The Iron Chimps Rock Concert {Ampersand Music School}

Nicholas has been taking private guitar lessons for 4-5 years with Ethan at Ampersand Music School. Last summer, the school started offering a Rock Band class.  Students signed up for the class and the instructors put them together with other students to make a band.  Nicholas couldn't wait to sign up.  

Each band has to come up with their own band name.  Nicholas' band talked together about famous bands that they liked and they came up with their band name The Iron Chimps.  Here is a condensed version of their thought process.  It was a tip of the hat to honor the popular bands Led Zepplin (Led got changed to lead then changed to "Iron") and Arctic Monkeys (Monkeys got changed to "Chimps"). 

The kids meet once a week for an hour to practice.  The instructors are great at working with the kids on how to play instruments together with others.  They have to keep on the same beat, listen to each other and improvise if things go wrong.  It is really taking their music instruction to a whole new level....plus they are having a blast!

This was Nicholas' second rock band concert with Ampersand.  Last time the concert was free but this time things were done a little differently.  Tickets were sold for $3.00 but the music school didn't take any of the money.  Instead they donated part of the proceeds to the church where the band practices and holds the concerts and the rest of the money goes to the students so they can get a taste of what is is like to really make money with their band.  There are three different bands in the program and the turn out was great.  

The Iron Chimps performed four songs in the concert.  Here are the videos...

Legend by The Score


Sky Spills Over by Michael W. Smith


Smack Down by Thousand Foot Crutch


Beat It by Michael Jackson

We are so grateful to the Ampersand instructors, Ethan and Benjamin.  They are great with the kids and they help them both in band and individual lessons.  Our kids have enjoyed their lessons and we love seeing their music abilities shine.

We got a final picture of the three bands all together.  It was a great night and we are so proud of all of these kids!

Secret Keeper Girl

Dannah Gresh is the amazing Mom-inventor of Secret Keeper Girl.  The movement began as a book that she wrote called, "Secret Keeper Girl: The Power of Modesty" which is about keeping some special things secret until you find that special man to marry.  Dannah didn't stop with that one book though.  She realized that worldly advertisements and social media were causing anxiety, depression, and even early sexual debut in today's teen girls.  She has since written many more books and even created a live event that tours the country each year to remind girls that they are special and loved by Jesus.

Tonight Rachel and I went to our first Secret Keeper Girl live event.  This year's tour is called Masterpiece. It was an amazing mother-daughter experience.


The event took place at First Denton church and we had to buy tickets in advance.  I took this picture as the show was just starting but soon the seats were pretty full so I would guess that it might have been a sold out event.

The show began with a reading of Genesis and the story of Creation.  The girls were reminded that they are a beautiful creation by a good and loving God.  The theme scripture for the event was Ephesians 2:10 which we recited several times during the night to help us memorize it....sometimes in silly voices, sometimes singing it like an opera singer.

There was some discussion about what a masterpiece is.  We learned about several famous pieces of art, including the Mona Lisa.  We learned how a masterpiece must be protected and preserved because it is special.  The girls were reminded how they are each God's beautiful masterpieces.  It was a powerful message but it was kept fun with lots of singing and dancing.  Many times the girls were allowed to go up on the stage to sing along.

A cute souvenir that many of the girls just "had to have" were the light up flower headbands.  Rachel looked so cute in it that I just couldn't resist getting it for her.  She loves it.

The music performances were great and everyone was singing along.

My favorite part of the night was when they sang "Masterpiece" by Danny Gokey.  It was so perfect for this event and it is one of my favorite songs right now.

We learned about the Truth or Bare Fashion Test that we can use to determine if our clothes are too revealing.  We only covered three of the tests at the event but the website lists several more.  Then we watched a mother-daughter fashion show modeling outfits that were adorable yet modest.

The night ended with an invitation for girls to say a prayer to accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior.  It was such a beautiful event.


If you would like to learn more about Secret Keeper Girl, please check out the Secret Keeper Girl website or follow Secret Keeper Girl on Facebook

Pimentel & Sons Guitar Makers - Albuquerque, New Mexico

We slept quickly and woke up ready to explore Albuquerque a little before heading home.  I had brought a few of our library books along to help pick out things to do along the way.  This one had some good options for Albuquerque.

I would have loved to have seen the Petroglyph National Monument but is was on the opposite side of town and we didn't have much time to spend here.  We decided on visiting the studio for Pimentel and Sons Guitar Makers, the Turquoise Museum, and the American Rattlesnake Museum.  

Since we knew we might not actually have time for all three of these, we started at the most exciting one, Pimentel and Sons.  Nicholas and Stuart both play guitar and it was a neat idea for them to be able to see how fine guitars are made.

Pimentel and Sons makes one-of-a-kind handcrafted guitars.  The business was started by the father of the family, Lorenzo Pimentel, who began making guitars as an apprentice.  He was poor but his wife encouraged him to to build guitars to sell.  He began his own business in 1951.  Now the Pimentel name is known around the world as one of the best guitar brands.

Lorenzo Pimentel has passed on but his four sons carry on his passion for guitar making.  They make each guitar by hand and they are uniquely tailored and custom made for the individual customer.

When we arrived at the shop, Rick Pimentel was gracious and welcoming.  He offered to give us a full tour of their studio!

Pimentel and Sons uses the finest woods available.  To ensure quality in the finished product, they buy their wood already aged and then they age it at least another 10 years before using it to make a guitar.  Some of their woods have been aged for as long as 60 years.  Once the wood is ready to use, they slice bookmatch pieces, attach them together, and sand it by hand.  They check the tones by tapping the wood to determine if more sanding is needed to create the perfect balance between treble and bass.

They design the patterns of the rosettes.  They glue together hundreds of strips of dyed wood to make a large piece from which they can slice a thin layer off each time they need to use it in a rosette.

Turquoise is the only stone that can't be cut on a CNC machine because it would shatter.  It can only be cut by hand.

  
The Pimentels show their artistry in each guitar they make. These pictures are not just drawn or painted on the guitar.  They use real turquoise, coral, ebony, and abalone to painstakingly piece the pictures together by hand.

The teeth on the skull above are made from real bone.  The fingerboard is so beautiful.  The black is ebony.  The leaves and branches are made with abalone and the tiny veins in the leaves and the black lines of the rose are made with real ebony inlays. The red rose is made from coral.

The neck of a Pimentel guitar is made with three pieces of wood so that if the guitar were to get dropped it would be less likely to break because the grain is not going in the same direction.

Bracing is an internal structure that provides support for the guitar but it also influences the vibrations and sounds of the guitar.  

For the sides of the body of the guitar, they soak the wood then they use a heated iron to help the wood hold its shape.  They have templates to use as guides but the wood is all manually shaped.

Once the guitar has been built, they apply a lacquer and hand rub the finish.  Pimentel and Sons is keeping the craft of guitar making alive while sharing a family dream.  Their guitars are works of art and some have a 1-3 year waiting list.

Here are just a few more pictures of the beautiful Pimentel and Sons guitars.

Nicholas has put this Phantom of the Opera themed guitar on his wish list.  I think even I would have to learn to play guitar if this beauty was mine.

Pimentel and Sons also give guitar lessons from beginners to advanced.  They are located at 3316 Lafayette Drive NE, Albuquerque, New Mexico, 505-884-1669.  For more information, please visit the Pimentel and Sons website or the Pimentel Facebook page.

Next Post for Road Trip 2018: 

• American International Rattlesnake Museum 

Previous Post for Road Trip 2018: 

• Route 66: Petrified Forest National Park {Arizona}

Music School Rock Band - Learning "Sweet Home Alabama"

Nicholas has been taking guitar lessons for several years from Ethan through Ampersand Music School.  He has progressed well and loves being able to choose his own songs to learn.

The music school just started a Rock Band program that matches kids together into bands that meet once a week to practice.  It is a great way for students to learn how to play along with other instruments.  Nicholas has been really excited and today was their first session but unfortunately the keyboard player couldn't make it.

Here is a video I took of the group at the end of their first day as they played Sweet Home Alabama!


I am really impressed at how well this came together considering that these kids had not met each other before today and Nicholas has never played that song before!  Going forward, they will each get to choose a song that their band will play and they will come up with a name for their band.

Kari Jobe's New CD The Garden + Giveaway!

KARI JOBE, THE GARDEN

I have loved Kari Jobe's songs over the years, particularly "Forever" and "I Am Not Alone" so I was excited when I received her latest CD, The Garden, to preview.  It is a beautiful album, both inside and out.  Jobe's soothing voice brings me peace and reminds me that God is with me, especially during the hard times.   

It’s said for everything there is a season. Winter. Spring. Summer. Fall. One by one, we experience these seasons throughout our lives. Our souls grow dark and weary in the thick of winter, and just when we think we can’t endure another cold night, we recognize the first signs of spring. Slow and unexpected, welcome shades of green break through the frozen ground. Sometimes our Creator uses His own creation to remind us that even amidst winter’s chill He is always at work. For it’s in the unseen where life’s most beautiful moments take shape. Jobe knows this to be true in her own life, and on The Garden, she invites listeners to drink of the wellspring of hope she’s found in the midst of unimaginable tragedy.

Jobe’s timeless songs have carried countless listeners to the feet of Christ over and over again. Her voice has become a soundtrack to people’s lives, and The Garden is well-equipped to bring healing in the midst of pain.

“The garden is true intimacy with the Father, and it’s a place where He intended for us as humankind to be surrounded with His creation. There’s life in things that He’s created,” says Jobe. “I want to lead people into intimacy with the Father. It’s something that’s so important as we walk through stuff in our lives.”  Most of The Garden’s 14 tracks speak to hope in the midst of loss, peace in the midst of uncertainty and God’s presence in the midst of pain.

“Everyone who’s seen something grow out of the dust realizes God was up to something in the midst of pain and questions. He never promised that it would be easy or that it would be pain-free, but that He would never leave us or forsake us,” Jobe offers, adding, “I’m more aware of His presence than I think I’ve ever been. God has surrounded us with things that will be life-giving if we take a moment to realize it. God’s always at work in our lives. He truly does go before us and prepares the way for the journey ahead.”

You can listen to The Garden on Spotify at this link or purchase it for yourself at this link.  However, I'm excited to also be able to offer one CD for free in the giveaway below.  Please use the Rafflecopter feature to enter.  Giveaways are open to residents of continental U.S and Canada only.  A random winner will be generated at the end of the giveaway period, on February 10, 2017.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

“Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255:  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”):  Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway.  Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation.  I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.

Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway.  If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller /FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days on the same blog, you are not eligible to win.  Or if you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again.  Winner is subject to eligibility verification.

KLTY Radio Station Tour

We got to take a tour of our favorite radio station, KLTY 94.9. 

When we opened the door and walked into the lobby we were greeted by hundreds of toy donations all over the room!  Rachel was amazed!

There are several stations located together in the same building because they are all owned by Salem Communications.  But Rachel quickly found the KLTY door.  Look at her excitement!

Our tour guide was Jay and he was amazing!  He knows his radio stuff but he was also hilarious and made sure we were laughing the whole time.

Look at those signed guitars!  Wouldn't you love to have just one of those?

Jay used to work for Disney so he has lots of unusual Disney things including a giant Olaf....in a grass skirt playing a ukulele....

We learned about the Recording Industry Association of America's certification of Gold and Platinum albums.  A gold album is one that has sold 500,000 copies whereas a platinum has sold 1 million.  If an album sells 2 million or more it is called multi-platinum.  I also learned that there is even a classification of Diamond for an album that has sold 10 millions copies.  I had to research if there were actually any Diamond albums.  There are a few.  Garth Brooks has had 7 Diamonds, while the Beatles have had 6, and Led Zeppelin has had 5.

We got to go into the live studio where Bonnie Currie was on the air.  The show is programmed to play music and commercials automatically so she was able to take some time to talk with us.  She explained how they program what goes on the air and even took questions from the kids.  I was so proud of Rachel for asking her a question about how they get the music they play.  Bonnie said they pretty much download it in a digital format so it is ready to go play in through the computer.

Before we left the studio, Bonnie had the kids make a recording that she then played on the air while we were standing there.  That was so cool!  Check out the video below...

Next we went to another studio that was part of the Word 100.7 Christian talk radio.  We discussed the differences between the music studio and the talk radio studio.  There was a lot more equipment in the music studio and the DJ stood the whole time.  Whereas in the talk radio studio, there wasn't as much programming equipment and the DJ sits the whole time and there are seats in a semi-circle for guests on the show.  It's a more conducive setting for casually talking for a while.

Our tour guide then had a pop quiz for the kids to see how well they listened on the tour.  Both of my kids won music CDs as prizes for answering questions correctly.

Rachel won Matt Maher "All The People Said Amen" CD.  Nicholas won Citizen Way "Love is the Evidence" CD.  They are both great albums and they are so excited to have won them!

After the tour a few of us went to lunch together at Salsas in Irving. 

The tour at KLTY was free and we learned a lot.  The station is part of Salem Communications which is located at 6400 North Belt Line Rd in Irving, TX.  For information about tours check out the KLTY website or find them on Facebook.

What Does the Fox Say?

Our kids love a quirky song called, "What Does the Fox Say?" by Ylvis (pronouced "Ill-vis". I first heard Nicholas singing a little part of it but didn't think much of it. Then I saw a comment on Facebook from a friend of mine whose son won't stop singing the song. Then the radio station that we listen to started using a clip from the song on a regular basis.

Finally, I decided to check it out so I could know what all the fuss was about. I found the music video on YouTube (everything you want to know can be found on YouTube!). This video has had MILLIONS of hits! It turned out to be a wholesome song, albeit very bizarre, with a catchy tune...so catchy that I have actually had it stuck in my head for three days now. *HELP ME!*

Click below to watch the video for yourself - but just know you will probably consider it a total waste of almost four minutes of your life that you can't get back.



Well, as YouTube is known to do, it showed me several other related videos on the sidebar that I might be interested in. The kids saw a Minecraft parody of What Does the Fox Say? on the sidebar so we watched that.

We watched the Ohio State Marching Band perform to the song. They did a great job but seeing that marching band on the field just made me homesick for the LSU Golden Band from Tigerland :(



There are lots of parodies of the music video. We clicked around for quite a while checking them out. Amazingly, there are many videos that just show people's reactions to watching the video for the first time and their comments afterwards. Many were laughing, some looked dazed and confused, while others were just grumpy about how weird it is.

Here is my favorite video that we stumbled upon. Someone has set up an amazing Halloween light show in their front yard using this song.



This is what people mean when they say a video has gone VIRAL. This song and video are all over the place. People can't seem to get enough of it.

So who wrote this song and how did they make it such an instant hit?

The song was written by two brothers in Norway as a spoof promotion for their talk show. Their plan completely back fired and the song became a hit BY ACCIDENT! Check out this short interview on Ellen:



These guys are now performing the song at music festivals in Las Vegas and they are on talk shows all over the world.

It's just crazy!

Kinderbach Review

Although I played piano for years and years when I was younger, I have struggled with trying to figure out how to teach piano to my children.

I first tried teaching my son on my own. I know chords, rhythm, and how to read sheet music. How hard can it be?

Well, that didn't work.

Then I bought a book to help me teach him. That didn't work either.

I gave up and figured we would probably have to pay big bucks and just go to a piano teacher's house once a week for both kids to learn to play.

But now I've tried Kinderbach and I think we can put that off for now.



Kinderbach is a fun and interactive video piano lesson curriculum recommended for ages 3-7. I have a 3 year old daughter and a 7 year old son and while they are on either extreme of the recommended ages, they are both learning and having fun.

The lessons are presented as fun videos. There are songs, hand motions, and dancing!



I use my lap top and set it up on our coffee table near the piano. In one of the early lessons, the kids were learning about rhythm and the video presenter asked them to copy her as she did various hand and body movements to follow the rhythm of a song. They both had a blast!

I love watching them laugh while they are learning!

There are bright colors and fun characters throughout the lessons. These are the Piano Pals pictured below. We have learned about their personalities and music appreciation as we have moved through the class. You can learn more about them too on the Piano Pals page.

In addition to the videos, there are also workbooks to download that correspond with the video lessons.



Here is a sample page from a workbook.



I love that Kinderbach isn't just reading from a book or just sitting at the piano. It is interactive and multi-sensory. It encourages the children to participate in a fun and exciting way and it can appeal to different kinds of learning styles.

But unlike a piano teacher, the Kinderbach membership cost covers both children and each can move through it at their own pace, go back and review or move ahead more quickly, as they need to. And the schedule is totally flexible around us and not stuck to a piano teacher's availability.

I'm so glad I found Kinderbach and I definitely plan to continue using it in our homeschool curriculum.

If you'd like to try Kinderbach in your home, be sure to check out the Kinderbach website and sign up for the free trial so you can be sure that it will work well for your family.

If you decide that you love it as much as I do then I have some good news! Kinderbach has generously offered a great coupon code for you. This coupon code gives 30% off any order - homeschool, classroom, online or DVDs. AND it is good for one year! Coupon Code: TOScrew2012

You can get Kinderbach in two version, online subscription or DVD. Both provide access to over 240 sessions along with accompanying activity workbooks that you can print as needed.

The online subscription is available in two payment options:
1 - $7.99 a month - Billed in a one time annual payment of $95.88 Great Value! Save 60%)
or
2 - $19.99 monthly subscription - Billed monthly for a year in 12 separate payments

The DVDs include the video lessons and come with a CD to download the workpages. They cost $40.45 for each level and there are 6 levels.

You may also want to follow Kinderbach on Facebook to keep up with the latest news and special offers.

Check out what other TOS Crew reviewers had to say about how awesome Kinderbach has been in their home.

Note: I received a free online subscription to Kinderbach in order to review the program. I was not compensated in any other way and my opinions here are entirely my own.

The Dallas Opera Family Performance of Dr. Miracle

Konos Unit: Attentiveness
Theme:Music/Composers

I was recently able to get four FREE tickets to The Dallas Opera's Family Performance of Doctor Miracle. How perfect it that? We're studying music, composers, orchestras and operas and right in my lap falls these tickets to a opera geared for kids. God blesses in even the smallest, most simple ways!

Nicholas has really enjoyed our studies on music and he loves the theater so he was excited to go try out the opera for the first time. He told me on his own that he needed a nice outfit to wear and sort of grumbled at me about the fact that he does not have a pair of "fancy shoes". Aren't they cute?

It was nice that Stuart was able to come with us to the theater. We typically only go to things like this during the weekday so he always misses out. He even had a good time and laughed a lot. I think his favorite part though was when an actor had to burp as part of his line. Yep, he's a keeper!

Most importantly the kids had a good time. Nicholas laughed and talked about the show after wards.

I did have to miss the last 5-10 minutes of the show though as Rachel was just getting too squirmy. I took her out to the lobby so that she didn't disturb other people watching the show. The performers came out to the lobby after the show and Rachel got two autographs in her program.

Don't be afraid to take your children to the theater.

1. Talk to your children before the show and explain the importance of being still and quiet during the show out of respect to the performers and other patrons in the room.
2. Make sure your children have been fed and taken care of bathroom trips before the show begins.
3. Choose productions geared towards children. They are more likely to be shorter and therefore better suited for children's shorter attention spans. They also will likely have more flashy costumes, colorful sets, fun props, and more silly singing and dancing than other performances.
4. Relax and have fun!

The Dallas Opera offers several programs for children and families throughout the year. For more information, please visit The Dallas Opera website.