Yet another award to add to the long list for Dinostory: The Ultimate Dinosaur Rock Opera, as created, written and produced by Rainbow Songs’ own founder and director, Mike Whitla!

This time it’s for the fun (and tricky!) to sing: “Parasaurolophus is a Mouthful for All of Us”.  This song was chosen as a Finalist for the 2011 Great American Song Contest, an award which receives over 1500 entries and has a judging board consisting of many respected industry professionals.

Check out the review that the song received:

“Of all of the “Dinosaur Collection” this one is the most well rounded, catchy and musically entertaining one of the bunch. Excellent work! Congratulations this song has been selected be a finalist in the “special” category of the Great American Song Contest. It’s always refreshing to hear such a well-crafted and entertaining songs and it’s been a pleasure listening to your work!  Keep up the great work and continued luck with your songwriting!”

For more information about the Great American Song Contest and to see other winners, go to: http://www.greatamericansong.com/honorary.html

 

Did You Know?
Middle school and high school students who participated in instrumental music scored significantly higher than their non-band peers in standardized tests. University studies conducted in Georgia and Texas found significant correlations between the number of years of instrumental music instruction and academic achievement in math, science and language arts. (more…)

 

Rainbow Songs’ Director, Mike Whitla, has been nominated as “Children’s Artist of the Year” at the 2012 Indie Music Awards for his cd Dinostory. The best thing is that you can help him win, as it is completely decided by online voting.

Please show your support and VOTE NOW.

http://indies.ca/voting/

 

The Rainbow Songs approach to teaching and learning comes from the belief that there is interconnectedness between music, movement and language that support each other through the learning process. I’ve often conceptualized the relationship of three elements as the three points of a triangle. The triangle, with its inherent support and structural integrity, is an apt metaphor for this method as it can support learning in the same way triangles support structures from the pyramids to modern day buildings. Let’s briefly define the three points on the triangle:

 

  • Music – The structured organization of sound made up of melody, rhythm, and harmony.
  • Movement – All types of purposeful motion from small hand gestures to jumping and leaping including: actions, signs, dancing, crawling, running etc.
  • Language – The organization of and use of words through speech: Lyrics, poems, names, verbs, nouns etc. (more…)
 

Here is  a great song  for winter time and can make getting dressed up in all those clothes much more fun!!

Button it Up by Kathy Reid-Naiman (2006)

I’ve got a coat, a warm woolly coat.
and I’m gonna button it up. (clap clap)
I’ve got a coat, a warm woolly coat.
and I’m gonna button it up. (clap clap)
Button it up. (clap clap)
Button it up. (clap clap)
And I’m gonna button it up. (clap clap)

*add other verses of clothing items such as

- I’ve got some pants, some warm and woolly pants (zip them up)
- I’ve got a hat, a warm and woolly hat (tie it up)

 

For more lyirics to all the great Rainbow Songs repertoire check out are Lyric Database on our website.

 

As an organization, the Parents’ Choice Foundation has created a reputation based on bringing quality products to parents around the world. Every year they go through there huge list of items and award those which standout in their respective categories.

This year, Mike Whitla’s “Dinostory“, was a recipient of the 2011 Parents’ Choice Recommended Award in the Audio category.

Enjoy the great review by Parents’ Choice contributor and judge, Lahri Bond:
“Admittedly, I have a soft spot for children’s albums about dinosaurs, and Dinostory: The Ultimate Dinosaur Rock Opera is one of the best, this dino-savvy listener has heard. Vocalist, guitarist, multi instrumentalist Mike Whitla creates a musical journey back to the Cretaceous period of 100 million years ago, when, yes, dinosaurs ruled the earth!

The story is centered around Terri the triceratops, who was separated from her siblings when she was only an egg. We follow Little Terri’s challenges of finding food and drink, and her surprisingly touching search for a community and a place she can call home. Some of the best musical moments occur as she meet other dinosaurs along her journey. Among others, she encounters plant-eaters who help her out, the wonderful “Jenny the Ankylosaurus,” and a “Stegosaurus,” whose tale is told in one of the album’s most beautiful, tabla driven melodies. The late cretaceous period also had its share of dangers, including the flesh eating T-Rex, whose musical voice bears more than a passing resemblance to Tom Waits. The music is fun, rich and dynamic, with highlights including the rocking “Brachiosaurus,” and the reggae flavored “Plod, Plod, Plod Goes Diplodocus,” (which also includes the proper pronunciation of this perpetually phonetically misunderstood dinosaur).

The songs are well written and accurately researched, and are also slyly educational. That, and they still provide provide a narrative story with some great tunes. The “rock opera” aspect of the album reminds one of a kid friendly version of the bombastic sounds of 70s rocker Meatloaf. The CD comes with a richly illustrated booklet, including all lyrics and a dino-identification chart.”

To check out the review on the Parents’ Choice website, check it out here.

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Well here it is a new blog about teaching music to the young and young-at-heart. That is what we have been doing at Rainbow Songs for almost 10 years now. Here is a place we will share some of our thoughts about how we like to teach music to kids and adults alike so they can make the act of music making a regular part of their lives.

This is also a place where we would love to hear from you about your thoughts on Rainbow Songs or anything music related.

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