Music Together is an early childhood music education philosophy that is taught in classes throughout the United States, Canada, and more than 25 other countries. In order to give children, parents, and teachers who do not have access to Music Together classes exposure to the program, Music Together LLC released in 2007 the Music Together Family Favorites CD and in 2009 the Music Together Family Favorites Songbook. The songbook contains the basics of the Music Together approach plus music and lyrics for 19 songs along with related activities and guidelines for use with infants, preschoolers, and special needs children. The Music Together Family Favorites CD can be used alone or as a companion to the songbook. It contains the same 19 songs along with a 32-page family activity booklet that gives some activity ideas and background information for each song. The Music Together approach introduces children to music in a playful and non-performance oriented environment. Teachers and parents are encouraged to be flexible and take their cues from the children. For example, an infant's sound (such as "ga-ga") can be incorporated into the song. A variety of activity ideas are included in the songbook, such as finger plays, instruments, props, large movements, singing rounds, and more. The book gives adaptations to aid parents and teachers in working with special needs children. I was impressed with the depth of the information provided. There are many ideas included that would be beneficial in a homeschool, pre-school, church group, or homeschool co-op setting. The music selections are a blend of original songs and traditional rhythms from the jazz, folk, and world music genres.

My children and I enjoyed the song selections. The songs are very pleasant to hear, and the activities add to the fun. I especially liked how much information and how many activity ideas were provided for each song. The Music Together Family Favorites Songbook and Music Together Family Favorites CD are a great way to enhance the music education program in your homeschool preschool.

Product review by Whitney Dunahee, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, November 2010