A Clever Approach to Musical DVDs: Juno Baby

There is plenty of evidence to suggest that music is a great stimulant for little minds and, unlike other things that are good for kids (brocolli anyone?), music is something that kids love. The problem, as any adult who has The Wheels on the Bus stuck in their head will attest, is that ‘children’s’ music is rarely tolerable except in very small doses. And most adult oriented music is either unpalatable or inappropriate to little ears. (Though our almost two year old is a fan of the White Stripes.) What a dilemma.

How fortunate then that Belinda Takahashi became a parent and encountered the same quandry. Unlike the rest of us who can only lament and suffer through Old MacDonald, Belinda is an award winning composer and educator. So when her baby was born, Belinda went to work creating a series of classical music pieces specifically for children. Then she had the music recorded by actual orchestra musicians–a refreshing break from the electronically produced sounds of most children’s music.

Belinda then paired the music with a cast of puppets, peformed by veterans of Fraggle Rock, to capture the interest of little ears and minds. The result, Juno Baby, is a set of DVDs and CDs of music that kids will love all the while learning to appreciate classical music.

Since its release, Juno Baby, has won awards and accolades from critics, educators and parents. And it’s not surprising, we here at Clever Parents can attest that the music is great for kids–not too heady or adult by any means–and a very refreshing break for Mom and Dad as well. Juno Baby is well done and worth it.

The Juno Baby Original Music CD runs $18.00 and the DVDs (there are 4) run $20.00. There is also now a line of t-shirts celebrating the Juno Baby characters. All are available from the Juno Baby Store.