Music » Children's Educational Music

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Genre: Childrens
Media Format: Compact Disk
Rating:
Release Date: 3-NOV-1998

Laurie Berkner's Victor Vito is a 22-song giggle-fest for the under-7 crowd. Witness "The Goldfish," one of 16 originals on the former educator's third album, in which a bunch of fishies find themselves lathering up in the shower and pedaling furiously on bicycles until it dawns on them that their species doesn't do that sort of thing. And there's the title tune, which finds Victor Vito and Freddie Vasco snacking on a burrito with Tabasco and then tipping the hot stuff on their rice and beans and rutabagas and collard greens before Victor dives into a plate of spaghetti with Freddie. Loopy takes on classics like "O Susannah" round out the acoustic-guitar-driven drollery, and after both "Shakin' Down the Sugar" and an ode to feeling crazy enough to jump in the soup, the last cut, "Goodnight," is a welcome wind down. Berkner blurs the way too distinct line between goofiness and hipness with major aplomb, and this album's simple production, combined with her playful singing voice, seals the deal. Victor Vito is unwaveringly victorious in its friendly, laugh-a-minute mission. --Tammy La Gorce

Hundreds of compilation recordings have been thrust on the market in recent years on the theory that classical music makes a nice, non-threatening accompaniment to everything from working out to making love. And here we have one compilation promising to make your baby smarter. It's offensive enough that the music featured on these compilations is spliced up so that the most you hear of any work is a single movement; what's really annoying is the poor quality of so many of the featured performances. So it is some consolation that the artists here include such 20th-century legends as the Cleveland Orchestra under Szell and the Budapest String Quartet with Mieczyslaw Horszowski. Of course if these folks were alive, one can imagine their violent objection to this presentation of their work. --Gwendolyn Freed

Sesame Street In Harmony features great artists, and of course your favorite characters from the Sesame Street television show, singing songs that will get your foot tapping and you singing along. This great collection of children's music is sure to be a favorite in your house!
Track Listing
1.Wynken, Blynken And Nod - Doobie Brothers
2. Jelly Man Kelly - James Taylor
3. Be With Me - Carly Simon
4. Blueberry Pie - Bette Midler
5.Share - Ernie And Cookie Monster
6.One Good Turn - Al Jarreau
7.I Want A Horse - Linda Ronstadt And Wendy Waldman
8.The Sailor And The Mermaid - Libby Titus And Dr. John
9.Pajamas - Livingston Taylor
10.A Friend For All Seasons - George Benson And Pauline Wilson
11.I Have A Song - Lucy Simon
12.In Harmony - Kate Taylor And The Simon/Taylor Family

No Description AvailableNo Track Information AvailableMedia Type: CDArtist: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! ROCKSTitle: SCHOOLHOUSE ROCK! ROCKSStreet Release Date: 04/09/1996

Mathematics is a particularly sensitive educational area in the United States (and, for that matter, the world in the digital age). This set is tremendously simplistic but appropriately so, rooting through numerical issues but also introducing the gist of so many "story problems" that kids have encountered since at least the 1970s. The music has a distinctly '70s feel, sounding a touch like Paul Simon backed by some more-staid offshoot of the Staple Singers. "Ready or Not, Here I Come" is a rambling blast, shuffling quickly and soulfully and showing the depth of jazz vocal veteran Bob Dorough's command of language and rhythm. Things are spry--maybe a bit too much--but single-digit kids (mostly the 4-and-over range) will catch the snappy groove easily and ask for more. --Andrew Bartlett

Despite its abundance of decidedly unsophisticated ditties by Blue's bug-eyed and batty but well-intentioned owner, Steve, Blue's Big Musical Movie delights the youngsters and soothes beleaguered grown-up ears with a handful of selections by the inimitable Ray Charles, who also guest stars in the movie. With backup from the Persuasions, Charles spins even nonsensical stuff into songs worth a listen: "Hey, hey / Shooba-dee-day / Beep, bop, bay" are lines from "There It Is," a Charles-Steve duet that simmers, subtly, with soul. "Tempo" has Charles deftly speeding things up and slowing them down without making the song seem choppy or overly didactic--a minor, itty-bitty testament to his legend. Blue's Clues' countless fans who are younger than 6 won't feel gypped by this CD, either. All the familiar favorites--Side Table, Mailbox, and even upstart Magenta--chime in with values-laden tunes about the individual obstacles that dogged them in the movie (which centers around the staging of a backyard "big show"). "I Can Be Anything That I Want to Be" salutes Side Table, who overcomes shyness and summons the nerve to sing in the Show. And its refrain, "Don't give up, just go on," sends a message to several cast members--and, with luck, listeners--about shrugging off goofs and setbacks in the name of going for it, whatever the goal. --Tammy La Gorce

It's easy to tell your children "Just relax and stop worrying so much!", but this is rarely effective in reducing their feelings of stress and anxiety. Relaxation strategies such as progressive muscle relaxation and visual imagery have been shown to be extremely effective treatment components for child anxiety, and also can be great general stress reducers for children. Now your child can learn specific relaxation skills that he or she can use anywhere. Written by Dr. Donna Pincus, creator of The Child Anxiety Network (www.childanxiety.net), the I Can Relax! CD focuses on teaching children relaxation skills while also promoting positive self-image. Appropriate for children ages 4 to 12, The I Can Relax! CD features the voice of Dr. Pincus along with music and sound effects.Dr. Donna Pincus, Editor and creator of The Child Anxiety Network, is a Research Associate Professor at Boston University, and the Director of the Child and Adolescent Fear and Anxiety treatment Program at the Center for Anxiety and Related Disorders at Boston University. Dr. Pincus received her graduate training in Clinical Psychology at SUNY Binghamton, specializing in the assessment and treatment of childrens fears and anxieties, and childrens coping with stressful events. Dr. Pincus completed her internship and post-doctoral training at the University of Florida Health Sciences Center. Dr. Pincus is currently the Principal Investigator of an NIMH funded study investigating the development of a treatment for young children with separation anxiety disorder. She has given numerous talks and workshops on child anxiety to parents, teachers, students and healthcare professionals. Among her media appearances, Dr. Pincus was recently interviewed on the NBC Today show, Nick News, National Geographic, Womens Lifetime Television Network, and was featured in a 20/20 ABC News segment on childhood panic disorder.

Get ready to clap your hands, shake that thang, and boogie! Accompanying the film Muppets in Space, wherein the gang goes in search of Gonzo's hitherto unknown lineage, this soundtrack features classic '70s funk that's good for the soul. G. Love and Special Sauce shine on their poppin'-with-flava cover of Brick's "Dazz" and George Clinton gets down with new Muppet star, Pepe, on "Starlight," a reworking of his classic "Flashlight." A party atmosphere is evident from the first strains of the Dust Brothers cover of "Shining Star" through to the Alien Gonzos rockin' out on the dance favorite "Celebration." Other high moments come in the form of James Brown's enthused "Get Up Offa That Thing" and the Commodores still superfabulous horn and bass driven "Brick House," both guaranteed to promote bustin' a move till the whole family's dizzy with pleasure. --Paige La Grone

Tom Chapin's music for children has always been conscience-driven. But This Pretty Planet is far and away his most thematically focused work. His musical map is still wide ranging, from the opening brass-band cadence of "Come Blow Your Horn" to the two-step folk pacing of "Two Kinds of Seagulls" and on and on. Chapin's songs here, apropos of the CD's title, all focus on environmental connections and concerns. The title track first appeared on Family Tree, but most of these cuts are newly recorded (or never before recorded). All highlight Chapin's unbeatable knack for involving the hearts and minds of kids. The lyrics turn on tricky phrases that will build kids' vocabularies (and, hence, sense of self) but they also rely on great rhymes, intricate--though never intimidating--musical arrangements, and heaps of humor. Appearances by Judy Collins, Michael Doucet (of Beausoleil), and Dr. Ruth Westheimer add to Chapin's delightful mix. --Andrew Bartlett