CD recommendations for preschooler

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My church is pretty good as churches around here go for orthodoxy. But the music is very formal and, well, I don’t think very accessable to little learners. I was raised on the Glory and Praise stuff and I’m pretty sure I knew a few verses already by the time I was my daughter’s age (she’s 3.5 years). Maybe I’m remembering wrong. But she is learning other songs–songs for kids and musicals. If she can learn Yankee Doodle, she should be able to handle a simple hymn.

Trouble is I don’t have any CDs that I think would be appealing to her. I don’t need it to be “kiddie” stuff. Her current fav car CD is Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella with Julie Andrews. But it should be enjoyable stuff we can sing along with. Any suggestions?

–CT
 
Check out “Wee Sing Bible Songs”. This was the tapes I listened to when my girls were little (they are 26 and 20 now). Check out this web-site weesing.com/homepage.htm

Brenda V.
 
Whatever you get, listen to it by yourself twice through first. You don’t want her to fall in love with something that drives you bonkers. If you’re going to listen to it 4,000 times, you should like it, too.
 
There is a “Christian” series of music for kids that are inexpensive, catchy tunes, and well-done. The company is “Cedarmont Kids” and the CDs cost about $5 from a Christian bookstore or from Amazon. These are NOT Catholic, but Protestant. But they are the classic Christian kids songs–Onward Christian Soldiers, Amazing Grace, Jesus Loves ME, What a Friend We Have in Jesus. I bought them and used them with my kids. Some of the songs are sung at Catholic Mass. Although I am fiercely, strongly Catholic, I don’t think it was harmful for my kids to hear Christian music of the Protestant persuasion.
 
Brenda_V said:
Check out “Wee Sing Bible Songs”. This was the tapes I listened to when my girls were little (they are 26 and 20 now). Check out this web-site weesing.com/homepage.htm

Brenda V.
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I second this recommendation. I loved this when I was a kid and am so excited they are available again for my son. He’s getting Bible Songs for Christmas, but we already have Silly Songs, Wee Sing and Play, Children’s Songs and Fingerplays, and Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies. I don’t find them annoying, maybe because I never stopped liking them from listening as a kid, but run through it yourself (as someone else mentioned) just to be sure!
 
I was going to say Wee Sing as well. There’s always Veggie Tales, but that is Protestant.

You might like this one. You can listen to most of each song by clicking the button on the left.

The above CD plus others can be seen here (but there aren’t as many music clips).
 
Woodstock said:
I was going to say Wee Sing as well. There’s always Veggie Tales, but that is Protestant.
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Actually, they are all Protestant–Wee Sing, Veggie Tales, and Cedarmont Kids. There are some Catholic children tapes out there, but don’t seem to be as memorable as the Protestant versions!
 
ReginaNova said:
Actually, they are all Protestant–
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The last two links I listed above are all Catholic. The first one includes songs about holy water, the guardian angel prayer, a good morning to Jesus and Mary, etc.
 
Veggie Tales has been a God-send for us. Although Protestant in origination, there is nothing we have seen or heard so far that is anti-Catholic or in conflict with Church teachings.

They’re goofy and Aeddon loves to sing along with the CD’s. We talk about the songs and what they mean, as well as discuss the moral of the stories on the DVDs. Even Aeddon’s dad -who isn’t Christian - gets these CDs and DVDs for him!

The one song I wish wasn’t on our most recent acquisition is “His Banner Over Me is Love.” I had just about wiped that song out of my memory, and now the ear-worm is back and eating at my poor brain day and night! 😉
 
Thanks for all of the ideas. I will have to build my duaghter’s music library. I also remembered that I have a bunch of tape recordings of my dad’s folk group practicing. He passed away over 20 years ago, and we’ve been lugging these tapes around without having the heart to listen to them. But I think I could pick out a few songs and burn them to a CD. That would also give her a connection to her grandpa.
 
I guess I’m in the minority here, but I can’t stand Wee Sing or Cedarmont Kids. To me, they’re the definition of “annoying.” :o We prefer “children’s music” that’s sung mainly by adults, in a more mellow, folk-ish style (such as Raffi, or Peter, Paul & Mary), but I’ve never seen any Christian recordings that fit this description. At first, I thought this would be a problem, but then I realized that *any *simple version of classic hymns would be perfect for young children. There are some lovely CDs by the Daughters of St. Paul, for instance.

Also, Gregorian chant might be precisely what you’re thinking of as “too formal,” but IMO, it’s wonderful for young children, as it’s so simple, yet so transcendently beautiful. I think it would be ideal for all families to have (at a bare minimum) a CD that includes the chants most commonly heard at Mass. I’ve heard that Lingua Angelica is excellent for this, though I haven’t listened to it myself.

Finally, if you don’t mind the “kiddie” musical arrangements, you’d probably enjoy this CD, which is **very **Catholic, and very educational:

Bread of Life, Bread of Heaven: A Story of the Holy Eucharist for Children

Hope you have fun with your musical adventures. And remember, Advent and Christmas are coming soon: there’ll be a lot more music to choose from then! 🙂
 
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