"Days of Gold is a companion to They Came Singing: Songs from California's History. Both books and CDs are important additions to the multicultural study of California History. These valuable resources for history buffs, teachers and singers should be included in all school and public libraries and museums throughout the West."
Marilyn Sousa, Crescendo, Publication of Kodaly Association of Southern California
"The multicultural richness of California's musical history is showcased in these two unique books. Lovingly compiled by Calicanto Associates (four educators trained in the Kodaly system of teaching music to elementary school students). Both Days of Gold! and They Came Singing present dozens of songs in simple arrangements that include harmonies, guitar chords, and additional lyrics. There are indigenous songs, sea shanties, work songs, spirituals, game songs, love songs, drinking songs, nineteenth-century popular tunes from the diggings or the Mexican-American War, and many other folk songs brought to California by immigrants. Original foreign language lyrics, in native Californian tongues, Spanish, Italian, German, French, Russian, Chinese (phonetically rendered) and Hawaiian, are arranged between staffs directly above their English translations. True to the Kodaly method, which equally emphasizes singing, music reading and writing, listening, movement and improvisation, both books augment the sheet music with illustrations, notes on history and culture, maps, glossaries, poems, playlets, directions for performance of songs, dances and playing of games, and sidebars on pronunciation of foreign language elements ...”
"Coupled with the editors' obvious love of music, the thoroughness of both Days of Gold! and They Came Singing bears out the sentiment expressed in the epigraph of the latter title. The quote from Hendrik Van Loon asserts that 'It is more vital to feel history than to memorize its details'."
Roberto Landzari, Corporate Archivist at Dolby Laboratories, California History, The Magazine of the California Historical Society, Winter, 2000/2001