CD Review – Christmas Lullabies

About the CD

“Christmas Lullabies,” the latest holiday CD from million-selling pianists The O’Neill Brothers, blends favorite Christmas songs with classic nursery rhymes to create a mash-up of magical melodies. Arranged in The O’Neill Brothers’ soothing, signature style, these unique and creative collaborations are sure to help wee ones drift off to dreamland with visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads. The soothing tones of piano and violin will have everyone in the house dreaming of softly falling snow and the wonder of Christmas morning.

From Hickory Dickory Old St. Nickory to We Wish You a Merry Muffin Man, these clever and seamless combinations of Christmas songs and classic nursery rhymes will infuse a calming, peaceful element into the excitement of the holiday season. Perfect for naptime or the end of a long, excitement-filled day of baking, shopping or celebrating, little ones will be asking to hear these mesmerizing mixes well beyond the holiday season.

The CD features 16 tunes, including:

Silent Night Lullaby; The First Noel; Hickory Dickory Old St Nickory; What Child is This?; Hush Little Drummer Boy; Are You Sleeping Away in a Manger?; Hark the Herald Angels Sing Around the Rosy; The Bear Went Over the (Go Tell it on the) Mountain; Old McDonald Had a Farm in the Little Town of Bethlehem; We Three Blind Mice Kings; Mary Had a Little Lamb; Still, Still, Still – Twinkle Twinkle; I Saw Three Ships by the London Bridge; O Come Little Children; We Wish You a Merry Muffin Man; and Rock a Bye Baby Christmas Medley.

For more information or to order, visit PianoBrothers.com or call (952) 758-9300.

About the Music

The O’Neill Brothers’ calming lullaby music has been given an A by Parenting magazine and was recently featured on TheBump.com. All of their lullaby music utilizes repetitive melodies, rhythms of 60 – 70 beats per minute and little instrumentation — elements common to the “Mozart Effect,” which has been proven to aid in development, and assist with memory learning and spatial reasoning.

For help in developing some of the music on their lullaby CDs, The O’Neill Brothers consulted with music therapist Christina Ufer, MT-BC, who has developed pediatric music therapy programs for the Mayo Clinic, Eugenio Litta Children’s Hospital and Children’s Hospitals and Clinics of Minnesota.

“Music can be an extremely powerful therapeutic tool, particularly with infants and toddlers,” Ufer says. “The O’Neill Brothers’ music is an excellent example of a style that really resonates with and calms children and their parents. I’ve used soothing lullaby music with my own patients, and I’ve seen it make a significant impact.”

In addition to assisting with development, music has been shown to reduce blood pressure, heart rate and breathing rates, and reduce levels of stress, anxiety and fear. New research from the Tel Aviv Medical Center in Israel also indicates that the Mozart Effect is beneficial in helping premature babies get stronger, an added benefit that’s near and dear to the O’Neills’ hearts.

About the O’Neill Brothers

The O’Neill Brothers have released more than 30 CDs of beautiful instrumental piano music, and sold more than two million copies — all without being associated with a major record label. Along the way, they’ve written and performed music for HBO (including music for “Sex and the City”), CBS, NBC, PBS, and ESPN. Several of their collections have hit the Billboard charts, and their PBS special featuring Deborah Gibson was nominated for an Emmy award.

My Take on the CD
Filled with wonderful lulling music, this CD is an amazing collection of instrumental melodies that brings your family and your children towards a better understanding and appreciation of music.  I have enjoyed other music from the O’Neill brothers and this has continued my love for the music. The instrumental mix was one that brought together many of the best songs of the season!

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