Benefits of SING CD
1. Open your Mouth
Purpose: to open the session in a friendly, social, and successful manner.
To help children create the “ah,” “oo,” and “ee.” vowels and articulate the “ooh-ee” sound.
2. Monkey Song
The children gain vocal and oral-motor experience as they sing “ah,” “ee,” and “ooh.” They remember and sequence sound patterns.
3. The Leeway Train
This song helps the kid's speech skills through making the appropriate sound effects.
4. The Puppet Song (version one)
Children connect an animal with the sound it produces.
Children vocalize the animal sounds.
Children hear and produce loud and soft sounds.
5. Tap it on your head - - acapella version
Helps to teach body part vocabulary and articulation/vocalization. The good thing about it being acappella is that the words are easy to hear and the feel of the music is gentler.
6. Variations on Miss Mary Mack
This silly song not only entices children to repeat each short phrase, but invites them to discuss the absurdities.
7. Sing an Echo song
This song is used to help children improve the ability to produce certain sounds, increase phrase length, and improve auditory attention and memory. All four skills are used by children as they put words together in increasingly complex sentences.
8. TDLN 50s Arctic Song
To improve the ability to “Do-wop” and articulate the “T”, “D”, “L,” and “N” sounds. These sounds all involve placing the tip of the tongue behind the top of the upper teeth.
9. Three Little Monkeys
To encourage use of sentences. Also good for sequencing of ideas and understanding of lyrics as demonstrated by pretend play.
10. the Wolf Cub
Children vocalize the “ooh” sound of the wolf.
Children act out the lyrics, and demonstrate an understanding of the concepts involved; open, shake, over, under, up, down, side, and families.
11. The Vehicle song
Vocalization and vocal play, imitation of common sounds, articulation.
12. The puppet Song II
To elicit vocalization of animal sounds. This is necessary for speech and involves articulation of specified sounds.
13. Tap it on your Head - - Full version
Helps to teach body part vocabulary and articulation/vocalization. This version works with kids who need the extra stimulation to elicit attention.
14. Sing an Echo song blank/fill-in verses
Have the kids sing the first sound of their name, or the letter/sound of the week, or about the sound a sheep makes, or blow a kiss. You can also vary the rhythm of the sounds such as “bah. Bah. Be-be bah.” Make little memory drills by singing such phrases as “be-bo-bay.”If you don't sing solo, then just speak these things over the music.
15. Goodbye Now
Children catch on to the rhythm and continuity of the lyrics quickly. It’s a natural way to teach the goodbye interaction, and it can include waving, shaking hands, holding hands, and blowing kisses (another good oral-motor skill.)
Congratulations! Your CD set is a PAL Award winner! I awarded the whole set because I thought they were outstanding in each area you addressed--receptive language, expressive language, auditory discrimination and processing and just having fun singing! You managed to produce a great product for ALL kids with a sensitivity to children with special needs. – Sherry Artemenko MA, SLP-CCC
Feel free to use your winner's review emphasizing the language learning value in your CD's:
The “Move! Sing! Play Along and Learn!” CD series is a treat for parent and child or teacher and class. Margie La Bella’s pleasant, soothing voice is easy to understand as she gently encourages kids to listen and learn through music. As a music therapist and special educator, she has written and produced lively entertaining songs for all kids introducing them to pop, jazz, folk, rap, swing, reggae and world music styles. The first CD in the series, “Move!” focuses on building receptive language skills as kids follow directions to “rub your tummy until the music stops,” follow the “Multi-Step Blues,” or learn concepts in the “Opposite Jam.” Move on to “Sing!” and enjoy vocal play and expressive language as kids learn to follow fun syllables that lead to a song about Mister Monkey or the Leeway Train with related actions to match the rhythm. The “Play!” CD builds auditory discrimination and processing as kids move to the sounds of rhythm instruments and their homemade band–imitating and learning soft/loud, slow/fast, matching movements to representative musical patterns and instruments. Raise your arms up and down to the slide whistle, or stamp your feet to the drum as sounds and directions are combined to build memory. Finally, “Mixing it Up!” combines the lessons learned and gets kids moving, singing and playing because now “I’ve Got the Music In Me.” “Body Rap” is one of my favorites as, “I saw my hands and they started to clap, I thought of my nose and my face started humming, my whole body started to move and my shoulders got in the groove” as movements are added while matched to a body part and rhythmic phrase. So gather the kids around to move to the music and maybe in the middle of all the fun, we’ll produce some good little listeners.
Available at
musictherapytunes.com
By Jim Cox
Midwest Book Review
Music therapist and special educator Margaret La Bella presents Move! Sing! Play Along and Learn!, a set of five music CDs for children of all ages, meant to do more than just entertain. Drawing upon pop, jazz, folk, rap, swing, reggae and more styles from around the world, this series encourages children to participate, promoting their development through interaction. "Sing!" consists of action-packed songs with words and simple sentences that children can voice, promoting speech and auditory skills. "Play!" includes songs about movement, body percussion, and the use of simple rhythm instruments, encouraging children to develop their motor and rhythm skills. "Move!" features plenty of action-driven songs about following directions and learning simple physical and motion concepts. "Mixing It Up!" blends singing, movement, body percussion, and the use of simple rhythm instruments into a joyful, interactive whole. And "Sampler" collects two songs from each of the previous four albums into an eclectic medley. The entire series is a choice pick for elementary school libraries, parents, babysitters, and children's parties.
Film advisory Board, Inc.
October 29, 2010
Ms. Margie La Bella
Music Therapy Tunes
81 Bergen Drive
Deer Park, NY 11729
Dear Ms. La Bella,
The Film Advisory Board is pleased to announce the CD "Mixing it Up!" from Move! Sing! Play along and Learn Series has been honored with the Award on Excellent Tribute.
"Get your ears in gear" is the perfect description for the technique Music Therapy tunes uses in developing young people's audio and motor skills and for adults who require special training in these skills. "Mixing it Up!" CD shakes it all together into a powerful concoction that makes one leap for joy.
The music arrangements coupled with simple whimsical lyrics can provoke many interesting expressions that are unique to each child. This sense of understanding the simple directions of each tune can be the seed for creative development that Music Therapy Tunes offers.
Encouraging statements voiced throughout "Mixing it Up!" is the best medicine for success. Including a variety of tempos and stories is exciting. It keeps interest at top peak, which is necessary in aging auditory and motor skills children need to function in our complex world.
The educational value "Mixing it Up!" brings to music therapy is important. What also makes this wonderful CD so special is the talent and style that is the trademark of Music Therapy Tunes.
"Mixing it Up!" CD is important. It teaches the art of auditory and motor skills. The upbeat tunes will please all ages. It's wonderful fun for everyone.
Thank you for giving the Film Advisory Board the opportunity to review "Mixing it Up!" - a valuable instructional too.
Best regards,
Janet Stokes
Cheif Executive.
QUOTES
“It integrates well with the general music curriculum, and works great with the inclusion kids.”
“My students ask for it every lesson!” “I keep it in my emergency substitute kit.”
-- Carole Pearce, MS Music Ed.
“Children and parents alike will enjoy Miss Margie’s innovative songs, each one cleverly using a different style of pop music and each one ingeniously orchestrated. From the first note to the last, my kids sang and danced.” -- Christine Bouton, Professional musician and mother of two
“They just want to listen to it constantly…in the car, in the house, in their headphones.
They can’t get enough of it.” -- Mary Ellen Lowery, MOT (mom of two)
“Margie’s lush voice is easy to listen to and her harmonies are fun for kids and adults to sing along with. I’ve got the Music in Me has great sounds and rhythms as do all of her songs whether they are rap, pop, jazz, folk, reggae, swing, or world music. [The title song] is ideal for incorporating “round” singing and rudimentary choreography where each group moves to a melody or harmony line....The sound is very good and the material is excellent.!
--Patricia P. Owner of SR Catalog, Distributor of fine dance and music products
On the first listen my 5 and 9-year old and I were dancing up a storm”
Margie’s music encourages movement and verbal and nonverbal expression, with easy to understand directions (lyrics.) Other songs are very soothing and gentle incorporating types of language concepts necessary during the preschool years.” -Debbie V. SLP Speech and Language Pathologist
.
“My children love them. They keep playing it over and over. Even my two-year-old
knows all the words.!” -Patricia F. Teacher and mother of two
“Margie combines language with music to produce a valuable educational tool.”
-Jody Anne Koch M.A.CCC-SLP (Speech and Language Pathologist.)
It’s geared to the younger audience, but the music is innovative. The whole family can enjoy it.”
-Bob and Mary Ellen Lowery
“The lyrics are educational in that they challenge children’s comprehension skills. The instrumental tracks address the child’s need to be motivated through movement.”
-Scott Agnew, M.S. Ed., School Psychologist
“My kids play it in the car. They sing all the words and anticipate the movements.
They sing it at the dinner table.” -Rosemary W., O.T.R.
“The kids love it they actually say “Oh, I love that song. I want to do it again! The preschool teachers use it during their circle time. It’s been used throughout the whole interdisciplinary department. I’ve given it as a gift to two special needs kids. Their moms use it to carry over our developmental motor skills program that we started at school. It’s great for my professional work. It’s fun for me to listen to, too; I love it.”
-Molly S., O.T.R. Occupational Therapist.
"Thanks Margie, Definitely spreading the word. I'm a teacher in a special school with children with complex needs. Really enjoy your music and can't wait to share it with the kids."
Regards M.
