Friday, July 4, 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!


After an enjoyable late lunch at Maana and after learning about the interesting life story of its owner, Angel Broncales, I was ready for enjoying a little bit of afternoon relaxation and right across from Maana is a beautiful urban park called Square St. Louis. Its history goes back a long way, all the way to 1848 when the City of Montreal installed a water reservoir on top of a hill. 31 years later the reservoir was taken down and the entire site was converted into a public park.

The centre of the park, situated in Montreals popular Latin Quarter neighbourhood, features a classic Victorian fountain, surrounded by a large number of benches that attract local residents, university students, artists and tourists in search of a shady spot to relax. Someone had brought a guitar and was strumming folk songs, children were playing, and a dog was swimming in the water of the fountain. A peaceful atmosphere imbued this urban green space. Surrounding the park is a collection of eclectic Second Empire townhouses and some people say that this square might be the closest thing to a European neighbourhood square.

As I was sitting and just taking in this picturesque environment, a young man sat down next to me and we started chatting. He said that he is originally from Antigua and grew up in Oakville, Ontario, just outside of Toronto. He went to university in Virginia, did his graduate degree at McGill in Montreal and finally a PhD at Cornell University. He told me that today he runs a biotech company located in Boston and occasionally he has to travel up on business to Montreal.

Since he lived in Montreal while taking his graduate degree, he had a chance to get to know the city up-close and says he loves Montreal, especially because of its bohemian character and its European flair. He actually lived around the corner from Square St. Louis, and he is always drawn back to this neighbourhood whenever he comes back to Montreal.

Curious about his experiences studying in different parts in the United States, I asked him what his experience was like, particularly as a visible minority. He indicated that issues such as race, religion and sex are taken much more seriously in the US than they are in Canada. He added that Montreal is a very relaxed place and racial background is not much of an issue. In his opinion, language is a much more important topic in Montreal.

As we chatted, two young ladies, one from California and from Washington, D.C., came by and requested us to take a picture. We chatted for a while and they told us that they were visiting a friend who lives here in Montreal. The atmosphere in Square St. Louis was so open and relaxed, people just felt comfortable approaching complete strangers to sit down and chat. I was having a great time.

Shortly after, the young man said goodbye and I continued my exploration of the Latin Quarter on foot. Montreals stone townhouses represent a very unique and beautiful architectural style that you will not find in any other city. As I got ready for my next item on the itinerary, a visit to Montreals Islands and the Casino de Montreal, I relished this neighbourhood encounter between total strangers, inspired by the serene surroundings of Square St. Louis

Susanne Pacher is the publisher of a website called Travel and Transitions(http://www.travelandtransitions.com). Travel and Transitions deals with unconventional travel and is chock full of advice, tips, real life travel experiences & interesting life journeys, interviews with travellers and travel experts, cross-cultural issues, and many other features.

Susanne has recently published a series of FREE travel ebooks about destinations such as Spain, Cuba, Mexico, Sicily, New York City, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, Nova Scotia and many more. Visit Travel and Transitions - FREE ebooks( http://www.travelandtransitions.com/ebooks.html )"Life is a Journey Explore New Horizons".

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Rosetta Stone V3: Spanish (Latin America), Level 2

Spanish (Latin America) Level 2 teaches you to navigate through your surroundings as you build on the vocabulary and essential structure in Level 1. Learn to talk about your environment such as giving and getting directions, using transportation, telling time, dining out, enjoying basic social interactions and more.
Customer Review: a software note
This product is sold as licensed software. Users will NOT be able to load it onto more than one computer. This aspect of the product is not clear from the blurbing on the Rosetta Stone website. It is a "single-user" product. Don't think that you can share this with friends, or that it is appropriate for a lending collection.
Customer Review: Wonderful Learning Tool
I gave this as a gift to someone with a minimal background in Spanish, but a great desire to learn. He loves it. It has inspired him to keep to the instruction modules and is now peppering all of his speech with the words and phrases he's learned.


Stress. It affects us all. The noise. The emotional upsets. The rapidly approaching holiday season that we're all supposed to smile our way through.

Thankfully, one of the ways we can relieve stress is by putting on some relaxing music. Some love to listen to nature sounds. Some quiet piano music. Whatever you are attracted to, take a minute to sit down, close your eyes, and listen.

Your heart rate and breathing will start to slow down along with your thoughts. As you tune in to the sound of the music, you let go of the cares and concerns of the outer world. Now, an inner journey begins to take place.

After listening for a few minutes, you find yourself feeling refreshed and renewed, as if a blanket of sound has washed you clean. And all you had to do was put a CD in your player. Listening to music is a great way to reduce stress levels. Playing music can actually reduce stress even further.

As we approach our chosen instrument, we settle into a happy routine that always brings us comfort and joy. As a piano player, I love preparing to play. The act of sliding the bench out, of touching the keys and placing my hands on a chord all contribute to a calming ritual that allows me to relax and unwind. And then as I play, cares and concerns of this world slowly drop off my shoulders and I am transported into a place where peace is present.

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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