Tuesday, July 22, 2008

De Colores and Other Latin American Folksongs for Children (Anthology)

Bursting with color and spirit, this collection of Latin-American songs is a tribute to Latino culture. From traditional tunes to rhymes and hand games, De Colores has songs for all occasions and moods. Each song is accompanied by simple musical arrangements, with lyrics in both English and Spanish. Slightly abridged from the original edition, this is ideal for classroom use, multicultural studies, or just plain fun.

"Rich and resonant." --Booklist
Customer Review: My boys love this book.
This is a wonderful book of popular songs in Spanish, which my triplet boys latched onto immediately. The songs are very engaging, and each page has lovely artwork. I speak Spanish, and my boys were born in Spain. I have been trying very hard to help them maintain a little Spanish, and this book has been very helpful. It doesn't come with a CD, but you can easily learn the tunes of the songs if you know how to read music. And even if you only speak rudimentary Spanish, I think it's possible to learn the songs and enjoy them. This book quickly became the boys' favorite bedtime routine. I hear them singing the songs during the day as well. I highly recommend it.
Customer Review: Great book
I love the colorful pictures in this book and that it has music to all of the songs. It is a wonderful book and my baby loves when I sing to him!


Do you ever remember your folks or grandparents telling you; "it takes two to tango," meaning that there must be more to the story and more fault of the circumstance to spread around. Often, it was a notification that they were not buying the total story and that the blame ought to be spread around a little bit more. Well, the other day, I got thrown out of McDonalds; why you ask?

Well for food-fighting, but I swear that the guy threw nothing back at me, indeed, the manager did not buy it, and threw us both out. Boy was that guy mad at me, I started and he never threw anything back at me, but the manager throws us both out and said; "It takes two to tango!"

Indeed, it usually takes two to tango, but in reality it was not a food-fight anyway, as the gentleman was simply reading his newspaper and never responded. Now that is a funny true story, but have you ever wondered why it takes two to tango? Let me recommend a book that is quite good and will completely clear this up for you:

"Gotta Tango" by Alberto Paz and Valorie Hart - 2004

This is a really cool book which will teach you dance the Tango in true Argentina style and it comes with a music DVD with music to assist you in feeling the moment. The book is full of subtle tricks to create passion, emotion, and sexy alluring moves. You will be blown away as to just how good you can get using this book. Are you looking for pure romance and learning expert style in the Tango? Look no further, this is it.

"Lance Winslow" - Online Blog Content Service. If you have innovative thoughts and unique perspectives, come think with Lance; http://www.WorldThinkTank.net/. Lance Winslow's Bio

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Customer Review: vocables in unison with jazz piano - nice!
Nice jazz outing! Often, Tania sings the melody line with vocables in unison with the piano an octave or two higher. She phrases her voice melodies like any other wind instrument, say, sax or flute. There are no lyrics and no "solos," scatting or instrumental. She and her small group get a groove going - maybe funky, maybe bluesy, maybe a bit of swing, maybe a bit of bossa feel - then sings/plays a catchy melody on top. It would be classified as a jazz recording, the "Brazil feel" comes out a bit but is not predominant composition, arrangement, or performance. Very nice music.
Customer Review: DON'T judge this album by it's COVER !
I was just scanning brazilian jass stuff one day and came upon TM by accident.WOW.At the price, I could take a chance and glad I did.This woman does not scat (if that is the right term) like Bobby Mc Ferrin---who is so obviously making crazy sounds that only embarrass me at times.......ha !Tania Maria's voice IS another insturment !Jazzy/and slightly funky...... she will MAKE you like brazilian music !


Salsa is a form of social get together of the people which celebrates dance, music and culture. It is considered to be a faction of Latin rhythmic types which contains the clave beats. Mambo, Son, Rumba, Cha Cha Cha, Guaracha, Merengue, Songo, Timba and few others are some of the most recognized form of salsa. Salsa is the only among Latin genres to have come back and inclined West African tune.

Salsa has become gaining more and more recognition now. A lot of institutions have been opened to teach this form of dance. In fact, few marriages in NYC demands a salsa dance by the newly wedded couple. Many events are organized every year to host salsa in New York. The salsa festival is generally organized in the spirit of friendship and fun and the affection of dancing. In order to make the salsa festival a grand one, you should always look for a perfect venue to host the event. Some of the superb venues for salsa of tango event in New York are:

The Burgess Hall: It is the premier venue in Cambridgeshire. It has a sufficient free car parking area and is completely air-conditioned. It has a great semi-spung dance floor and other facilities.

Rush: 579 6th Avenue, New York City. It is a huge event ground that organizes brilliant events like salsa and tango. The entry fee is kept low.

Columbus 72: 246 Columbus Avenue in NYC. This venue is very famous and is among the best place to host a salsa or tango night. The place is completely air-conditioned. It offers brilliant services and facilities to the organizers and to the people.

Plumm: This venue was basically made to host salsa events. It has huge dancing floor with live music and great DJs.

A lot of fantastic salsa event venues have come up in last few years. Some of them are LQs, Gonzalez y Gonzalez, Club Iguana, The Red Lounge, Vudu Lounge and SOB's.

Salsa is a very beautiful form of dance. The slow motion dance touches your soul when you see others performing. The feeling you get is, excellent!

Mario Stewart has a passion to write about New York City and the bars, restaurants and salsa in the city. He is internationally popular for providing the most apt reviews about the salsa in New York City You may visit one of his websites about salsa in NYC to find more details.

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When a landscape artist wants to get the essence of a beautiful scene, they make a quick pencil sketch of it.

The artist doesn't want to represent the entire landscape as it is, but as they feel it to be. A few lines scribbled here and there indicate the feelings the artist wishes to convey. We musicians can do the same thing! We can quickly sketch out our ideas on paper by using chords and a chord chart.

A chord chart is just a way to notate when chords change through time. You can write out 8-bars to begin with (as I do). Now let us suppose you have the urge to capture something musically. What do you do? Well, for starters, you can pick a key to compose with.

For example, let's choose the Key of C. Now after deciding that, we know that the piece will have a Major sound to it. We also know that we have 6 chords to create with from the C Major scale. With these primary decisions out of the way we now can focus on notating our musical ideas and capturing a mood. Here's how I do it:

I start by just improvising and letting the music come out naturally. For example, I play a C Maj. 7 chord and I like what I hear. I'll write down the first 2-bars of the melody, then place a chord symbol on top of the chart so I now have the musical idea in place.

My goal is to finish charting the 8-bar phrase with chords all the way through. Once this is accomplished I have the first section of music. If more is to come, I simply write out another 8-bar phrase and keep adding more music.

Edward Weiss is a pianist/composer and webmaster of Quiescence Music's online piano lessons. He has been helping students learn how to play piano in the New Age style for over 14 years and works with students in private, in groups, and now over the internet. Visit http://www.quiescencemusic.com now and get a FREE piano lesson!

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Third Single from the Album "x&y". Title Track is Back with the Song "Sleeping Sun".


A Texas Holdem Party may be just the excuse, I mean theme, and you were looking for to have as an accent to a great beer party. Invite the guys over for a couple of cold ones and a good game of Texas Holdem. For those who dont all ready know Texas Holdem is a type of poker game with a few variations for group play. To keep the game easy going and light make bets with pennies or beers instead of money. The guys will appreciate the chance to enjoy a game with the worry of losing their paychecks in the process.

However most beer parties dont just involve the guys, gals enjoy drinking a few cold ones with their friends as well. Go ahead and make the event into a grand Texas Holdem party with lots of prizes and decorations. You might as well throw in the food while you are at it too. The best decorations for gambling and drinking parties are led lights and glowsticks. To wow you friends at the party, serve them drinks in plastic led light up wine glasses and shot glasses. Hand out glowsticks and bracelets to your guests as they arrive to the party so they can add to the decorative atmosphere

Some prizes can be excellent items for the guests to compete for at the Texas Holdem party. Give everyone a pre-set amount of chips and let them bid with them in the games. At the end of the party they can turn in their chips to get different levels of prizes at the party. Prizes can be the led glasses, feather boas, fuzzy dice, sunglasses, and decks of cards.

Also dont forget to add some country western music to your party. The guests will enjoy the atmosphere it creates and they may even want to get up to dance now and then.

Mrs. Party... Gail Leino takes a common sense approach to planning and organizing events, celebrations and holiday parties with unique ideas for birthday party supplies and fun free educational party games. She explains proper etiquette and living a healthy life while also teaching organizational skills and fun facts. The Party Supplies Hut has lots of party ideas with hundreds of free coloring sheets, printable games, and free birthday party activities. Over 100 adorable Party Themes to fit your birthday celebration, holiday event, or "just because" parties is at the Party Theme Shop. Party themes include cartoon characters, sports, movie, TV shows, luau, western, holidays, and unique crazy fun theme ideas.

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Monday, July 21, 2008

Learn to Salsa Dance Video Series, Vol 1: Salsa Dancing Guide for Beginners

Never danced? No problem! Join us on the dance floor with this fantastic 2 hour salsa dance DVD. The instruction is clear & concise. The productions values are stellar, and the quality is amazing. Yes, you will be salsa dancing, with your partners, by the end of this video! It's a step-by-step approach, tailored and refined by teaching thousands upon thousands of students how to dance salsa. This video covers the very basic steps, the foundation of leading and following, and a couple of nice salsa patterns. This stellar 2 hour DVD provides everything you need to know to get yourself dancing! Purchase it today, and be dancing tomorrow.
Customer Review: No rhythm no problem
I will say this I'm Hispanic so I did know some Salsa before I purchased this DVD. I wanted to learn some advanced moves and I realized before I purchased this video that prob wasn't for me. It wasn't but it did teach me some basic concepts in general. It also taught me how to turn. I'm a natural dancer but it gave me concrete steps which I just do without thinking. That being said I do believe this will teach ANYBODY to dance. He gives so much detail and repetition there is no way you won't be able to pick it up. I love the hand tricks. Also I didn't have a partner and this a partner video. Don't buy if you have dance experience.
Customer Review: Easy to follow.
The instructions are clear and easy to follow. My husband has absolutely no rythym and he picked up the steps.


Dance has been an important part of rituals, celebrations and entertainment since before the birth of human civilisation. In the beginning, before we had written language to record things, the purpose of dance was often to tell stories and to pass them down to future generations.

The story of dancing in Cuba

In Cuba, as in ancient times, dance tells its own story. The passion and energy of Cuban dance reveals the strength and conviction of the Cuban people, determined to enjoy life despite 'la lucha' (the struggle) of living in a strictly regulated country where the average monthly wage comes in at around 400 pesos - less than 10.

The richness of Cuban music and dancing also tells the story of Cuba's melting pot of cultures. From the high-stepping flamenco brought by the Spanish settlers in the 15th century to the frenzied tribal dances of the West African slaves, dancing is in the blood of the Cuban people.

From the teenage girl in denim shorts to the cigar-seller on the street corner, Cubans are given to break into spontaneous dance steps. Furthermore, the people dancing on the streets of Havana are likely to be just as good as the professionals, because in Cuba dancing is simply a way of life.

The variety of Cuban dances

Cuba boasts a huge range of dances including classical ballet, contemporary, flamenco and folk dancing. But it is the partnered routines that appeared in Havana dancehalls between the 1920s and the 1950s - Salsa, rumba, mambo and cha-cha-cha - that can be seen in every Cuban bar, club and street. Of these, Salsa is the most popular dance internationally.

Since the name 'Salsa' (it's Spanish for 'sauce') was coined, Salsa dancing has exploded in popularity in Latin America and across the world. Salsa dancing classes are now hugely popular but to really get into the swing of it a Salsa holiday in Cuba itself is a must.

Tips for Cuban Salsa dancing

If you do take yourself on a Cuban holiday, you'll have the unique experience of watching Cubans Salsa dancing. It sometimes appears that by some genetic aberration they have been born with super flexible joints, defying physics to carry out all the complex manoeuvres they have integrated into the dancing. Their remarkable twisting body movements and natural sense of rhythm will dazzle you.

If you have the right technique, Cuban Salsa is easier to learn than many other forms of dance. The basic footwork is a fairly simple walking motion, pausing every fourth beat, and there are some six basic steps you can follow to make sure you're on the right tracks.

1 Relax

To dance Cuban Salsa well it is important not to rush, but to relax into the steps. Movements should be precise and deliberate in addition to being flowing and smooth.

2 Walk with purpose

Salsa dancing involves a continual circular motion. Couples walk around each other with an imaginary axis between them. This makes turns look smooth and effortless. Walking gives time to untangle your arms after each turn.

3 Have confidence in your lead

The leader (usually the man) should have constant tension in his arms, while his hands guide his Salsa dancing partner around the floor. There is no need to clamp onto each other's hands, only to use the right amount of tension to provide a leading signal.

4 Be flexible when following

In order to follow well, ladies should try to match the tension of their partner. The exception to this is when arms need to be relaxed and flexible to complete arm-twisting Salsa moves without injury!

5 Keep balanced when you spin

The key to all the spectacular spins in Salsa is not to lose your balance. One way to do it is by spotting while you spin - focussing on one spot at each turn - an age-old dance technique.

6 Use your body

In Salsa dancing, ladies should make use of their body and be sensual, playful and creative. This can involve some creative arm movements, going with what feels right and basically showing off a bit. Enjoy!

Emma Lelliott is the general manager of Captivating Cuba, an independent Cuba holiday specialist. With offices in Havana and the UK, Captivating Cuba can offer Cuban Salsa holidays to Havana as well as expert advice on holidays to Varadero and Cayo Coco and lesser known resorts such as Jibacoa and Trinidad.

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Percussion is the oldest form of music known to man. From the historic drum of the human heart to the archaic animal pelt drums of our ancestors, the primal beat of the drum stirs something ancient within our souls which can urge us on to dance, groove, or psyche us up to perform extraordinary feats.

The most prehistoric use of rhythm was to send our ancestors into a trance in order to procure a vision or reach a state of poetical flow to deliver stories of tribal lore and tales of life and to communicate over long distances between tribes. Not much has changed over the ages.

Although beats are now heard behind more modern and complicated instruments and covered with sonic production qualities from recording studios they have still maintained the same basic qualities and serve the same basic functions, to put us into a trance and achieve a poetical flow and to communicate over long distances. The poetical flow now takes the form of rap or singing, and the tales of life and "tribal lore" forms the lyrics. Long distance communication involves sending CD's over the world. But at the beating heart of the matter it's still the same as it was in the jungle.

So how can you use this information to create beats of your own?

Well keep in mind the basic fact that the beat is used to create a mood and feeling in the listener which will convey the emotion of the musicians.

The art of percussion is the art of manipulating time.

The rhythm of life is a powerful beat! Basically what you are trying to communicate through a beat is little pieces of transmitted life. As such, you have to capture life within you so that you can transmit it out through your music.

The only way to do this is to get out there! Experience life! Get yourself into as many situations as you can. Note how you feel, observe the beating of your heart when you are excited, when you are sad, when you are scared, when you are relaxed and happy.

Great musicians have the ability to create these same feelings in their listeners through their music.

Take your time!

As a percussionist you form the back bone of the song. As such, the soul that you put into your beat is going to radiate throughout the whole song.

If the same vibe is flowing through all the musicians the music will come out flowing and naturally. If there are disparate clashes of ego throughout the band perhaps it is time to regroup. Strongly opposite emotions are like to create clash within the music. Although sometimes this clash is the basis for the greatest music!

Basically the soundest advice is to put soul and life into your beats. These aspects radiate universally throughout the music into peoples hearts no matter what your level of technicality is.

Ant Onaf is a content producer in association with LearnClubDance.com (http://www.learnclubdance.com), a online retailer of instructional dance videos.

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Most American people are familiar with the fact the former President Bill Clinton played the saxophone, but there are many others famous leaders who played instruments too, including at least six other United States Presidents.

Patrick Henry and Benjamin Franklin played instruments during their free time off from building a nation. Patrick Henry played the flute and fiddle and Benjamin Franklin played the guitar and violin.

Thomas Jefferson, the third US President, was known for many things including the Declaration of Independence, the Louisiana Purchase, the lazy Susan, and the dumb waiter. He was also known to have played the cello, clavichord, and the violin.

John Quincy Adams, the sixth President, was known for the Monroe Doctrine, but he also was known to play the flute. Chester Alan Arthur, the twenty first US President, played the banjo. Woodrow Wilson, the 28th US President, created the League of Nations and played the violin. Harry Truman and Richard Nixon played the piano. Nixon also played the accordion.

Other famous leaders, Mahatma Gandhi, Sir Edward Heath, Ross Perot, and Condeleeza Rice also played or still play instruments. Mahatma Gandhi, peaceful leader of India's Nationalist movement, played the concertina. Sir Edward Heath, a former British Prime Minister, played the organ and was a conductor. Ross Perot, an independent candidate for US President, plays the accordion. Condeleeza Rice, US Secretary of State, plays the piano. At one time, she was even considering a career as a concert pianist.

Playing an instrument has been scientifically proven to improve focus, discipline, and study habits. It also acts as an outlet for creativity and stress release. There are many social benefits derived from playing an instrument. Being part of a band or orchestra provides camaraderie and teaches how to function as part of a group.

Can playing an instrument guarantee you an elected position? Of course not, but it may put you on the road to a successful career!

NOTE: Use of this article requires links to be intact.

Jesse Fisher enjoys writing articles for Allegro Rainbow- a business created to help people learn how to play musical instruments. I Can Play Guitar helps children learn to play the guitar in a fun and interesting way.

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