Piano for Preschoolers Giveaway!

Not surprisingly, many of the best products we review here on Cool Moms Rule were created by Moms like you, who saw there was a need for something for their own children that no one else was addressing. So they went that extra mile and solved the problem themselves.

Angie Crellin is one of those Moms. She's been studying classical music for 30 years (obviously she started when she was a baby!), and when the time came to teach her own oldest daughter to play the piano, she excitedly brought home all kinds of music books to help her learn to play the piano, only to see her daughter lose interest quickly. The books out there simply didn't appeal to her. And then Angie's youngest son showed some interest, and rather than try the same old musty books that bored her daughter, she considered classes. But all of the classes out there seemed to use the same old boring beginner's books that her daughter had abandoned.

So Angie created Piano for Preschoolers, and it really is a comprehensive program. And what's even more important, it actually appeals to kids and keeps them interested.

The program consists of :

• A teaching guide book for the parent or teacher which serves as an introduction and gives some valuable tips for keeping kids interested, how to use the program, etc.
  
• A color-coded book of songs kids will love, and can learn to play themselves.
• Two durable plastic-coated key guides, that fit right over either a piano or a keyboard, so your kids know where their fingers should go by color.
• A 17-track music CD with "count along" help for every song in the music book.

Here's some of the reasons I think Piano for Preschoolers really rocks (and why it is so successful):

Your know how your child learns. Let's face it, no one knows your child better than you do! You are already a great teacher; you're a Mom. But maybe you don't know how to play classical music yourself. Maybe you've never touched a keyboard. You know what? You can still teach your child with Angie's method!

Kids learn their colors early, and this system works on that premise. Don't worry about overwhelming musical charts in the beginning. All they have to do to play the notes is know their colors! (You may be aware, if you have older children, of the popularity of video games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band. They use a similar premise of having the kids push buttons on the controller by color to play the guitar or drums, and they certainly keep kids' interest!) By the end of the program, your child will make the transition to musical notes easily.

Kids learn at their own pace. If they stumble over a song, they can take as long as they need to learn it.

The songs are catchy, and kids know them. Who hasn't sung the ABC song to her child, or Old MacDonald? How about Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star?

Now, imagine if your child could play these songs herself, with you singing along and praising her. Don't you think she would be motivated to learn to play more songs?

As I said, the program is comprehensive, and at $39.95, Piano for Preschoolers is more than reasonable. The only thing not included is the piano (hey, imagine what the shipping would cost for that!) or keyboard.

By the way, that's another thing I liked: kids can learn this program on a simple keyboard, which is easier and cheaper than a piano. But you may feel differently. Maybe you have a baby grand sitting around in your conservatory somewhere. ; )

And, if you discover you have a child prodigy on your hands, Angie plans to release another course for older children soon.

Win It!

Want to Win The Piano for Preschoolers Program? We were so impressed, we're giving away our review copy to one lucky Mom!

Here's how to win:

If you have a blog, link to this contest on your blog. Then come back and comment with the link in your comment.

If you don't have a blog, leave a comment below this post with the reason you think your child would love the Piano for Preschoolers Program!

All comments must be made by 9:00 PM EST on Monday, June 2nd (forget that midnight deadline, I'm a Mom, I can't stay up that late!). One lucky Mom will be declared the winner on Tuesday, June 3rd.

That's it! Good luck!

~ Viv