Posts
by Matt Maxwell
Published by Passport Books
Pros
Great production values
Original and tradition songs with contemporary arrangements
Clear musical sheet music for playing along
Wide range of engaging styles of songs to inspire the children to sing along
Covers great French vocabulary and expressions
Great for tonal and pronunciation practice
Cons
Not many.
May be hard for children to follow the book without musical experience.
Conclusions
This is a great collection of 12 songs, including original and traditional songs arranged with a contemporary flair. Vocabulary and expressions covered vary greatly and are quite extensive. I was impressed with the depth of learning available in these songs. Children will learn basic greetings, parts of the body, names of animals, forms of transportation, with a great sense of fun.
The music is highly professional, with great arrangements and good use of different instruments in the production. The style of songs ranges from 'folk' to rock n'roll. Someone who is a complete beginner may struggle to pick up all of the songs at once, as some are quite quick with unfamiliar phrases, especially the original pieces. However, following the book, children could pick up most of the songs really easily. Translations for all the French text are available. Highly recommended
If you've tried Let's Sing and Learn in French, why not let us know what you thought?
You can purchase Let's Sing and Learn in French at Amazon.
Further comments
Sheet music is included in the book with piano layout and vocal line, for those who wish to play the music themselves. The book includes a useful and clear chart of guitar chords used in the songs. Overall, a complete package, although my children and I find some of the songs difficult to learn when just listening to the CD. Using the book is essential to pickup the more unfamiliar and faster material. As the singers have great French accents, this is an easy way for children to learn the proper sounds of the language, along with rhythms of phrases etc.
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