Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist

Editorial Reviews
Amazon.com
Hap Palmer may be best known for his vocal contributions to the hugely popular Baby Songs video series, but parents of 2- to 5-year-olds, particularly those with a sturdier than average educational bent, will find a lot to love on Early Childhood Classics: Old Favorites with a New Twist. This release rids itself of tiresome attempts to turn performances of simple songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" into minor personal masterpieces and instead injects its de rigueur dose of creativity directly into familiar lyrics. For instance, while there's the usual cow and pig on Old MacDonald's farm, we're also introduced to Henrietta's House, where there's a cat, Zebediah's zoo with its tiger, and the puppy in Pamelina's pet shop. Similarly, instead of the usual "Pat-a-Cake" cliffhanger, where the cake's put in the oven and that's all she wrote, we get to hear the ding-ding-ding when it's done and layer on the frosting. The sequence of songs is repeated instrumentally after Palmer's interpretations to allow for sing-alongs and the dreaming up of more new lyrics--a useful device for caregivers who think like teachers (those who don't, though, can make use of clever movement and activity suggestions in the liner notes). Each song's wordplay and simple rhymes are catchy enough to fall into the can't-fail category when it comes to enhancing vocabulary, phonics, and vocabulary skills, and the surprise lyrics lend themselves nicely to attentive listening. Early Childhood Classics delivers old-fashioned fun in a satisfyingly unsplashy way. --Tammy La Gorce

From Parents' Choice®
"There's a spider on your toenail...A spider on your knee...." The "Itsy Bitsy Spider" covers a lot more territory than the garden spout in Hap Palmer's version of this childhood favorite. Palmer-musician, wordsmith, educator-is tops in using music and movement to teach skills and stimulate imagination. Here he adds dimension to familiar children's songs, enlivening them with playful new words and rhythms. "I'm a Little Teapot" features a surprisingly active piece of crockery that dances up a... read more

Album Description
Here is a joyful collection of all time favorite activity songs for young children. Hap Palmer's unique renditions preserve the charm and simplicity of traditional songs while adding new, original lyrics and melodies to extend and enrich the familiar classics.

The simplicity and repetition of these songs guarantee active participation by encouraging children to sing and move with the music. While having fun and participating actively, children develop motor and musical skills and learn about animals, counting, identification of body parts, and phonics. As children sing along, responding to the imagery and humor of the lyrics, reading readiness is also enhanced. Alliteration and rhyme develop a child's ear for the sounds of language - an important pre-reading skill.

These songs are developmentally appropriate for the very young child - infant to 5 years. However, the familiar melodies and contemporary arrangements also elicit surprisingly gusty participation from first and second grade students. A variety of musical styles adds new life to well known songs with swing, blue grass, country, classical, rock, pop, and blues arrangements.

Fifteen songs are presented with vocal interpretation. The sequence is then repeated instrumentally providing opportunities for singing along and creating new lyrics using children's ideas. The instrumental selections also familiarize children with the sounds of a variety of musical instruments including piano, bass, drums, guitar, violin, viola, cello, trumpet, trombone, tuba, French horn, saxophone, flute, English horn, accordion, and a variety of percussion instruments such as conga drums, bougaraboo drum, ouiro, shaker, wood block and tambourine.

The instrumental versions of each song can be used in the following ways:

1. After children have learned words with the vocal version, they can sing along hearing only the music.

2. Children can create their own lyrics and sing the song using their ideas.

3. The music can accompany sessions in movement exploration and creative movement.

Suggestions for activities and variations are not limited to those presented in this guide book. There are endless possibilities awaiting your creative impulse.

Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist

Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist, Music, Hap Palmer, Here is a joyful collection of all time favorite activity songs for young children. In these unique renditions, the charm and simplicity of traditional songs is preserved, while adding new, original lyrics and melodies to extend and enrich.

Average customer rating:

Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist

One of the best young children's CDs!

Great Kid Tunes

Great music, great twist

A favorite at library storytime

Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist
Hap Palmer
Manufacturer: Hap-Pal Music/Newsound
ProductGroup: Music
Binding: Audio CD

General | Children's Music | Styles | Music
Educational | Children's Music | Styles | Music
General | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
Children's Educational | Children's Music | Indie Music | Stores | Music
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ASIN: B00004RDLD
Release Date: 2000-02-01

Tracks:

Itsy Bitsy Spider
Pat-A-Cake
I'm a Little Teapot
Old Mac Donald
Touch Your Toes To Your Nose
Circle Songs: The Mulberry Bush, Ring Around the Rosy, Hokey Pokey
Open Shut Them
One, Two, Buckle My Shoe
Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes
Bingo
The Elephant
I'm Glad I'm Me
Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
The Wheels on the Bus
Good-bye Song

Amazon.com

Hap Palmer may be best known for his vocal contributions to the hugely popular Baby Songs video series, but parents of 2- to 5-year-olds, particularly those with a sturdier than average educational bent, will find a lot to love on Early Childhood Classics: Old Favorites with a New Twist. This release rids itself of tiresome attempts to turn performances of simple songs like "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" into minor personal masterpieces and instead injects its de rigueur dose of creativity directly into familiar lyrics. For instance, while there's the usual cow and pig on Old MacDonald's farm, we're also introduced to Henrietta's House, where there's a cat, Zebediah's zoo with its tiger, and the puppy in Pamelina's pet shop. Similarly, instead of the usual "Pat-a-Cake" cliffhanger, where the cake's put in the oven and that's all she wrote, we get to hear the ding-ding-ding when it's done and layer on the frosting. The sequence of songs is repeated instrumentally after Palmer's interpretations to allow for sing-alongs and the dreaming up of more new lyrics--a useful device for caregivers who think like teachers (those who don't, though, can make use of clever movement and activity suggestions in the liner notes). Each song's wordplay and simple rhymes are catchy enough to fall into the can't-fail category when it comes to enhancing vocabulary, phonics, and vocabulary skills, and the surprise lyrics lend themselves nicely to attentive listening. Early Childhood Classics delivers old-fashioned fun in a satisfyingly unsplashy way. --Tammy La Gorce

Album Description

Here is a joyful collection of all time favorite activity songs for young children. Hap Palmer's unique renditions preserve the charm and simplicity of traditional songs while adding new, original lyrics and melodies to extend and enrich the familiar classics.

The instrumental versions of each song can be used in the following ways:

1. After children have learned words with the vocal version, they can sing along hearing only the music.

2. Children can create their own lyrics and sing the song using their ideas.

3. The music can accompany sessions in movement exploration and creative movement.

Suggestions for activities and variations are not limited to those presented in this guide book. There are endless possibilities awaiting your creative impulse.

Customer Reviews:

Early Childhood Classics - Old Favorites With A New Twist.......2007-05-26

We listen to this CD almost evry day while driving around in the car. My daughter loves singing the songs!!! They are all good. Well worth the money!!

One of the best young children's CDs!.......2006-02-24

My almost 4 year old is a huge Hap Palmer fan, and it's catching on to me. Just listen to one of his CDs, and you'll understand. This one in particular is great. I love how he makes beloved children songs even better. I never thought I'd be just as happy to hear a children's CD as one of my own, but this is so catchy, and it is priceless hearing my young daughter singing along to the words! It's great for her memory skills, remembering and singing to all the songs, and it's great for her learning rhyme and rhythm. The lyrics he adds are sooo fun and cathy and sweet. I love this guy!

Great Kid Tunes.......2006-02-18

I bought this for my daughter, who is two, and my older kids love it as much as she does. Easy to remember lyrics and catchy tunes make this a great cd to listen to.

Great music, great twist.......2005-10-28

If standard kid's tunes play in your house or car all day long, you will love this refreshing cd and your kid's won't miss a beat. I don't understand the 2 star review. If you don't like something, that's fine. But the reviewer's logic is very skewed in that they said it didn't meet their expectations, even though 1) The cd was a gift, and 2) The title of the cd tells you that it's not an album of "to-the-letter" standards. So if you don't like the music or your child doesn't like it, fine. But don't rate it down because you had ridiculous expectations from something you didn't even want or buy. If you are open-minded and enjoy good, fun, music you will love this. There is varied musical accompaniment and Hap sings great and truly seems to feel the music (unlike most performers of children's standards). Of course, the ultimate critic is the child. My daughter LOVES this cd (she's 21 months old now and has been listening to it since 12 months). Again, if you want standard kid songs, you may be disappointed with this because the music and words are different (usually, each song starts in a traditional manner but then non-standard lyrics and music follow). But if you want a twist without leaving the traditional songs altogether, buy this. I don't think you will be disappointed.

A favorite at library storytime.......2005-10-19

I'm a children's librarian in Illinois and this cd has become one I use at almost every storytime. I especially love "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star" because it contains a verse inserted by Hap Palmer which allows me to introduce Shakespeare to the tiniest child. He uses a line from "A Midsummer Night's Dream" -- "silver bow new bent in heaven" to describe the moon. I have entire families singing along, learning a famous quotation painlessly! And it's a beautiful, calming song to use at the end of a storytime. Parents and kids love it!

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