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Here are the latest recommendations from our New Arrivals: Underwater Land - Shel Silverstein's final children's recording. Already a Parents' Choice Award winner and soon to be a classic! My Fabulous Plum - Peter Himmelman's latest has been worth the wait. Great songs from a fabulous songwriter plus he's a plum of a guy. Take Me To Your Library - Monty Harper is a gifted songwriter from Oklahoma. More folks deserve to know about his great music! Good News Announcements: Children's Librarians Love BestChildrensMusic.com! We are really excited that children's librarians are noticing (and ordering from) BestChildrensMusic.com! Chosen by your "librarian without walls," Marylaine Block in her Neat New Stuff I Found This Week column said, "I don't usually recommend commercial sites, but this one seems to be doing a good job at its goal of "providing well researched, parent approved, teacher endorsed and kid-tested music recommendations . . . recommending children's music recordings which are not only appropriate and meaningful, but outstanding in the field." Thanks Marylaine, we appreciate your support. Fred Koch helps Chicago Parent Bring Home The Gold Chicago Parent, Chicago's favorite source for parenting news, was a BIG winner when the Parenting Publications of America handed out its annual awards last month (March 2003). Chicago Parent brought home 11 gold awards, including one for Fred's Music Reviews. Here's what they had to say: "The terrific writing is packed with detail that brings the music to life. Readers must have been tempted to buy the items reviewed. The writer's background and knowledge combine to produce top-notch reviews." Thank you! BestChildrensMusic.com Receives Adding Wisdom Award ParentToParent.com recently recognized BestChildrensMusic.com with their Adding Wisdom Award for creativity and educational excellence. In addition, their panel of judges also voted BestChildrensMusic.com to be listed in their prestigious Winner's Circle at ParentToParent.com. New Resources NEW Resources / Links to Other Great Sites: Donors
Choose NEW Resources / Fred Koch Reviews NEW Resources / Lil' Cow Bookstall
The House That Jack Built Simms Taback is one of my favorite authors and illustrators. The main reason is that many of his songs are based on songs. The House That Jack Built oozes with musical opportunities. NEW Resources / Artist Spotlight: Ralph
Covert Specials / FREE Music: "Make Way For Ducklings"
by Robb Scott Music Giveaway Winner: Lisa Arata from Greeley, Colorado is the latest winner in our Music Giveaway. Lisa received her copy of Joe McDermott's CD, "Great Big World." If you have not registered for our Music Giveaway, please do so - our next winner will receive a copy of Trout Fishing In America's Grammy nominated release, "inFINity." We are off to another good year here at BestChildrensMusic.com. And we want to thank you once again for all your support! All the best, Fred Koch P.S. Oh, I almost forgot -- be sure to take a look at the new Matthew Koch pictures on the main page in the Our Picks section. |
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What's
New #9 - How
Do I Know What Music Is Best For My Child? To help us make decisions about what children's music to share with our kids, we need to observe how they react and play with music. Do your young children prefer to dance around to music, or is singing their favorite activity? Is there a particular artist that they enjoy? Do they respond to the rhythmic elements of reggae, rock or samba? Do they feel the serenity of classical music? By examining a child's interactions with music, we discover how innately "musical" they really are. It is a joy to see young children participate naturally and joyfully as they dance to an inspiring rhythm or to hear them sing (sometimes out of the blue) bits and pieces of songs that they heard in the past. The important thing for parents and teachers is to trust a child's musical tendencies and to encourage his or her reactions to the music. Simple acknowledgements like "Oh, I like how you move to that tune," or "I love to hear you sing," will let children know that you value their involvement, and comments such as "Isn't that music relaxing?" will help them understand your feelings about the music. For older children (seven and up), finding appropriate and engaging music can be a real challenge for many reasons, but mostly because of the inescapable lure of popular culture. But you need not be discouraged, I am happy to say that there is some great music for this age group - music that will get them to laugh, think and thoroughly enjoy the music geared specifically for them. And a nonchalant approach often works best when introducing these CDs to your older children. Simply have the recording playing one day when your child comes home or hand them a CD say "When you get a chance, see if you like this." (Here is a plug for your local library. Just as you do with books, visit the music section of your public library and check out CDs for preview. More and more libraries feature children's music and this is a great way to do some pre-purchase listening.) As is the case with all children, do not be a bit surprised if music that you think will be received with great excitement does not excite your children at all. Children are independent thinkers and formulate their own ideas about what music moves them. With all this in mind, we need to realize that it is important for us to offer a balanced and varied diet of music for our children. Remember, our ultimate goal is to foster an appreciation for music's many styles. To help in that pursuit, here are our latest recommendations of New Arrivals: Beethoven's Wig: Sing Along Symphonies - classical music favorites brought to life with humorous lyrics. Instrumental versions of each piece included, too. No! - family music debut by the eclectic rockers, They Might Be Giants. Very, very imaginative and child-centered! An "Enhanced CD." Fun and Games - preschool teachers love the songs and movement activities of Greg & Steve. Here is their latest! Pied Piper - 60's folk/pop icon Donovan sounds right at home with his fanciful children's music debut. Good News Announcements: The Chicago Sun-Times recently ran a comprehensive two-page article exclaiming "Chicago music scene rich with children's fare." Check out the article: http://www.suntimes.com/output/music/wkp-news-kid12.html And Chicago Tribune columnist Eric Zorn went as far as to say that local children's artists have "made Chicago to children's music what Nashville is to country and Seattle is to alternative." Sure, I am a little biased, but I have to agree. Chicago is full of great kids' music artists! Read the entire article: http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/columnists/chi-0206250100jun25.column Did you see the Greg & Steve article, Good Vibrations, in the August 26 issue of Time magazine? If not, here it is: http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,1101020826-338622,00.html Some of you have been inquiring into the status of Family Music Productions, the children's music production company Steve Rashid and I have formed. I'm happy to tell you that we have a couple of recordings we are currently working on, with other projects already in pre-production. More on this exciting venture later. And, we want to thank Teaching K-8 Magazine for recognizing BestChildrensMusic.com as a "Hot Web Site" in their March 2002 issue. We appreciate the support. Resources / Great Article #2: "Believe It Or Not: A child who can speak is a child who can sing!" This easy to understand article written by Paul Cuneo helps clear up the misconception around the often misused and mislabeled condition of "tone-deafness." A must for parents and teachers! Specials / FREE Music: "Make Way For Ducklings" by Robb Scott To be honest, we are puzzled as to why more customers have not responded to our FREE "Make Way For Ducklings" offer. We think it is an exceptional recording and would like you to have this delightfully narrated and beautifully orchestrated recording of the classic Robert McCloskey story. It is FREE to our customers! Go to our Specials for information on the code. New Reviews / Resources: Fred Koch Reviews We continue to update our Chicago Parent magazine music review articles. Every review I have written since my first (9/97) is archived here. Please remember that one of the benefits of good children's music is that it does not lose appeal, or effectiveness over time. So don't be hesitant to look for a title that is a few years old. Music Giveaway Winner: Libby Chelborg of Largo, Florida is the latest winner in our Music Giveaway. Libby will receive a copy of Bill Harley's CD, "Down In The Backpack." If you have not registered for our Music Giveaway, please do so - our next winner will receive a copy of Trout Fishing In America's Grammy nominated release, "inFINity." This has been a good year for BestChildrensMusic.com. Our sales continue to grow and we are encouraged by your support. We remain committed to bringing you the very best in children's music. Thank you, Fred Koch |
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What's
New #8 - Are
We Raising Musical Kids? For many concerned parents and teachers, this is an important question. The purpose of BestChildrensMusic.com is to help you find great music for your children, but as you know, much more goes into enhancing the development of your child's musical nature than just surrounding them with the best music. I have found a wonderful new book that I would like to recommend! Raising
Musical Kids - A Guide For Parents by Robert A. Cutietta is chock-full
of answers to the questions we, as music teachers, get all the time. What
is a good age to start music lessons? What instrument is good instrument
to start with? I am reading his book from the perspective of a parent. Our five-year-old has started piano lessons, so I am particularly interested in the section How To Get Your Child To Practice. And I have learned a lot! Dr. Cutietta examines the reward systems people use, explains why most don't work and points out how you can devise a reward system that is meaningful. Other helpful topics include creating a musical home environment, what to expect from music in the public schools and what studying music does for your child. There are other books written on this subject, but Cutietta's Raising Musical Kids is steeped in real experience and is easy to digest, especially for people who feel less than adequate in their musical abilities. Dr. Cutietta has combined his knowledge as a music educator, researcher, performer and parent to give us a practical toolbox for helping raise musical kids. When you arrive at BestChildrensMusic.com, you won't be able to miss our big, New Releases link. Look there for our latest recommendations. "Ants In My Pants" is the most recent recording from the ever-edgy Gunnar Madsen. We thought his first CD, "Old Mr. Mackle Hackle" was great and tough to top. But Gunnar is so creative and musically adept that he will never run out of ideas, only time to realize them. "Irrational Anthem" is the new release from master early childhood educator, Jim Gill. Young children (and adults) love to play along with Jim's easy to follow and age appropriate Music Play activities. His "Do-Re-Mi On His Toe-Leg-Knee" continues to be on our Best Sellers list. "Down In The Backpack" reminds us that Bill Harley is one of the most respected artists working today! His songs touch on themes that we know are important for children, his sharp wit is perfectly timed and children can't stop singing his memorable songs. "Country Goes Raffi" might just become one of your favorite Raffi recordings. You will enjoy these reinvented versions of many of Raffi's classic songs sung by a nice mix of upcoming and marquee veteran performers. "Great Big Fun" features 12 previously released Tom Chapin tracks along with 4 new songs. Children connect with Chapin's child-like charm and we, the adults, appreciate his wholesome content. NEW Specials / FREE MUSIC: Make Way For Ducklings We are excited to offer our customers a FREE copy of Robb Scott's "Make Way For Ducklings." If you are a fan of the Robert McCloskey book, you will want this recording. Scott narrates this timeless story, word-for-word, to a grand and supportive musical score. We are offering it FREE to any customer who simply requests a copy. The newest addition to our RESOURCES page is Great Articles. Our first contributor is Tracy Silverman, producer of the exquisite "On A Starry Night." Read his thoughts about the importance of surrounding children with great music and gain insights into the making of his multi-cultural lullaby recording. NEW Reviews / Resources: Fred Koch Reviews We continue to update our Chicago Parent magazine music review archives. As you know, children's music doesn't necessarily lose its appeal or appropriateness over time. So spend some time browsing through this section. I know you'll find some music just right for you and your kids. Our winner in this month's Music Giveaway is Jonnie Davidson of Park Ridge, Illinois. Jonnie has been notified and will receive Ralph Covert's CD, "Ralph's World." If you have not registered for our Music Giveaway, please do so -- our next winner will receive a copy of Bill Harley's new release, "Down In The Backpack." More Good News BestChildrensMusic.com is proud to be a new member of FamilyFriendlySites.com, a web directory designed to promote web sites that are safe for children and that "support their physical, mental, and emotional development in a healthy way." For all you Greg & Steve fans: We also hope to have Greg & Steve's brand new "Fun and Games" CD available soon. Not because they recorded a song I co-wrote ("Rock With Me"), but because we think it is their best recording to come out in a long time! And finally We want to sincerely thank our customers for their support. Thanks to
them, our sales are increasing by leaps and bounds. This validates our
belief that people rely on the help we provide in locating the very best
in children's music. Fred Koch |
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What's
New #7 - 2001
Children's Music Web Awards Announced and New Titles, too! Why is the Children's Music Web awards program gaining more recognition year after year? Is it the quality of the winners? Sure. Is it the fact that recordings are judged using a composite score instead of competing against each other? Of course, that's why some categories have multiple winners. Do the kids who judge really make a difference? YES! "Guided by adults, decided by children" is the motto and (I hope this doesn't shock too many of you, but) children often have different tastes than adults. So, if you're looking to find children's music that you and your children
will like, check out the list of winners in 14 different categories, along
with the Judge's Special Awards, at Children's
Music Web. And yes, some of OUR PICKS are in the list of this year's winners! So, let's have a big round of applause for: 2001 Children's Music Web Award 2001 Children's Music Web Award 2001 Children's Music Web Award 2001 Children's Music Web Award 2001 Children's Music Web Award We congratulate each and every Children's Music Web Award winner and commend them on their commitment to producing quality children's music. New Music Titles/Our Picks: Holiday/Jazz We are excited about the re-release of "Tis The Season: Holiday Songs for the Child in All of Us," the 1995 Parents' Choice Award winning project I produced for Melody House Records. With the help of multi-talented artist Kevin Kammeraad, we redesigned the artwork. We also re-recorded "Oh, Christmas Tree" to feature some great sounding kids. Moira McCormick calls Tis The Season "an engagingly creative approach to holiday music." We think so, too! Read our "News Release." New Music Titles/Our Picks: Early Childhood "Ralph's World" is the debut CD of teacher and rock-n-roller, Ralph Covert. These songs grew out of Ralph's experience teaching pre-school music classes at The Old School of Folk Music in Chicago. Topics cover age appropriate topics such as animals, counting and letters -- all wrapped up inside some very singable and well-produced songs. "Reading Rainbow's Greatest Hits" is the work of Steve Horelick and Janet Weir, producers of the music segments for the award-winning PBS television series. It is exactly what the title suggests: some of the most popular and well-written songs from the show, including their classic theme song. New Music Titles/Our Picks: Older Kids "InFINity" is the latest release from the popular duo, Trout Fishing In America. We have been big fans of Trout Music for a long time and are excited to be able to offer this release here at BestChildrensMusic.com. Whether you've been a fan for years, or finding about them for the first time, you will enjoy their childlike perspective -- they definitely "take their fun seriously." If you have stopped by our Best Sellers list lately, you might have noticed a change. In addition to posting the overall Best Sellers at BestChildrensMusic.com, we are also now listing the Best Sellers from the previous month. (Thank you Susan from Takoma for that suggestion!) New Reviews/Resources: Fred Koch Reviews Once again we have updated our Chicago Parent magazine music review archives. As you know, children's music doesn't necessarily lose its appeal or appropriateness over time. So spend some time browsing through this section. I know you'll find some music just right for you and your kids. Our winner in this month's Music Giveaway is Terry Anderson from Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan. Terry has been notified and will receive Joe McDermott's award-winning CD, "Great Big World." If you have not registered for our Music Giveaway, please do so -- our next winner will receive a copy of Ralph Covert's, "Ralph's World." More Good News My next review article for Parents magazine will be featured in the December 2001 issue and will spotlight a few of my picks for the BEST OF 2001. Thanks, once again, to Parents (especially Heather Gowen) for looking to BestChildrensMusic.com for their children's music reviews. If you haven't visited the new music site for children, PlayhouseRadio.com, yet, be sure to do so!! They provide a safe and fun place for kids to listen to some great music and burn their own CD. And the site is featuring some of my songs from "Did You Feed My Cow?" and "Children's Record" -- you'll also find their banner on our home page. In Conclusion We remain steadfast in our goal to promote the very best in children's
music and we sincerely appreciate your support. Please let us know how
we are doing and how we can serve you better. Fred Koch |
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What's
New #6 - A Problem
In Need Of A Solution The Problem I knew the market was growing, but not until I starting writing reviews and set up this website, did I realize how many folks out there are producing music for children. It is truly amazing! As a parent and a teacher myself, this makes the decision of what to buy much more difficult. So although I literally have to wade through stacks of CDs to find music that I can recommend, the good news is that there are outstanding recordings being produced -- they are just hard to find. The main obstacle these fine artists are facing is that because most of them are marketed by smaller, independent record labels, it is extremely difficult to get support from the retailers. But you can't blame the retailers; they have limited shelf space and need to stock it with products that almost sell themselves. Most independent record companies do not have the budget to wage large-scale media campaigns to make us aware of their recordings. Add that to the fact that children's music has very little presence on the radio and you have a problem. The Solution We have made it our goal to search these recordings out, provide a place where they can have worldwide exposure, and make them easily accessible to you here at BestChildrensMusic.com. Be sure to check out our new music and book titles! New Music Titles/Our Picks: Infants & Toddlers "On A Starry Night" is a collection of extraordinary lullabies from around the world. Tracy Silverman, former violinist with Turtle Island String Quartet, produced the project. This CD has been a favorite around our house for a long time. When I first conceptualized BestChildrensMusic.com, this was at the top of the list of CDs to recommend. So what took so long? Well, because it is on a major record label, securing permission was hard to do, but with Tracy's help, it became possible. This is one of those hard to find gems that deserves a wider audience! New Music Titles/Our Picks: Early Childhood "Great Big World" by Joe McDermott is a fun-filled romp through Joe's newest collection of original songs. Joe's strength is his songwriting -- these are singable, memorable songs with adult-friendly music arrangements. This is one of those children's music recordings that you will actually enjoy listening to (over and over) with your children! "One Size Fits All" is the work of Danny Adlerman and friends. This ten-song collection features the musical adaptations of five picture books written by Danny and his wife Kim -- also known as author Kin Eagle. Children enjoy following the text of these storybooks as they listen to the recording. Older kids will have fun adding their own adaptations to "How Much Wood Could A Woodchuck Chuck." New Music Titles/Our Picks: Older Kids "Bloom" features the imaginative and sophisticated story-songs of Zak Morgan. Offering challenging word play, these songs are complete stories filled with entertaining, positive messages about the hard realities of growing up. Zak's gift is in the non-condescending manner in which he delivers his stories of childhood. New Book Titles/Resources: Lil' Cow Bookstall Three of our new titles are storybooks that Danny Adlerman brought to
musical life on his new CD "One Size Fits
All." "Africa Calling, Nighttime Falling " is the companion book to the song featured on "One Size Fits All." Danny wrote the text and his wife, Kim, illustrated the book using a beautiful and exotic mixed-media approach.
We have once again updated our Chicago Parent magazine music review archives.
As you know, children's music doesn't necessarily lose its appeal or appropriateness
over time. So spend some time browsing through this section. I know you'll
find some music just right for you and your kids. We have added a link to Chicago Parent magazine because all parents, no matter where you live, are now able to access articles from this award-winning independent parent publication. I've also been told that the calendar of events is helpful for out-of-towners planning a vacation in this very kid-friendly city. Music Giveaway - WINNERS They are: 1. Sharon P. of Victorville, CA 2. John S. of Southbury, CT 3. Carrie B. of Marriottsville, MD If you have not registered for our Music Giveaway,
please do so -- our next winner will receive a copy of Joe McDermott's,
"Great Big World." My next reviews article for Parents magazine will be featured in the December 2001 issue and focus on the BEST OF 2001. Thanks once again to Parents (especially Heather Gowen) for looking to BestChildrensMusic.com for their children's music reviews. And be sure to visit the new and very exciting music site for children, PlayhouseRadio.com. Not only are they providing a safe and fun place for kids to listen to some great music (and burn their own CD), but they are also featuring five of my songs from "Did You Feed My Cow?" -- you'll find their clickable banner on our home page. We remain steadfast in our goal to promote the very best in children's
music and we sincerely appreciate your support. Please let us know how
we are doing and how we can serve you better. Fred Koch |
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What's
New #5 - Thanks,
Amazon.com Well, I have just returned from visiting the children's music section at Amazon.com, and again, I come away excited and just a little deflated. I am deflated only because I am envious at how fast they get the newest (but only some of the best) children's music titles ready for customers. But I remain steadfastly excited because our visitors keep telling us that they count on our help in their search for what's best in children's music. After all, no one really has the time or money to waste . . . and that's why we are here! Good News at BestChildrensMusic.comNewsweek's special edition of E-LIFE (winter 2001) spotlighted BestChildrensMusic.com in their "191 Best Web Sites" article. We were one of only eight music websites listed in the Music section. Thanks, Newsweek! The National Education Association awarded us with their NEA EdLinks Award because our site is "well constructed, education related and of significant value to students, parents and teachers." Nice to be noticed . . . Speaking of being noticed, we just found out that my Chicago Parent column received a Silver Award at the Parenting Publications of America / 2000 Editorial Awards conference. The judges said, "Koch provides a thoughtful, in-depth review of children's music based not only on his listening, but also that of his child's. He gets into the background of musicians and helps parents make reasoned music-buying decisions. Koch's ability to be critical when necessary, even in the face of widespread popular sales, helps to establish him as an authority on his subject. His background as a musician also helps." We are extremely excited to announce that BestChildrensMusic.com has joined on as a Partner Site at the children's music web, a site dedicated to promoting children's music and children's music artists. The revamped site will be unveiled March 15th. Be sure to stop by and visit! My next article for Parents magazine appears in their May 2001 issue. I chose four of my favorite lullaby and quiet time recordings for this mini-review. Thanks again to Parents (especially Heather Gowen) for looking to BestChildrensMusic.com for their children's music review needs. We are also happy to announce that, due to the fine work of our webmaster
Sal Alvarez, BestChildrensMusic.com has received the Golden Web Award
for web site design from the International Association of Web Masters
and Designers. Way to go, Sal! "Say Hello To The Morning" by Kathy
Reid-Naiman will supply hours of delightful music play for young children.
Kathy's vast repertoire makes this a valuable resource for any preschool
teacher or parent. The musical production work of Ken Whiteley (Raffi's
first producer) is stellar. Age focus: 2-5 years. "Bling Blang" first existed as a song -- another Woody Guthrie classic. Illustrated by Vladimir Radunsky, the song works great as a storybook.
We continue to update our Fred Koch |
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What's
New #4 - We're
Growing: More Categories, New Music Picks and Great Specials Specials |
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What's
New #3 - BestChildrensMusic.com is mooooooving along We are so glad to hear from you and we're especially happy that you are enjoying the music. Here's what's new at BestChildrensMusic.com: In The News Your Kind
Words Music Giveaway
- WINNER Our goal is to be a helpful, time-saving resource
for parents and teachers searching for the very best in children's music.
How are we doing? Your comments and suggestions are always welcomed. |
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What's
New #2 - New Titles, Updated Reviews and other Good News Site
Map Music Giveaway
- WINNER |
| What's New
#1 - Fred Koch's Thoughts on “BestChildrensMusic.com”
BestChildrensMusic.com has grown out of my personal interest in finding the best music recordings for kids. As a performing artist/producer, music teacher, music reviewer, and father, I've spent most of my adult life surrounded by children's music. In the process I've discovered how hard it is to learn about great new children's music and to find recordings that are age appropriate and high quality at the same time. The children's music industry is exploding with new product every day. With so much merchandise available, it's not easy for parents and teachers to determine which CDs and tapes are a good purchase. What should we use as guidelines? How can you guarantee that the music you select will be appropriate for your children? In addition, much of today's best children's music is being produced by small independent record companies who, unlike the major record labels, often lack adequate marketing budgets to effectively promote their projects. Consequently, some great music for kids is simply not being heard. By providing a continually updated library of children's music--parents, teachers (and anyone else in search of high quality children's music) will have their hands on a very select catalogue of children's recordings. We will applaud only what we feel to be the exemplary titles produced by the best-known artists and major record labels--and spotlight the most outstanding projects coming from independent artists and labels. Thanks and enjoy the music! For more thoughts from Fred, please read our News Release |
