Three time national fiddle champion Bonnie Rideout put together an enchanting collection of songs and poems for children on this mp3 album, originally released on CD. She has set traditional poems and nursery rhymes (such as "Bobbie Shafto" and "Wee Willie Winkie") to traditional Scottish tunes and includes familiar songs such as "My Bonnie Lies Over the Ocean" and "Oh Dear, What Can the Matter Be."

The best part of the album are the pieces of original and traditional music set to the poems of Robert Louis Stevenson and an absolutely ingenious adaption of the Yeats poem, "The Fiddler from Dooney."

I cannot praise this album enough, it is extremely well done. As part of our homeschooling we memorize poetry so my children were in awe of a Robert Louis Stevenson "song." The music is irresistible and we are all singing the songs throughout the day. The instruments used in creating the music on various pieces include the following: fiddle, viola, harp, recorder, bodhran, piano, guitar, tin whistle, ocarina, dulcimer, and if you can believe it, coffee can, tinkertoy can and kazoo.

If you and your children like traditional Irish and Scottish music, this mp3 (or CD) album would be a great addition to your collection. It can be ordered from any music store or directly from the music company.

Kit includes four sets of 10 flashcards: Keys & Notes, Signs & Symbols, Rhythm & Vocabulary, Intervals & Chords

Our family has been enjoying Learning Wrap-Ups in a variety of subjects to drill and practice basic concepts. Each set consists of ten key-shaped plastic flash cards attached at a pivot-point with a string to wrap back and forth from question to answer. After finishing each key, simply look at the back to be sure the string matches up with the self-correcting answer key. I love how my children can study independently with these sets AND they can be used over and over again. They are sturdier and more self-contained than ordinary flash-cards (and don't get lost under the couches!). Learning Wrap-Ups may be purchased one set at a time or in money-saving multi-set kits.

This music theory kit includes four sets of Learning Wrap-Ups on Musical Theory for piano students:

Keys and Notes: Match notes on a staff to keyboard, letter notes to keyboard, notes with the same name on different staffs, fill in notes sequentially, etc. Includes some sharps and flats.

Signs and Symbols: Match musical terms (like mezzo forte and descrescendo) to their abbreviations, match musical symbols (like repeat, sharp and treble clef) with their meaning, find the relative minor for each major key, match the key with its signature in the treble clef, etc.

Rhythm and Vocabulary: Match notes to rests of equal value, match musical terms (like dolce and lento) to their English translations, match note groups of equal value, "How many counts per measure?", etc.

Intervals and Chords: Find the note to complete the chord, Match the chord with its name, Match triads to their black & white key patterns, etc.

Each set may also be purchased individually.