A multiple-use musical product, Sing and Play The Jamaican Way, is breathing new life into traditional Jamaican music. Conceived by musical director and arranging specialist Joy Simons Brown, with funding from the Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Early Childhood Education (CHASE) Fund, Sing and Play The Jamaican Way is described by the composer as "a collection of musical scores of your favourite Jamaican traditional/folk songs with play-along CD and a booklet with sing-along CD".

Featuring back-up music for a wide range of songs, such as the Jamaican Christmas carol, She Rock The Baby To Sleep; ballads including Evening Time and It Was Under the Coconut Tree, storytelling songs Linstead Market, No Go Mango Walk, Mango Time, Day-O and revival tunes with choruses like Dip Them Bedward.

At the launch in Kingston recently, guest speaker, principal director of culture in the Ministry of Culture, Youth and Sports, Sydney Bartley, endorsed the manuscript and noted that there was power in Jamaica's musical heritage that must be used to overcome current tribulations.

"If our ancestors were able to overcome, how could we even try to feel intimidated by the kind of problems that we face today? How could we ever feel that we are not equipped to deal with the issues which confront us today when we look back?"

had to support

Project manager of the CHASE Fund, Paulette Mitchell, said, "This was something that we had to support. It speaks to developing the folk music that some of us know and some of us love but more of us need to embrace. CHASE feels very proud being a partner."

The sing-along CD is a ready-to-use accompaniment for choral or group singing and ambience for events with a Jamaican or tropical theme. The musical score is written to international standards for any instrument, and is used with a play-along CD with accompaniment of percussion and flute.

Packages are available at independent bookshops and gift stores in Kingston, Mandeville, Christiana and Ocho Rios.