Classical Music CDs for Children

Young children, especially very small ones, listen to the music of their parents. If the parents listen to classical music then so will the child; at least until peer pressure arrives. Television watching also plays a part in this process.

In many European countries children are not left with a baby sitter while the parents go the the theatre but accompany their parents. Under the old Soviet regime the theatre, ballets, concerts, etc. were subsidized by the government so that the ticket prices were low enough for the average Soviet could afford to attend with their children. The children were well behaved and paid attention to what was going on up on the stage.

Musicians like Itzak Perlman and Yo Yo Ma have appeared on children's television programs like Sesame Street and Mister Rogers Neighbourhood in order to enlist the interest of children into the classics.

Years ago conductor and composer Leonard Bernstein hosted the Young People's Series also aimed at interesting children into the "cultured music" world.

Sergey Prokofiev wrote a piece called "Peter and the Wolf" which was designed to not only interest children into the world of classical music; but also introduces the child to the instruments themselves. While introducing the instruments the work is transformed into a story.

For parents who want to introduce their children to the classics with a little more modern taste, two artists that have brought the old into the new are Brian Setzer and The East Village Opera Company.

In the case of Brian Setzer, the rocking guitar player has taken some of the more well known pieces and put his signature rock wound on them.

The East Village Opera Company is a group of musicians who perform classical pieces, most notably opera works with a modern rock format. The lyrics are sung in the original languages but are much lighter and more enjoyable than the original pieces.

As a child I was taken to the theatre every season to see the symphony, musicals, ballet, etc. with my parents. The music I heard there was often supplemented on Saturday mornings with cartons like Bugs Bunny and Friends. Occasionally I still listen to the original works but I also enjoy the modern rocking classical works of Brian Setzer and The East Village Opera Company.

It isn't the CD that will interest the child but the parents and what they choose to expose their children to whether it be at home or at the theatre.