Baby Mozart; Celebration of Color; Video for Infants: Discover ‘n Learn with Classical Music

Ok, I'm a skeptic. When videos featuring classical music start showing up in my mailbox because of studies linking "infant learning" and "listening to classical music," my first response is: could we have a little definition of terms, por favor? The brouhaha is primarily based on studies involving a) college students listening to Mozart, and b) improved spatial skills in 3-year-olds playing the keyboard. Neither of these studies justifies the extravagant claims being made for brainy babies, but...Bach and Beethoven can't hurt. Especially, when they're tied into something visually entertaining as well, as is the case with Celebration of Color, which is essentially a video mobile. Comprised of seven classical music videos celebrating primary and secondary colors (featuring excerpts from Mozart's Eine Kleine Nachtmusik, Bach's Brandenburg Concerto #3, Beethoven's "Ode to Joy" from the 9th Symphony and others), the scenes include a wide variety of geometrical shapes and movements. Ignore the hype on the box cover ("studies have proven that classical music is processed in the same region of the brain that develops language and math skills." Um...so's New Age, which is technically known as Elevator Music.) Recommended. A companion volume, Babyscapes, is also available. Aud: P.Video for Infants: Discover ‘n Learn is a step down the creative ladder and over to the right; towards, in fact, the infant toy market. Combining animated sequences featuring animal toys with musical selections by Mozart, Brahms, Strauss and Chopin, with a few nursery rhymes tossed in, the video is little more than a creative showcase for toys. Aud: P.Baby Mozart, on the other hand, is almost entirely a showcase for toys. With the exception of a "video board book" which occasionally offers pictures of animals and dolls, the video is an endless series of product shots of trains, pinwheels, wave motion machines, puppets (including one dragon who, when he sticks out his tongue, could very easily startle infants), metronomes and so on. All of this is set to Mozart-lite; i.e., not stirring full orchestration, but what sounds like a cheap tinkly Casio knock-off. This is not aimed at infants so much as young parents with charge cards. Not recommended. A companion volume, Baby Einstein, is also available. Aud: P. (R. Pitman)