience.

The learning activities will sometimes ask the child to color or write information on the sheet of paper.   My three younger kids had a blast learning with Dodi and his friends and discovering the musical world.     However, I find that the parent should also spend time with the younger kids to help them follow the directions

KinderBach is fun and will help your kids to learn music.   I would consider getting the online version if I had only one child but if your family has more than one child, I would strongly recommend to go toward the DVDs.   

KinderBach is available for the price of $95.88 US annually or $19.99 US monthly or you could purchase the DVDs for $222.88 US for levels 1 to 6.

Disclaimer: Thanks to KinderBach for allowing me to access their online product for review purpose through the TOS Homeschool Crew. I was not monetarily compensated for this review. Please note that the review was not influenced by the Sponsor in any way.  All opinions expressed here are only my own.

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