I recently had the opportunity to host and get to know Jeff McCullough, the creator of JumpStart3. He shared his heart on why he created JumpStart3, and his music with me. Jeff explained that he grew up with a learning disability that kept him from being able to memorize Scripture, and he realized that his children were struggling to memorize as well. After asking many other parents if they were having the same issue, he concluded that this was a widespread problem for children and families. He already had a background in the music industry and writing jingles for nation-wide companies. So he thought, why can’t I make catchy songs that teach children and families God’s Word? That’s how JumpStart3 was born.

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Jeff asked me if I would be willing to write a review of his product, and I was delighted to do so. Here are some of my observations and thoughts on JumpStart3:

What is JumpStart3?

Description:

JumpStart3’s slogan is that they are “The Hottest Songs in the You-Know-Verse!”

It gives kids music that they love, with timeless truths from the Bible. It gives parents a chance to listen to popular music with the family, knowing they are not only hearing decent lyrics, but memorizing the Word of God. The excellent thing about JumpStart3 is that with the ability to adapt to changing music styles, we can stay current with the music scene keeping kids interested in the music and more importantly Scripture.

If you find that your kids are having trouble memorizing their bible verses, but remember the words to music, TV, and movies, what we are doing at JumpStart3 can help your kids. With a style of music they want to listen to and lyrics straight from the bible, JumpStart3 is a great way to get kids to hide Gods Word in their heart.

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Products/Cost:

This is a sample of the main products available from JumpStart3. For more options: visit their site!

– Ministry Resource Volumes 1-4 – Cost: $149.99 per volume

This Ministry Resource Kit contains 12 songs on Audio CDs, DVDs, and DVD-Roms. Lyric and hand motion videos, as well as a full mix and performance mix are also included! Its everything you need to train your worship leaders and kids to Worship and memorize at the same time.

– Ministry Resource Everything Bundle – Cost: $399.99 (best value)

This Bundle Includes: Ministry Resource Volumes 1-4 ($600 value) 48 songs with Lyric videos and motions!!!

– Family Resource Volumes 1-2 – Cost: $39.99 per volume

The JumpStart3 Family Resource gives families Music, Motions and Family Devotions.
(1) Audio CD with 12 songs
(1) DVD video with 24 Hand Motion Videos
(1) DVD Rom with Printable PDF files of the Family Devotions.

– Family Resource 12 Month Subscription – Cost: $140.00 (best value)

The 12 month subscription gives you a new Family Resource volume (12 songs) every 3 months.
The JumpStart3 Family Resource gives families Music, Motions and Family Devotions.
(1) Audio CD with 12 songs
(1) DVD video with 24 Hand Motion Videos
(1) DVD Rom with Printable PDF files of the Family

– JumpStart3 CDs Volumes 1-6 – Cost: $9.99 per volume

– JumpStart3 CD Bundle Volumes 1-8 – Cost: $69.99 (best value)

– Music Downloads: Singles – Cost: $1.29 per song (best value)

– Music Downloads: Albums – Cost: $9.99 (6 songs)

– Video Downloads: Lyric Videos mp4 format (Full Mix or Instrumental) – Cost: $9.99 each

The Positives:

– Songs teach straight Scripture.

This is by far the most positive aspect of the music from JumpStart3. I have lots of great worship songs I use that my kids love, but none of them teach my kids Scriptures straight from God’s Word. Why wouldn’t I want my kids to learn Scripture while they worship?

– Music that kids will actually like.

I have heard lots of songs that teach Scripture, but the music is for lack of better terms “lame” or “too baby-ish” for upper elementary age kids. JumpStart3 sounds like the music on the secular radio stations so your kids are bound to like it.

– It will get stuck in your head. 

Jeff told us a story about a group of kids who came to a camp where he did the music using JumpStart3 songs. He said that on the way to camp they were singing Katy Perry, and on the way home they were singing JumpStart3 songs. He wasn’t kidding. I played the JumpStart3 music at church on Wednesday night, but listened to the radio on the way home. You want to know what was stuck in my head all night long? JumpStart 3!

– Digital and hard copies are available for most products.

It’s definitely nice to have the option of instantly downloading the songs and some lyric videos if you don’t want to wait for the hard copy to arrive in the mail. However, you will get more bang for your buck by buying the full ministry resource packs.

– Ministry Resources include EVERYTHING you need.

Seriously. Everything. You get full mix and performance track cds, full mix and performance track lyric videos, a hand motion dvd, and all videos in mp4 and wmv format. This is amazing. I’m sure you are wondering if the lyric videos and hand motions are really any good. I have to say that I am usually the type to make up my own motions because the motions are either too hard or not cool enough. The motions are a great mix of hip-hop and being easy enough to learn quickly. The lyric videos are clear and well done. The best part is I can just pop in the dvd with the mp4 videos and drop them right into my ProPresenter Playlist. Done.

Needs Improvement:

Website navigation and appearance. 

To be fair, Jeff told us himself that the website does need some work. It is somewhat difficult to navigate, and is not very aesthetically appealing. Also, some of the products available aren’t even listed in the online store.

Bundles aren’t always the best deal.

Most of the bundles do save you some cash, but I noticed that you can actually pay more for the full album if you digitally download, rather than buying the songs individually. I noted this in the product/cost breakdown above.

All products are not available digitally.

I love the fact that some of the products are available to download instantly, but I would like to have the ability to purchase entire ministry resource volumes digitally as well.

Should you buy JumpStart3?

My verdict: ABSOLUTELY! It is so hard to find Christians songs that kids will love, and actually want to sing. I believe that even your upper elementary kids will love learning the majority of the songs from JumpStart3. Bonus: they will be learning Scripture while having an awesome time. The ministry resource volumes are the complete package, and you won’t have to add anything to make it work for your kid’s ministry.

I plan on introducing one song each month as our memory verse to go along with the theme we are teaching on that month. Instead of trying to teach them to “say” the verse, we are going to “sing” the verse. Every week we will play Scripture Karaoke to see if the kids remember the verse. My kids LOVE karaoke! I can’t wait to see my kids learn Scripture in an easy and fun way. Thanks JumpStart3.

Don’t just take my word for it. Check it out for yourself here!=