2012

We’ve been having an email conversation with some of our Kids Friendly people about their favourite Kiwi Music and here’s what we’ve found. Let us know what you love too!

Recommendations:

Anna Davis, St John’s in the City: The Wiggles Christmas CD has some great simple versions of well known carols for preschoolers including a spoken description of the shepherds following the star. Carol our Christmas is one of our favourite Kiwi CD’s. The music book and CD can be purchased from from Kids Music Company Kids just love Christmas (we particularly like the song Born on Christmas Day) and On a High Note CD with some good renditions of favourite carols. (You can listen before you buy.) Also a hit with older kids is Drummer Boy with rap by heart throb (to some) Justin Bieber! Also recommend Come on Ring those bells and Somebody’s birthday.

Caty Ferguson, St Andrew’s Henderson: A Very Mary Christmas by Mary Rice Hopkins. Our favourite songs are Angel Band, Sheep Party, Best Story of All. We also like Jill Kemp’s Christmas for Kids that has great songs for young children to learn the Christmas story. And we like Kiwi : Oh, jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Christmas in New Zealand on a sunny summer's day, ah! Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way, Oh what fun it is to have a Kiwi holiday! For the full version see the cute Simard sisters on Youtube

Jennie McCullough, Knox Waitara: We’ve had lots of fun with Mark Bradford’s “Righteous Pop Music (R.P.M). They tell the Christmas story through iconic pop songs. Available from Creative Ministry Solutions.

Angela Cottrell, Small Miracles Preschool, St Heliers Presbyterian: Christmas is a Season of Love by Linda Adamson, Pohutukawa Tree, Come on Ring Those Bells, Joseph’s Dream, A Pukeko in a Ponga Tree, Ring, Ring, Ring the Bells (words and tunes available from Kids Friendly).

Cheryl Harray, Kids Friendly Advisor, Synod of Otago and Southland: I love Natalie Yeoman’s Kiwiana Christmas Song which has a catch tune and great potential for actions. In verse 3 replace the lines about Paul Holmes with: “In New Zealand this is our place, So let’s all join together and say, came for all people today.” Malcolm Gordon acclaimed musician and my son-in-law wrote some songs for the Christmas Pageant at St Paul's Katikati last year. Check out “People came from all around”.

And there’s more……

Raewyn Dakers, St Heliers Presbyterian: Some I like are Kauri, Flax and Rata - Carol of the flowers (David Hamilton), Carol of the festival tree (Bruce Baker), Pohutukawa promise (Majorie Spicer and Norman Brookes), Te Harinui (Willow Macky) and There’s straw in the manger (Colin Gibson). Also the ready to go pageant books and CD’s from Out of the Ark have great catchy songs.

And from Chris Barnett our Australasian friend across the sea: When Jesus was Born (Beth Barnett) and King of Christmas (Colin Buchanan) are my top CDs. Praise Crazy CD by Johnny Burns has a great song called Bop. I also like the songs God in a Bod on the Click CD , When Jesus was Born on the Find Out CD and The Greatest Present on the Oh, Have You Heard CD from Snack Music.

Some other favourites: Hangu Te Po/Silent Night (in Maori and English) Mary’s Boy child by Boney M Mary had a baby, yes lord (my bible in schools class love this. The girls sing the intro line and the boys respond “yes Lord” – lots of hilarity! Words available from Kids Friendly. Come on Ring those bells (children love this song that talks about going on holiday and Jesus being the greatest celebration of all. Younger children can ring bells in the chorus).

Preschool Christmas Songs This Kids Friendly resource is a compilation of simple Christmas songs sung to popular tunes. Ideal for preschoolers and young primary.