Let's Make Music review and giveaway

When I received a review copy of Sesame Street's Let's Make Music, I assumed it was just another collection of the usual episodes. Don't get me wrong, I adore Sesame Street and I still think it's the gold standard for kids' tv programs, but I didn't think I'd see anything out of the ordinary. Boy, was I wrong! Read more to find out why (and win a copy for yourself!):

The Basics
In Let's Make Music, the Sesame Street characters explore music and rhythm with the cast of Stomp. Telly Monster is despondent over losing his tuba, but the Stompers teach him (and everybody else) that you can make music with everyday items. Like all Sesame Street episodes and most Sesame Street videos, Let's Make Music is a compilation of segments tied to a single theme: in this case, sounds, rhythms and tunes.

The Bongga
The second the opening sequence began I knew this DVD was going to be special. The Stomp cast's rendition of the Sesame Street theme song -- with clinking pots and pans and muffin tins, whistling, banging on doors, and well, stomping -- was amazing!

I think this DVD has some wonderful messages for kids: first, that music is fun, and second, you don't need fancy electronic doodads to make music. And who better to teach this than the cast of Stomp? They can make music out of anything -- oil drums, brooms, ---- so featuring them in this DVD was a stroke of genius. Their rhythms are so infectious I don't see how any little kid could watch this without jumping off the couch and dancing (I must confess to tapping my feet and grooving to the beat myself). I've seen Stomp on Broadway, and believe me, they did not tone down their performance one bit just because it's a kids' DVD: you see them in their full glory.

The rest of the video segments are pretty entertaining: videos of African kids playing on Congo drums, little girls playing rhythmic hand games, Oscar teaching preschoolers to bang on garbage can lids and more. The music isn't limited to rhythms or percussion either; there's a great segment featuring Baby Bear and friends blowing into empty bottles to make some sweet tunes. Of course, I always enjoy seeing the vintage Sesame Street cartoon segments, such as the groovy "1-2-3-4-5...6-7-8-9-10...eeeelven-twelve.....", one of my favorites from my childhood (even now, that psychedelic pinball machine fascinates me). I swear, I enjoyed this DVD as much as my kids!

The Blah
Um, yeah, sorry, nothing. Don't make me say bad things about Elmo because my kids (and yours) will never forgive me.


The Bottom Line
With percussion performances by Stomp and classic Sesame Street segments, Let's Make Music is one DVD that parents will actually enjoy watching with their kids.


Win It!
One lucky Bonggamom Finds reader will win a copy of the DVD, Sesame Street: Let's Make Music. To enter, leave a comment here with your favorite Sesame Street Character.


For extra entries, you can do any or all of the following, (you can only do each extra entry once; please leave a separate comment for each extra entry):


1) Subscribe to Bonggamom Finds updates by email (leave a comment with your email address).

2) Tweet this giveaway (leave a comment with a link to your tweet). Here is a sample tweet you can copy and paste:

Win a copy of Sesame Street: Let's Make Music from @bonggafinds http://ow.ly/1dNOm

Maximum of 3 entries per person. This giveaway ends at midnight PST on March 14, 2010; I will draw a winner at random on march 15 and post the winner's name as soon as the winner confirms acceptance. For additional giveaway rules, click here. Good luck!

Disclaimer: I received a sample in order to review this product, but no monetary compensation. The views and opinions expressed here are my own.