HBO's Classical Baby: Music, Art, and Dance

As the rookie mother of a two-year old, I've seen a lot of children's DVDs and can practically recite from memory what animal will appear next on Baby Einstein's Baby Noah DVD. By far, the most well-done series I have seen is HBO's Classical Baby series. The series is comprised of three DVDs that originally aired on HBO; there is the Music show, Dance show, and the Art show (or "Ah-t" show as my daughter likes to say). The last is my absolute favorite as it bring to life well-known works of art and pairs them with familiar classical pieces. Watching Chagall's 1915 painting, "Birthday" come to life or two mischievous bees contributing to the creation of one of Pollock's canvases are just some of the ways this wonderful series proves to be entertaining and educational for both children and parents. For a classical music buff, it was also a pleasant surprise to see in the credits that the selections used were taken from wonderful recordings. i.e., the Music show's "Busy Caterpillar" segment is set to cellist Yo-Yo Ma's recording of "Prelude from Bach's Unaccompanied Cello Suite No. 1 in G Major." The Music and Art show segments are soothing enough that we have incorporated it as part of the nightly bedtime ritual.

Don't despair if your child doesn't take to it right away....it is inevitable that they will fall madly in love with it--just as my fickle little toddler did.

Photo: HBO
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