1812 Overture - Tchaikovsky

A Boy Named Charlie Brown - Guaraldi

Ah, vous dirai-je maman! - Mozart

Bolero - Ravel

The Entertainer - Joplin

Jazz for Kids of All Ages - Various

Rodeo - Copland

One of the Russian composer's most popular works, and why not? What kid (including big kids) doesn't love music that ends with cannon fire? Tchaikovsky is an example of a Romantic period composer, and his music is very emotional. This piece has all the characteristics of Romantic music: wonderful melodies, luscious harmonies, overpowering crescendos, and subtle pianissimos. It's got a lot of drama that will keep your little one's attention, especially if the two of you try to identify the especially quiet sections versus the loud sections. This is a great choice for a live concert, and it can often be heard at Fourth of July celebrations.

This is the soon-to-be aficionado's first stop on his or her journey into jazz. The fun, syncopated music is deeply associated with the holiday season, and for good reason. Its appeal to kids big and small is undeniable, and the playing is masterful.

This piece for piano is a theme and variations based on the familiar French melody you know all too well as "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star." Children will recognize the theme right away - encourage them to try to identify the melody as Mozart takes it through 12 variations. Then, for fun, hum up your own variations! This music is easy to find and often available as part of a collection of Mozart's piano works.

This one-movement work is another way to introduce a child to the instruments of the orchestra. Ravel takes this melody in the style of a bolero - a Spanish dance - and repeats it over and over using different instrument combinations, building and building to an explosive finish. The More Fun section of the Playhouse Music site contains a printable activity that allows you to hear the piece as you and the child identify the different instruments. As you listen with the child, try to find the spots where the repeats start.

Scott Joplin is one of the most important American composers of all time. He is considered the father of ragtime but had a classical composer's approach to composing music. Ragtime is a combination of folk tunes, African rhythms, and Creole influences and was especially popular at the turn of the twentieth century. It's fun, happy music that offers great examples of syncopation. "The Entertainer" and the "Maple Leaf Rag" are among his most popular songs and are available in many different recordings. It's fun to listen to these pieces and compare them to more traditional classical pieces and then to more traditional jazz pieces and see which elements they share.

A great opportunity not only to look at how nursery rhymes are treated in music (Ella Fitzgerald's take on "Old Mother Hubbard" and "Muffin Man"), but also to hear Fats Waller at his most humorous ("Your Feet's Too Big"). A wide variety of jazz artists span the spectrum, from trumpeter Louis Prima, to singer Rosemary Clooney, to bandleader Duke Ellington, to Bing Crosby singing the Disney classic "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah."

The "Hoe-Down" section from this ballet is probably best known as the music behind the "Beef: It's what's for dinner" Beef Association campaign. Uniquely American sounding and with an obvious Western flair, the ballet tells the story of a cowgirl in love with a cowboy who won't give her the time of day...at first. It's not uncommon to find this ballet performed by larger dance companies, and it is a good choice for a child's first ballet performance. Otherwise, it's perfect for wearing a cowboy hat and making up your own dance!