CD Review: Brother Francis Walking with Jesus

Several months back I was sent a copy of Brother Francis' Walking with Jesus music CD.  The CD is a collection of rosary prayers in song.  Many of the songs on the CD are familiar songs from the Brother Francis DVD series so they were an instant hit with my toddler and have seen a lot of play time as a result.

So what should you know about these songs? Well, for starters, they help to familiarize little ones with the rosary and the the prayers of the rosary.  I play many of these songs for the students in my religious education kindergarten class and last year when they put on an end of year show with another class the teacher of the other class came to me weeks later telling me how she had one of the songs stuck in her head and she needed to know the name of the CD.  Several of the songs are quite catchy like that.  When teaching little ones their prayers I like anything that helps to make it stick and these songs do just that.

All of the prayers we pray during the rosary are presented in song form on this CD.  Children are also introduced to the four sets of rosary mysteries through a series of songs.  It's a great way to introduce little ones to the rosary.

This CD is perfect for toddlers through second grade.  The songs are all beautifully done and will resonate with youngsters.

Since we're approaching the time of year where people start thinking about Christmas gifts and stocking stuffers, I think this CD would make an excellent faith filled gift idea.  It would fit perfectly in a stocking!

I was provided with a review copy of Walking with Jesus: The Rosary Prayers in Song by the publisher, Herald Kids in exchange for my honest review.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information on this CD and their other great Brother Francis products.

Brother Francis Let's Sing

By now I think it's pretty well established that we're fans of the Brother Francis series of DVDs.  The kids love them and I like them because of how well they teach young kids about their Catholic faith.  One of the things the kids like the best about the Brother Francis DVDs is the music.  Someone always winds up having a Brother Francis song stuck in their head after watching one of the episodes.

When we were first introduced to the Brother Francis series, the girls would frequently mention that it would be nice if the songs were on a CD so they could listen to them.  I was excited when I found out about the Brother Francis CD called Let's Sing.  Let's Sing has all of our favorite songs from the Brother Francis episodes 1-5.

If you're a fan of the Brother Francis series, you're sure to like this CD.  The music is catchy and fun for  young kids.  It's the perfect music for playing in a religious ed class for the preschool through second grade age range.  I played a few selections from this album for my kindergarten students this morning and they liked the new songs.  We listened to the Sign of the Cross and Our Father Songs and many of them started singing along when I played it a second time.  I also like how well some of the songs tie in with certain chapters from our text book.  Today I taught a lesson about how we are part of the Church and the catchy song "I've Got a Family" summed up the entire lesson in roughly two and a half minutes.  If the song sticks with them the way it does with my own children then what they learned today in class is sure to stick with them.

Brother Francis Let's Sing is a great collection of 14 songs.  Visit Brother Francis Online for more information on this CD or to order a copy.

I was provided with a review copy of this CD by the publisher, Herald Entertainment, in exchange for my honest review.

Not the Pied Piper

I do my best not to criticize Madeline when she practices her flute.  Her biggest problem is she rarely practices.  That old adage that "practice makes perfect" is quite true and you can't expect to play flawlessly or to progress if you only pick up the instrument when it's time for another lesson.

Bryan and I told her last year that she is to practice in her room with the door shut and not while the baby is sleeping.  She doesn't like this arrangement and is always trying to "put on a concert" for us on the rare occasions when she does practice.  I don't think she grasps that you need to practice and rehearse a great deal before you put on a concert.  Anyway, the rule about playing in her room with her door shut is one that my parents had when my brothers and I played in band and I'm certain that it's saturated in wisdom.  They listened to ten years of children learning to play the trumpet [God bless them!], trombone, and flute.  Of course, in our house even with the door shut you still heard every note, just muffled a bit.  In our house, it's possible to have a child playing an instrument in her room and only faintly hear it in the basement or family room.  But, Madeline insists on playing for us.  Bryan and I joke to each other that it's a lesson in patience.

Now if Oscar had a say in any of this flute playing business he'd veto the entire thing.  He's not a fan at all.  If she's playing well he's willing to tolerate it a bit but after a few minutes he starts to get agitated.  Now he could just walk away and go somewhere where the audio assault is not as loud, but he chooses to sit at her feet and give her his opinion.  He'll give little grumbles and whimpers as she hits notes that if they were cartons of milk they would be curdled messes.  But some notes are enough to set him off on a howling streak.  So in a way, Madeline has her own music critic.  If she's playing well, he'll sit as quietly as he can at her feet and make very low sounds of discontent.  Madeline gets angry with him, tells him to shush or go away, but he apparently feels duty bound to stand sentry next to the source of his audio enemy.  On more than a few occasions she has asked Bryan and I to make him stop, but you can't reason with a dog, and honestly, his complaints were not unfounded.  He was merely stating what the rest of us were thinking.

Tiber River Review: Noel

Since Advent began this past Sunday, my house has been a buzz with all sorts of seasonal sounds and activities.  Among those sounds is the beautiful music from The Priests.  Their new Christmas CD, Noel, is a collection of fifteen traditional Christmas carols.

Not having been familiar with The Priests and any of their previous music, I was totally blown away by how beautifully done this collection of music is.  I honestly was not expecting this CD to become my new favorite set of Christmas music when I popped in my laptop for a listen.  Since the first time I have played this album, I have listened to it countless times.  My only complaint about this album is I wish there was more.  The Priests are truly gifted vocalists and their voices are nothing short of captivating.

The fifteen songs on this album are: Ding Dong Merrily on High, The First Nowell, Sussex Carol, Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth, The Holly and the Ivy, Away in a Manger, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, In the Bleak Midwinter, In Dulci Jubilo, Joy to the World, Silent Night, O Come All Ye Faithful, What Child Is This?, Hark the Herald Angels Sing, and Little Drummer Boy/Peace on Earth featuring Shane MacGowan.  I'm very familiar with nearly all of these songs, and I think many of the songs on this album are the best renditions I have ever heard of them.  The songs on this album are sure to get you into the holiday spirit.

One thing that I particularly enjoyed about this album was the enclosed booklet with commentary The Priests offered for each song.  For most of the songs they tell you why the chose it and the offer some historical background of the song as well.  I'm not sure about everyone else, but I often find myself wondering why an artist chose to perform a specific song, so I was delighted to have that information readily available.  Best of all, I learned a few things about some of my favorite Christmas carols. For more information on this CD or to purchase, please visit Aquinas and More Catholic Goods.

I wrote this review of Noel for the Tiber River Blogger Review program created by Aquinas and More Catholic Goods, the largest Catholic store online.  I was provided with a complimentary copy of this CD in exchange for my honest review.