Customer Reviews

I Hear America Singing!: Folksongs for American Families with CD (Treasured Gifts for the Holidays)

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

The CD is a family favorite, and the book has gotten our family singing songs we only knew the choruses to. ("Git along little doggies..." what's the rest?) Possibly my all-time best purchase from Amazon.

We Loved this book, Not only because it includes each song's sheet music and a brief history of the origin of the song but the C.D. is amazing!!! The singers and musicians are superb. it features authentic mandolin, banjo and fiddle playing and is not sung in a patronizing mannor you hear on so many kid's C.D.s Our family from 2 to 46 love it and sing the songs over and over. High quality item for sure!

I bought this book on a bit of a whim. It is a wonderful collection of American folksongs. The arrangements are very simplistic. Chords are included by letter name. The book is attractive. The first verse is within the grand staff, the rest are at the end of the song.

For teaching elementary age children there are two glitches:
There are page turns on many of the songs even though the songs are generally quite short. The keys are much too low in many instances, which is unnatural and unhealthy for young singing voices. Many go as low as "a or g" below middle "c". So, you'll be well off to transpose. Hopefully, you can transpose on the fly.

Other than that, the book is quite nice.

This is the best collection of popular folk songs I have seen. You've always heard these songs, but at least I never knew all the words. I found this treasure in a stack of Girl Scout song books and I love the fact that it has a short paragraph about the history of each song. Great for sing alongs. The CD doesn't have all the songs that are in the book, but it has a good selection and they are sung in a catchy and upbeat way. For more entertaining and funny songs to get kids laughing and singing, I would also recommend "Noises from under the Rug".

This book is worth it for the CD alone, which has beautifully sung versions of 23 of the songs from the book. It's not just for children- our whole family loves the CD! Unlike most kids' collections, this one doesn't have candied-down sugary kids' versions of the songs- it's real folk singers. The book itself has all the words, sheet music, and brief historical blurbs on all the songs, which are very interesting to read as well. We have several other collections of children's folk music, but this is by far the best. Every household- with and without kids- should own this book.

Very enjoyable! The content of the book is great! Nice choices of selections and I really enjoy the short intros included with the songs. The CD is quite well done--clear, beautiful recordings. I only wish they had been able to record ALL the songs in the book!

So why can't I give the book a 5? Well, I agree with a previous reviewer concerning the keys of some of the selections being to low if you are using them with children. Along those lines, some of the recordings are not in the same key as listed in the book. When they are lowered you run into the same issue of suitability for younger voices.

I also wish the book had been spiral bound. Though the hardcover is beautiful, it is not very practical for placing upright on a piano or a music stand. The book must be held open.