Family Album – New Music with Guitar, Vol. 7, David Starobin, Bridge Records, 2007; $17.98; www.bridgerecords.com; for ages 9 and up. A stunning intro to classical guitar for children, this CD provides introspective, meditative music for the soul and for times of reflection. Starobin, a virtuoso guitarist and composer, performs pieces by four composer friends and some originals. Some pieces are suitable for a nap or study session, while more complex pieces will make you sit up and listen. Helpful liner notes introduce the composers and the various styles they work in. This album provides a great jumping-off point for exploring modern classical music and opera with kids who get hooked on listening to it.

The Sippy Cups Productions, 2007; $15; www.thesippycups.com; for ages 2 to 8. Kids and grown-ups alike love the psychedelic circus shows of the San Francisco-based Sippy Cups. This new album is just as much fun: another eclectic, electric embrace of the sounds and observations of the ’60s, referencing the Beatles, Pink Floyd and, of course, Jimi Hendrix. Great pop tunes with luscious harmonies and clanging guitars mingle with spoken-word skits. Added to the mix are thoroughly weird story-songs, such as the accordion-driven “How to Build a Dog” and the quietly creepy “I Am a Robot,” about a robot from outer space looking for a kid to love. 

Judge's Top Pick! 

Desperation Records/Nettwerk, 2008; $13.99; www.barenakedladies.com; for all ages. This CD may well be “best of show” this year. The band’s gentle, radio-friendly pop translates perfectly to kids’ music: always clever, never cloying, and endlessly witty. The “Crazy ABC’s” song killed me ... and if you don’t look out, “The Ninjas” will kill you!

Lulla-Beddie-Bye, Auntie Snow, FilmicFloy, 2009; $18.99; http://auntiesnow.com; all ages.

A delicate smorgasbord of sounds for little ears – the calming sounds of birds or running water, babies’ cooing, and relaxing instrumentation. The familiar songs, such as “Beautiful Dreamer,” “You are My Sunshine,” and “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star,” augment classic tunes that will have parents singing along – just like they’re supposed to.
 

Plum Juice Records, 2008; $15; www.marlalewis.com; for ages 5 to 10. Each song on this CD is a story or a landscape, with music ranging from Latin rhythms (“Whenever Celia Sings,” the story of salsa queen Celia Cruz) to the Broadway-inspired, chatty style of the title track. Lewis’ voice melts like “buttah” and every song hits the mark – this CD is a keeper! Don’t miss the absolutely true tale of “Mighty Jackie, the Strikeout Queen,” a skinny 17-year-old girl who in 1931 struck out the two greatest batters in baseball. 

Super Pal Universe EP, Sara Hickman’s Super Pal Universe, 2008; $15 CD/DVD; www.superpaluniverse.com; for tweens and teens. These hip and slick tunes are performed by teens who care and share a message of hope and understanding. The brainchild of Texas singer-songwriter and teen mentor Sara Hickman, this band melds new-wave and indie pop for familiar and thoroughly enjoyable listening. A bonus DVD shows the Super Pals playing and recording; Hickman wisely stays in the background and lets the young, talented musicians do all the talking and playing. Seeing such normal kids perform just might inspire other children to think, “We could do that, too!” and start their own garage band.

 

For more positive messages for teens, check out:

Alphabet Rockers, Kaitlin McGaw and Dawn Richardson, School Time Music, 2007; $14.99; www.alphabetrockers.com; for ages 3 to 7. Get on up with some funky tunes that will have you learning while you’re getting down with your own bad self. Name a danceable style of music and you’ll find it on this recording: R&B, hip hop, rap, funk, reggae and others. It’s so easy to forget that every catchy and clever song on this genre-hopping album introduces a preschool concept: colors, money, the days of the week, social skills and more. Teachers of young children will want to bring this one out for circle time, and parents will want to listen to it in the car … maybe even without the kids on board!

Family Fun!

Spare the Rock, Spoil the Child, Bill Childs, WRSI-FM, 2005-present; Radio Show; www.sparetherock.com and www.wrsi.com; all ages.

This is the finest family radio has to offer. The father/daughter team of Bill and Ella Childs delightfully serves up the best kid-friendly indie rock on the airwaves and online. Spinning current tunes made for kids like past NAPPA winners They Might Be Giants and Justin Roberts, and classic rock from the 1960s like Crosby, Stills and Nash and the Beatles, the show has a cross-generational appeal. Closing the gap are insightful kid-hosted, on-air interviews by Ella with the likes of Elizabeth Mitchell and popular kindie band Lunch Money.

 

Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep, Eric & Susan Davis, Child Music Online, 2005; $10.95; www.childmusiconline.com; all ages.

This CD is smooth and soothing, “lullaby” at its finest. Well-known classical music is boiled down to beautifully simple acoustic guitar and violin. This highly musical CD provides a “crash” course in dreaming.
 

Road To Rock, The Boogers, Spire Records, 2008; $12.97; www.meet-the-boogers.com; ages 1 to 8.

Claiming to be “the Wiggles’ worst nightmare,” the Boogers debut album features 20 classic kid tunes done up in the most unlikely of styles. From old-school punk rock jams to hard rock (and even harder rock), kindie rockers, young and old, will be “mosh-pitting” in their living rooms.