Popular Soundtracks for Kids

Kids certainly do love music and many of the best children songs come from the TV shows and movies that they love. I know my niece and nephew sure listen to a lot of the ones from their favorite programs.

Here is just a few of the ones that they really enjoy and recommend to others, with a bit of my own commentary built in for parents. Plus a little quizzing for extra measure... :)

From the Nick show Victorious

When I asked which one they wanted first, the answer was clear. The songs from the Nickelodeon TV show Victorious was their favorite. They have both albums, Victorious and Victorious 2.0, which they listen to constantly. Some of their favorite songs are "Make It Shine","Freak the Freak Out","Begging on Your Knees" and on the second album "Make It In America". Most of the songs are sung by Victoria Justice, who has made quite a name for herself in the pop world and is a talent to watch out for. She is joined by castmates Ariana Grande, Elizabeth Gillies, and Leon Thomas III.

While the first album had 12 songs on it, the second only has 6, which is the only thing they don't like about it, but they say the songs are awesome anyway. Luckily for parents, it's priced accordingly and you can get both of them at Amazon for a combo price.

Music from the Disney Channel Movie "Let it Shine"

One of their newest joys is "Let It Shine", the recently released soundtrack to the Disney Channel Movie, which they absolutely adored. A combination of Lemonade Mouth and Cyrano DeBergerac, a young girl is courted by a boy who wants to be her suitor and she is attracted to him through the music that she thinks he is putting together for a rap song competition. The only problem is that it's actually his buddy that is doing the writing.

The music is a bit more hip hop than the above mentioned high school musical type movies that Disney has released before, but parents should rejoice in their kids being exposed to clean rap for a change, instead of the negative and sometimes nasty rap that often is thought of. Of course, this is Disney, so... But it's still good to hear rap songs that don't make you want to cover their ears.

Coco Jones, Tyler James Williams, Brandon Mychal Smith, and Spencer Lee sing and rap their hearts out in 13 songs from the movie, with the big hit being "Me and You".

From the Disney Channel's "Shake It Up"

"Shake It Up: Break It Down" is taken from the music of the popular show on the Disney Channel about two girls who dance on a TV show, aka American Bandstand, updated for the young age. It appeals mostly to young ladies who dream of one day being famous dancing for TV. And the music certainly reflects this. When the kiddies hear it, they really want to dance, especially the song "Watch Me" by Zendaya (Rocky) and Belle Thorne (CeeCee) from the cast. So it's a good thing for parents who want to get their kids to get some exercise.

Unlike the ones above, the two stars only do one song, while the rest of the songs are by name stars in the Disney family past and present, like Selena Gomez, Chris Trousdale, and Drew Seeley.

From the popular hit Disney show

There is certainly no end to the amount of musical talent from the Disney Channel shows, and "A.N.T. Farm" is no exception. This time, China Anne McClain, who's only 11 years old, stars in the show as a girl who is new at the Advanced Natural Talent school, but has trouble fitting in. The story is enough to relate to by any kid, but the music will keep them interesting.

The soundtrack is a mix of rehashed songs and original material. The original stuff is what really makes this one special, the refreshed ones, not so much, although the kids didn't seem to notice either way, but parents will probably. But then it's not for us anyway, is it?

10 songs are featured on this album, most by China and a couple by her and her sisters, as well as Stephanie Scott and Carlon Jeffrey and like the others are available in digital form via MP3 and CD.

Jim Henson's Critters Come Home

Last holiday season, The Muppets made a comeback to the silver screen in glorious fashion with a whole new movie about how they were to be reunited after several years. It was full of mayhem, mischief and that charm that only Jim Henson's bunch can bring to a film.

What is interesting about this soundtrack is that it bridges the gap between young and old. For us adults, we remember fondly the Muppet Show and its songs like "The Muppet Show Theme" and "Rainbow Connection". But it also has delightful new songs that the kids are sure to enjoy as well.

After it was suggested here, I bought the kids the MP3 version for their players and they were listening to it all day. And it had me tapping my toes as well, with that old time nostalgia feeling. So it's good clean family fun for all ages, which is what the Muppets are all about.

Music from Disney's Surprise Hit

I don't know if Disney had a clue as to how popular the two brothers who invent something daily would be, but Phineas & Ferb have definitely taken the preteen set by storm. Along with their sister Candace (played by High School Musical alumni Ashley Tisdale), they rock the room with the soundtrack from their show.

26 songs make up the album, all taken from the show, and they run the gambit from pop to heavier rock, but parents don't have to worry, all the lyrics are fine for their young ones. But they all have one thing in common and that is that they have that toe tapping, rhythmic, can't get it out of your head, type music that Disney is known for. For the adults, it may get a little monotonous after the first few times, but you may just find yourself humming them when you least expect it.

Phineas and Ferb is available through Amazon on CD and MP3.

Oh, Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your hair. Whoa, that's a lot of hair. In Disney's hilarious retelling of the old tale Tangled, Mandy Moore is wonderful as the girl who is locked up in a tower for years until she can no longer just ignore the outside world. Fortunately for her, one day Flynn Rider, a bandit, decides to pick her tower to escape from the guards who are chasing him to get back what belongs to the King.

The soundtrack is equally delightful with Mandy Moore playing double duty as both the voice of Rapunzel and singing most of the songs on the album, along with co-star Donna Murphy (who plays her wicked mother) and Grace Potter. The album also features the instrumental music from legendary Disney composer Alan Menken, who composed the tunes for Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Aladdin, and many others.

The kids thought Tangled was cool, but listen to the song part a lot more than they do the music part, but with 20 tracks, half of which are the tunes, it's a good deal still. Like most Disney soundtracks, they work on all age levels and parents may find a lot to like themselves in this one, especially if they are fans of Disney music, so we are adding this one in to the collection.