My family will be going on holiday quite soon but the car journeys up north are really long. We have a portable DVD player (US/CANADA regions). My daughter likes playing the violin and my toddler son likes listening/watching live piano recitals very much.

We already have The Art of Violin which is excellent! Great playing! But the kids have seen this far too many times now and I want something new this time.

Has anyone seen/heard The Art of Piano? Is it any good???

ANY OTHER SUGGESTIONS would be most welcomed? We also have the Beethoven Lives Upstairs CD which is a wonderful CD playable on that player as well.

Please advise.

Queen Live at Wembley 1986

Gosh, who is Queen? Guitar? Never heard them before though I have a John Williams LP which is great!

MUSIC DVDs for those long Car Journeys:

Freda,
I've found out who the Queen group is. However, I've never heard their music before. You wouldn't be so surprised if you knew my age!

Anyway, I forgot to tell you something important - one of my kids is autistic and both "vocals and chorals" distress him in a way that it has to be seen to be believed. He can only tolerate instrumental music and THIS he absolutely loves! He has fixations with all his sister's musical instruments. He tinkles with his 4 fingers on the piano since aged 5 months. Autistic kids are a bit "weird" if you know what I mean - but I mean "that" in a positive way.

Just last week my friend came to visit me and she laughed when I sighed and said he is very musical but he cannot tolerate vocals. Any song/singing including the one and only Tom Jones, etc, etc, etc. She half-jokingly gave me an exaggerated look of disbelief. I then replaced the piano CD (momentarily) with one that has some singing in it. He very slowly and gradually grimaced in pain and then went into a fit! Not a tantrum but a fit. And this friend quickly urged me, "Oh, please, don't ever do that to him again. he looked like he was in terrible pain!" Genuine distress. Then when I played back the piano CD, guess what? He smiled between his tears and calmed down almost immediately.

Aw, come on, Freda, take a challenge - name me a DVD that has great piano/violin/guitar music ...

Tess,

Is it the existence of people on the DVD that upsets him? Would the Walt Disney "Fantasia" movie be a possibility? Or would the cartoon characters upset him completely?

Katyjay

What about Amadeus?

Hi Katy, Hannah and ALL,
Many thanks!!!

No, Katy, it's NOT people that upset him. He is obsessed with the Art of Violin which he watches/listens to almost daily, AND this Art of Violin DVD is fullof people like Yehudi Menuhin, Heifetz, Elman, Nathan Milstein, etc, playing their hearts out. He'd put this DVD on himself and then go and get his sister's first violin and bow to muck abt with whilst watching/listening.

Is Fantasia any good? Tell me a bit abt it, please! Has it got piano, violin, orchestral or what sort of music???

Tell me abt Amadeus, too. Is it mainly a story? Or, has it got a lot of music in it, too?

Might get both DVDs for these music-mad kids! Actually, I absolutely love music myself - passionately since my choir days - but unlike my children, I like ALL instruments, not just the violin, piano, clarinet and guitar. Thanks a lot for replying, folks. Really appreciate it.

"I absolutely love music myself - passionately since my choir days..."

Ooops! Correction! I have always loved music... since time memorial. Although I can only sing - my family could not afford to let me learn music or buy an instrument in those days - they used to say I sang and danced before I could walk or talk! Maybe some day when the kids are grown up and I can afford the time and expense, I'll learn the guitar...

Hi Tess. My niece is autistic too. She's four and adorable, and loves music. How old is your boy? Rosie loves Fantasia 2 - she loved it so much I had to gove it to her. It has orchestra, piano, all sorts really, and lots of mad swirly shapes shapes that move in time to the music, dolphins, animals, cartoon characters.... Autistic kid's heaven really! Not sure if she has seen the first Fantasia, though I think it is more of the same. Try it!

That sounds cool, Emma. Will definitely buy Fantasia 2000 for them!

My boy is not quite 3. He's very adorable, too and despite having other medical conditions, he laughs a lot albeit only to himself. He also babbles to himself and/or pulls down his arms forcefully and up and again (with closed fists just like what we do when our favourite team won in sports) when he hears music that he likes. He gets so excited abt music!

Thanks for sharing with me abt your niece's love of and excitement over Fantasia/music. That is touching...

Well, Rosie is not quite four - birthday next month, and she'll be coming with the family to visit, so it'll be a big party on the beach I expect. She's just developed a type of epliepsy too, which is worrying. It's not responding to then usual drugs at the moment, though the MRi she's just had has ruled out tumors etc. Her little sister is nearly one, and has taken a fancy to Rosie's lovely xylophone, grabbing the sticks off her, but they have lots of fun with it together. Rosie says only a few words, but is getting better all the time. Music is a way of expression for her - she loves to sing, and she has the lovliest giggle. I'm looking forward to seeing them again soon... Good luck with the Fantasia.

I think Fantasia (the original one, I haven't seen the other one) is terrific. My nearly-three year old nephew is a serious addict.

It's lots of orchestral standards (e.g. Nutcracker Suite, Firebird, Sorcerer's Apprentice, Night on Bare Mountain) with cartoons that dance along to it.

My nephew plays it about four times a day, and conducts along to it, keeping good time with the orchestra. And then we have to be mushrooms or thistles and dance along with the ones on the screen........

Hope this helps.

Cheers

Katyjay

ps Amadeus might not be a good idea - it's about the Mozart Requiem, and has a LOT of singing in it, which you said your son can't handle.

Sorry and all that.

Cheers

Katyjay

Wow, what a lot of helpful replies!

Katyjay, you're spot on - Mozart Requiem will send him screaming. No doubt about it. Thanks, Katy. I have decided to buy Fantasia plus one/two more DVDs. Will wait for more suggestions. Keep them coming, folks!

EMMA, I think it's simply wonderful that Rosie can actually talk! HAPPY BIRTHDAY to her!

I've met a severely autistic 7-yr old daughter of a friend who can play the piano beautifully (I closed my eyes and thought I was listening to some grade 8 student) but she has never had a music lesson in her life! Sadly, she cannot talk at all - not even one word - unlike cutie Rosie and furthermore, she is still in her nappies. My heart goes out to her. However, if my boy learns to speak even just a few simple words, I'll be over the moon! The first thing I'll teach him will be the phrase "I LOVE YOU!" and the SECOND/THIRD/FOURTH words? Pee, Pooh and MUSIC, respectively! Seriously, I am not joking. THAT is necessary for the other kids to accept him.

I think that MUSIC really is the language of angels. Why? It seems to me that even kids that are pretty much incapable of communication (which is what autism is all about - the inability to communicate or be people/self-aware) can feel/understand its magic in a profound way beyond me.

I do apologise for going off tangeant in terms of my topic on music DVDs but thought the point worth a mention in passing.

brassed off - brilliant movie - made me cry and laugh - you have to understand it though

QUOTE (jonscott14 @ May 26 2005, 11:18 AM)

you have to understand it though

?

why would you not?

great movie though, I agree

Fantasia is fabulous, haven't seen the "sequel" though.

Little girl who comes to our kiddies week at chapel has autism she is learning one or two words, I think she is about 7 or 8 maybe? Her first word was "milk" strangely enough!

I would strongly recommend The Verbier Festival 10th Anniversary Piano Extravaganza - really lively stuff from Evegeny Kissin, Lang Lang, Martha Argerich and others, including Happy Birthday as you've never heard it before.

Not quite so riveting for a child, maybe, but interesting and some great playing, is The Golden Age of the Piano - a documentary on the great pianists of the 20th century.

Like other people, I'd recommend the two Disney Fantasias. The only music that is repeated on the second one is The Sorcerer's Apprentice - and that's worth seeing again anyway.

Good luck with your search - it's marvellous that you have found something that your little boy loves and can respond to.

What about the movie "Shine" about David Helfgott? This wonderful, moving film focusses on piano playing, in particular Rachmaninov's 3rd piano concerto, although there is a wonderful scene in which Helfgott plays Rimsky-Korsakov's 'Flight of the Bumblebee'.

Here is a review:

http://www.timeout.com/film/74512.html

Mrs M

Hi Suepea, Mrs M and friends...
Verbier Fest sounds like a good potential. My toddler son has a fixation with the piano and is a great fan of Martha Argerich. He watches her on DVD a lot - puts the DVD on the player himself and then dance to her recital. Verbier is not in Amazon.co.uk., is it? Where did you get yours from, Suepea? If it's old, it'd be hard to get.

Will check out "Shine," too. Thanks for the suggestions. Keep them coming!

I just remembered! No one has said a word abt The Art of Piano DVD. Has anyone seen it? Any good???

Thanks!

Dear Katyjay, Emma C, Sarah-flute, Suepea and Mrs M,

FANTASIA by Disney IS FANTASTIC!!!

Thanks to ALL for the various recommendations.

Could not find Verbier Festival! HELP!!!

Shine is a wee bit too difficult for them.

Any more suggestions? We'd like to have 1 or 2 more DVDs for the very long journey home.

Madame Sousatzka

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0095564/

http://deseretnews.com/movies/view/1,1257,1120,00.html

Though this film I discovered one of my favourite duets.I'm not saying which one,so you will be curious enough to watch it!

Enjoy!

Semele,
I can't find the Sousatzka video on amazon.co.uk (itself - I'm loathe to buy it from just abt anyone on internet that has no security arrangements on web for credit cards) or in kelkoo.co.uk. The latter usually stocks just abt anything but it has only the CD soundtrack version and not the VIDEO. Actually I'm looking for DVDs bec we have a DVD player for car journeys, not a VIDEO player in the car!

However, you have definitely aroused my interest so now I want to watch it with my kids at home especially since my little boy who is autistic has a fixation with the piano.

Tell me, WHERE did you buy yours? Ages ago, I bet? I've GOT to see it...

and it's all YOUR fault!!!

Tess

As you have already searched Amazon uk I haven't bothered.

I bet it has not been released on DVD. I don't actually have a copy myself.It was on telly years ago.

Perhaps the Library might have a copy? I've checked out Ebay....the CD soundtrack is available on the UK site,but the video is only available overseas and is not compatible with our players here.

Apologies for me not checking it was available on DVD before replying to you. It is still worth watching the video at home though.

This is very random and out of date, but I re-watched "Finding Forrester", and there is some really good music in that, and very effective USE of music! I was really rather impressed, and surprised I hadn't noticed it before. Anyway for future reference, Tess, though maybe a wee bit old for them right now