Sprout Recordings was nice enough to send my son the award-winning children's music CD American Heroes #3. I was looking forward to listening to this CD because the songs tell the stories of various figures from different eras throughout U.S. history. The topics include anything from the first female doctor to the Declaration of Independence to the strife of underpaid minority workers.
My thoughts as a parent about the CD American Heroes #3:
1) I liked the variety in the styles of music represented. I detected some folk, jazz, gospel, and a tiny bit of rock 'n' roll. There was even one instrumental piece included.
2) I think this would be a great CD for teachers to play for their students who are learning about a specific era.
3) To me, the educational benefits of this CD would be most appreciated by older children in grade school . . . perhaps grade 4 and up? My son is only 5 and has not been introduced to most of the topics sung about on this CD.
4) Even though a child might not understand the tale behind each song, the music can stand alone and would be enjoyable to listen to in the car or during playtime.
What my 5yr old son thought about this music CD:
1) His favorite song is definitely "Chocolate King." It has a little touch of rock 'n' roll and made him want to dance. I think he would have loved it if all the songs on the CD had the same style as this one.
2) From what I observed, my son seemed to be slightly indifferent about the rest of the songs. He did not mind them at all, but he did not get as excited about them as the first song.
3) The fact that each song told a story made my son curious. Even though he is a little young to follow the lyrics in the songs, he did ask me what the title was for each song as he listened to them.
Overall, I think this CD would be a good addition to any child's collection. I like it because it sounds like mainstream music, but is still geared towards children. If you would like to listen to some sample tracks, you can do so at JonSprout.com . This CD is currently available for purchase at KidzMusic.com and CDBaby.com .
What you can win:
One person will win their own copy of the American Heroes #3 CD.
Limitations:
This giveaway is open to U.S. & Canadian addresses only. You do not need to be a blogger to enter, but you must have a valid email address. If you enter anonymously and do not include a valid email address in your comment entries, I will not be able to notify you should you win this random drawing.
How to Gain Entries:
Take a look at the 12 tracks available on this CD and listen to a few by clicking on the links. Then come back here tell me which title out of the 12 songs you like the best. You must do this to be eligible to win this contest.
Extra Entries:
1) Leave a separate comment telling me the name of your child's favorite song.
2) Add this blog to your Technorati Favorites. Then leave a separate comment telling me you did so and under what username. Add to Technorati Favorites
3) Blog about this giveaway linking back to this post AND to JonSprout.com. Then come back here and leave a separate comment with the link to your blog post.
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(All entries will be verified prior to awarding this prize.)
Random Drawing:
This contest will be closed on Thursday, April 23rd, 2009 at 11:59pm EST. A random number drawing will be held shortly after. The winner will be announced here and will be contact via email or through their blog. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours, a new number will be drawn.
Good luck in the drawing!