December 2011 Notable Toys — Music

Over the course of his seven-year career as a music educator, Nick Deysher has developed a catalog of music that spans the decades and the globe. Parents will love the classic sounds and influences of such greats as The Beatles, Bob Marley, Sly and the Family Stone, Paul Simon, Dandy Livingstone and Woody Guthrie. Children will love the catchy rhythms, humorous lyrics, and sweet melodies. Educators will love the science math and self-esteem concepts which are conveyed in each song.

Learning to Play Piano is designed for the parent and child to experience making music together. The pre-primer method book is filled with active participatory activities: writing in note names, tracing hands, writing in finger numbers, clapping, singing and playing melodies. The pull-out Keyboard Tent (included) provides a fun visual reference to associate notes on the page to keys on the piano. Children learn to play familiar melodies with their right hand gain the readiness skills needed to graduate to any commercially available piano method. The full-color book is filled with words of encouragement and praise from the familiar Debbie and Friends cartoon character. 24 pages.

All single hand bongos are made of natural color wood with quality skin heads and nylon strap handles. A mallet is included.

Rugged and built to last. These unique tambourines incorporate an unbreakable, reinforced polystyrene rim with cowhide head. Top quality jingles (with rounded edges) complement these superior quality tambourines and provide superb tone. Cowhide heads.

Versatility is the key to this member of the ChromaHarp® family. The following 21 chord bars enable the player to literally play hundreds of songs. Construction and design feature torsion-tight tuning pins, pre-stressed maple frame, maple top and back.

This unique bell set is great for early childhood. The note names are indicated on each of the individually colored bars. Accurately pitched with a diatonic range from c2 to c3, and a pair of mallets are included. All corners are rounded for safety.

A celebration of popular music styles from the 1970's to today. Making Silly Faces is a family friendly album made for kids to enjoy with their parents. Launch date: 2011.

Baby Lullaby takes baby on a soothing journey with classical lullabies by Bach, Brahms and Mozart. Enjoy relaxing ocean waves, sweet puppet shows and tranquil images. Includes DVD, CD, and picture book. 30 minute run time. Other titles in this series include World of Rhythm and Neptune's Oceans. Launch date: February 22, 2011.

When renowned musician & songwriter Chip Taylor ("Wild Thing" & "Angel of the Morning") became a grandfather, he directed his creative energy to writing new songs with & for his grandkids. Golden Kids Rules melds the husky, time-worn vocals & the musical instincts of a seasoned performer with the charming artistry of his 3 young grandchildren. Taylor's brother, actor Jon Voight, offers an insightful introduction to the artist & the album. 13 tracks, 38 mins, 20+page booklet w/ lyrics. Launch date: October 18, 2011.
Awards: TDmonthly Top Toy Award, January 2012.
— Why it won: A great CD that tackles topics relevant to kids without being patronizing or sacrificing the quality of the actual music. Lovely tunes that parents and kids can listen to together.

Celtic Christmas follows previous successful Putumayo Christmas releases such as A Jazz & Blues Christmas, New Orleans Christmas and Christmas Around the World, which combined have sold over 1 million copies. Celtic Christmas offers Celtic interpretations of Christmas classics along with an original recording. The collection begins with the joyful singing of The Albion Christmas Band on “Here We Come A-Wassailing,” and moves into Charles T. Cozen’s instrumental version of “O Come, O Come Emmanuel.” Dougie MacLean closes out the collection with a soulful Scottish rendition of “Auld Lang Syne.” Launch date: 2011.

Spanish & English educational album for children 3 years old and up. With themes like "ABC", "Months", My Name Is", "Ice Cream", "Goodbye Friends" and many more. Includes lyrics and sing along instrumentals. This is a great tool for schools and homeschooling. "All kindergarten teachers from Puerto Rico adopted this album," Blanca Castro, director of Little Xavier, told TDmonthly. Launch date: January 2011.