Music Appreciation with Movie Soundtracks

One thing kids like to do is watch movies. Since they will most likely spend a good deal of their time doing this, you might as well make that time into a time for music appreciation. Try to find some movies that have well-written soundtracks. One that my kids enjoy is The Land Before Time. James Horner, who wrote the soundtracks for movies like "Titanic" and "A Beautiful Mind," was the composer for the first seven "Land Before Time" movies. I have only seen the first one, so I can only vouch for its quality. The soundtrack is exciting, and thoughtfully draws from children's classical pieces like "Peter and the Wolf" and "A Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra."

Another fabulous soundtrack that my children have found enjoyment from is that of "The Village." Older children might enjoy the movie, but my young ones love the smooth violin sounds of the soundtrack. They also got excited when it got to the scary parts. I told them it was "monster music." It's good for them to notice when music creates moods, like scariness.