Welcome to Love Me Playful

If you’re hoping to find award-winning recordings and information that will help you share music at home with your baby or toddler, you’ve come to the right place. Songs on the Love Me Playful CD and at-home activities in the companion book were developed to provide a framework for fun with music in the first months and years of your child’s life. With this winning research-based combination (CD and book), you and your child can enjoy music-play together—and the good news is that no special “talent” is required and no special instruments or fancy equipment are needed. With wonderful music and outstanding, age-appropriate activities, the only essentials are things that you—the parent, teacher, or caretaker—bring to the mix. You need a willingness to play with your child, a great smile, sparkling eyes, and a hug, tickle, or kiss to share with your little one. We hope that this recording will serve as the inspiration for many happy times!
 

 “Come on and play, Hey! Hey! It’s a wonderful day!!

When you and your child are ready to settle down, music on the Love Me Tender CD is the path to soothing movement and wonderful sleepy-time memories. Used in the order suggested, the first songs on the recording provide just the right tempos for gentle movement, rocking, and dancing. On the second half of the CD the songs become increasingly gentle and lulling, and you’ll enjoy lullabies and songs that were developed to take you and your baby all the way to dreamland. The companion booklet provides information to help you use this recording as a relaxation tool, and also suggests ways that you can encourage bonding and connecting through music. In selecting and arranging music for this recording, the preferences of fathers were also taken into consideration, so it’s no accident that men seem to enjoy this recording as much as women (see research by McGraw, 2004 in Resources). With a great mix of music and styles, it’s easy for parents, grandparents, and caretakers of all ages to get involved in bedtime routines that are inspired by the Love Me Tender CD!

“Baby’s fishin’ for a dream, Fishin’ near and far . . .
His line a silver moonbeam is, His bait a silver star . . .”
 

As reviewers have noted, these recordings feature music that was developed and engineered to be perceptually accessible to little ears; music that strikes a balance between the conflicting musical “preferences” of adults and babies or toddlers; and music with a delightful take on important developmental research findings.

The music that you will experience on these recordings is thoroughly grounded in recent research findings that have huge implications for learning and development in the first three years of life. If you’ve started to wonder about what’s involved in a research-based recording, check out Did You Know? You’ll find some timely information there– as well as an overview of some fascinating topics. With a little “expert” knowledge under your belt, you’ll have a better understanding of the music that you hear—and why this music sounds the way it does. My best wishes to you and your little ones, along with hopes that you will find these recordings to be wonderful additions to your home, daycare, preschool, or primary grade settings.    Gwen McGraw (November 2005).
 

Love Me Playful CD and Activity Book

Love Me Tender CD

Expert Knowledge and Talent

Gwendolyn McGraw is an artist-educator who has loved making music with and for children for nearly 20 years. Chair of Music Education at The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, she teaches graduate courses in Early Childhood Music, directs doctoral research in the field, and is engaged in on-going music research with young children (birth through age 8). An award-winning children’s recording artist and specialist in children’s music, she brings extensive knowledge of children’s development to her composing, arranging, performing, and recording of music for young children.

In recent years, Dr. McGraw has provided editorial leadership, song repertoire and age-appropriate activities for an early childhood music curriculum currently used in nearly 30 countries worldwide. She has published articles in refereed journals, written books and materials for use in teacher training, and compiled/edited music books for parents and young children. An advocate for quality, age-appropriate recordings and media marketed for infants and young children, she spent more than three years in research and development related to these recordings. She has given workshops, invited lectures, and performances of children’s music in the USA, Europe, and Asia—and has served as a consultant on children’s music/music education to governmental agencies, corporations, and music industry professionals.


Craig Long, producer and collaborator on many arrangements in this CD series, is a Sacramento engineer with a number of platinum recordings to his credit. A versatile musician, he is well known for his work in advertising, film scoring, and popular music in a number of styles. His expertise was critically important in the development of these recordings.

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