Can you imagine Christmas without music? So many Christmas memories are wrapped up in favorite carols sung by the fire, singing Silent Night before leaving a candlelight Christmas Eve service, or a visit caroling at a local nursing home. I am sure that many families like ours couldn't imagine trimming the tree or baking cookies without music being a part of these events as well.

Our children so want to be a part of all the hustle and bustle. My Own Christmas Carol Book allows beginning piano students and even those that have never had a lesson to begin playing Christmas carols on their own. Madonna Woods has wonderfully arranged 15 of the most common Christmas carols so that they can be easily mastered without playing in difficult keys or repositioning of one's hands. All the melody lines of these carols are arranged to fall within the five finger pattern situated so that left and right hands come together around middle C. This positioning of the melodies also creates a natural key for many to be able to sing along adding to the fun and enjoyment of the season.

Included in My Own Christmas Carol Book are the melodies to Silent Night, God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen, O Little Town of Bethlehem, It Came Upon a Midnight Clear, Joy to the World, and Away in a Manger, to name a few. The lyrics to these songs are also included so others may join in singing.

If you have an emerging piano student in your home, My Own Christmas Carol Book was designed to coordinate with the Preparatory Level of the Piano Course for Christians also published by Davidsons Music.

Our girls, ages 10 and 12, have never had formal piano lessons. However, once I showed them the proper positioning of their hands, they were soon mastering these all too familiar carols and adding to the merriment in our home during this most blessed time.

Product review by Dawn Oaks, The Old Schoolhouse® Magazine, LLC, January, 2009