Classical Music Good For Parents & Babies
Baby Concerts CD Series Review
By Kurt Goerke

Picture a movie scene where a parent is holding their baby in their arms, gently swaying back and forth in a rocking chair. It is one of those perfect moments that all parents live for-- the baby is dry, not hungry and cute as can be. And the parent is sitting down for the first time all day. The camera cuts to a close up of the parent’s joyful face as they gaze down with love into the eyes of their little miracle. You, the viewer, are almost in tears at the beauty of this moment, but not quite. Then the music begins, softly at first, but as it swells whatever last bit of resistance your heart and your tear ducts had is gone. The music, like a secret little key, has released the emotion that the scene had already begun to stir in you, and you are helpless as the soundtrack holds your emotions in the palm of its little magical, musical hand. You were trying not to cry, and you would have had a fighting chance if the movie editor hadn’t selected just the right piece of music.

There is something mysteriously wonderful about music’s ability to release such deep-seated emotions within the listener. It is truly mind-boggling when you break down the various elements of music; someone plucking on a string, someone else blows air into a hole in a hollow stick, someone beating on a tightly stretched material. How can all of these elements come together and have the effect of being so emotionally powerful? It is miraculous!

There is a lot of music that could do this for you, and I hope you have already found some that you enjoy along with your child. One collection that I have recently reviewed would certainly fit the bill. Just like the film editor described above who selected the right piece for that scene, producer Kenneth Kaganovitch has painstakingly selected just the right music-- just the right arrangements and the right musicians to record the incredible Baby Concerts series. This collection of classical music, songs that have withstood the test of time, are some of the most beloved and well-known music in the world and has been recorded with you and your child in mind. Famous composers like Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Puccini, Schubert and many more fill the series. The music is not synthesized, it is arranged and recorded by an ensemble featuring Flautist Pedro Eustache, who has worked with Ravi Shankar, Paul McCartney and Steven Spielberg just to name a few.

There has been so much written about the benefits of exposing young children, even in the womb, to music. There are studies claiming that children benefit in many ways including mathematical skills and verbal development. Few experts seem to disagree with these benefits, but you wonder if we have over-looked the benefit to the parent?

Parenting is the most wonderful thing in the world, but it is often filled with tiring, stressful moments. So much so, that it is not unusual for a parent to go through the day so stressed and occupied that they fail to enjoy moments like the one described above. It can become all hustle and bustle. The joyful emotions that having and raising children produce can remain trapped inside. There is nothing like music to help us to drift away from the pull of the next task and to relax and enjoy the bigger picture-- the wonder of it all.

Kenneth Kaganovitch, who poured his heart into the creation of this project, was motivated by his memories of listening to music on records as a child. He recalls sneaking a little turntable under the tent that he fashioned from his bed sheets at night and listening to songs as diverse as Rachmaninoff’s “2 nd Piano Concerto” and Hank William’s, “Blue.” The music magically chased away the shadows of night and took his heart on great adventures. He hopes that the magic that he discovered then is waiting now for you and your child to discover together in Baby Concerts.