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The Hollow Trees: Hello Friend!

June 2, 2016 by ajpassey Leave a Comment

On my first listen through of The Hollow Trees’ newest album Hello Friend I connected with the familiar strains of bluegrass music that weave together with jazz, folk, country and more to create this lively musical feast. And what a feast it is. The first track is called “What Do You Want on Your Taco” and definitely gets your mouth watering for the next Taco Tuesday. This song is the most requested by our children.

Hello Friend!Hello Friend is a wonderful combination of covers and original songs that work together to capture the humor and experiences of childhood. “Merry Go Round” was inspired by a particularly exhilarating carousel ride. My favorite song on the album is “Harmony Hills” a lullaby that captures the golden hour of dusk in the band’s fictional universe of Nelsonville.

Hello Friend Track List

  • What Do You Want on Your Taco?
  • Merry Go Round
  • My Dog Has Fleas
  • I Can’t Dance (I’ve Got Ants in My Pants)
  • It Ain’t No Fault of Mine
  • Hello Friend
  • My Metaphor
  • Guitar You Going to Sing Along?
  • Poor Papa
  • Backward Bill
  • She’ll Be Coming ‘Round the Mountain
  • I Like to Draw
  • The Harmony Hills

The Hollow Trees

Hello Friend! for Use in Storytime

Many songs on this album are written in a call-response style making it easy to play the song and engage children (and adults) in singing along. Several songs also fall into common themes used in storytimes and preschool themes.

Call and Response Songs on Hello Friend!

  • Hello Friend
  • I Can’t Dance (I’ve got Ants in My Pants)
  • Guitar You Going to Sing Along?

Themes on Hello Friend!

  • Food (What Do You Want on Your Taco?)
  • Dogs/Pets/Animals (My Dog Has Fleas)
  • Art/Creativity (I Like to Draw)
  • PJ/Bedtime (The Harmony Hills)

You can connect with The Hollow Trees on Facebook or learn more about their music and upcoming performances on their website. Hello Friend! is available for pre-order on Amazon and will be released July 1, 2016.

Now through June 8 you can enter to win your own copy of The Hollow Trees’ newest album as part of Bundle #3. Just fill out to form on this post for the Kids Music Giveaway.

 

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: reviews, The Hollow Trees

Diana Panton: I Believe in Little Things

May 26, 2016 by ajpassey 2 Comments

Whimsical and melodic, with tendrils reaching from her voice to affectionately unlock our imagination, Diana Panton brings to life some of our favorite classic songs in her latest album, I Believe in Little Things. Diana meticulously curated magical songs from Disney, Sesame Street, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the Muppets, Willy Wonka, reinventing them through her unique jazz style.

I Believe In Little ThingsWhile the album speaks to the child in all of us, I Believe in Little Things was born of Diana Panton’s desire to present a personal musical offering to her many fans who are parents of young children.  Diana explains, “I started to hear from moms that they were using songs from my albums like ‘Moon River’ and ‘Fly Me to the Moon’ to put their children to bed.  This inspired me to put together a collection of songs that would hold special meaning for children (and their parents). The recording process was a real treat, as every effort was invested in using the best musicians and production values to make this record equal in quality to any of the jazz albums I’ve previously released.”

Diana PantonOur family has thoroughly enjoyed I Believe in Little Things. It is a terrific addition to our music library. We have enjoyed arts and crafts time with Diana Panton’s voice inspiring our creativity. We’ve also brought her along on car rides for some much needed crooning which soothes all our car-cramped crankiness and exhaustion from running errands with four kids in tow.

Since I Believe in Little Things includes many songs from my childhood, this album proves to be a great way for me to share those memories with my children and bring them to life again for the next generation. Parents and children can bond over these timeless melodies and the unique way Diana Panton has preserved them in her album.

I Believe in Little Things for Use in Storytime

Songs from I Believe in Little Things would work for the following themes:

  • Alice in Wonderland (In a World of My Own, Alice in Wonderland)
  • imagination (Pure Imagination, Imagination)
  • friendship (I’m Going Back There)
  • lullabies or bedtime (When You Wish Upon a Star, Everybody Sleeps, Sleep Is a Precious Thing, Hushabye Mountain, Slumber My Darling)
  • colors (The Rainbow Connection)

You can connect with Diana Panton on Facebook or learn more about her and her music on her website. You can purchase I Believe in Little Things on Amazon or on her website.

Now through June 8 you can enter to win your own copy of Diana Panton’s I Believe in Little Things as part of Bundle #1. Just fill out to form on this post for the Kids Music Giveaway.

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Diana Panton, reviews

Sing a Summer Song for EARTH

May 3, 2016 by ajpassey Leave a Comment

I am so excited to partner with Charity and the JAMband to debut a song from their new album EARTH. Today’s song is Sing a Summer Song. I’ve had the privilege of working with Charity Kahn before when she released an album in 2012 called Family Values. You can read my interview with her here.

Earth from Charity and the JAMbandWhat has impressed me so much with Charity and her music is her message of kindness and caring for all living things, including the earth itself. Charity and the JAMband definitely rocks the kindie scene with guitars and drums that get little ones up and moving.

EARTH is a mellower side of Charity and the JAMband, but still with a driving message of the power of love and intentional living. “EARTH is a celebration, like all of our albums,” notes Charity Kahn. “Whenever we record a song, there’s a metaphorical looseness, an organic earthiness that we embody. We hope to convey the feeling of openness, of aliveness…the sense that anything can happen.”

Sing a Summer Song

Today Charity is telling the story of Sing a Summer Song on her blog. Included with the story, Charity shares a free download of Sing a Summer Song. Head on over and add this song to your music library. Charity also includes activity ideas you can use with this song.

CLICK HERE for your free summer song.

If you’re looking for ideas for storytime or circle time, check out 15 Flower Poems for May. This post is a great collection of fingerplays, chants, and songs for flowers. Sing a Summer Song is featured in this post as a great companion song for flower-themed programs.

Connect with Charity and the JAMband

You can keep up with Charity on her blog.

Or you can see the latest news from the JAMband on their website.

You can share your own passion for taking care of the planet with Charity and the JAMband (@jamband) on Twitter using #EveryDayIsEarthDay

Filed Under: Blog Tagged With: Charity and the JAMband, reviews, STEAM, summer

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