Little Amadeus: Season 1

Description

Review "Wunderkind Little Amadeus (The Adventures of Young Mozart) is the well-loved children's animated series seen on public television across the USA and around the world. This TV series depicts the early life, adventures and works of the musical genius Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart. Aside from being a good introduction to the works of the great composer, viewers young and old alike will also learn about classical music, history and music appreciation. The endearing characters, bumbling villains and funny, animal sidekicks make each episode enjoyable to watch. However, some episodes contain words and situations that may be inappropriate for young audiences. Fictional aspects are cleverly interspersed with factual details. Teachers and parents will find this series a great teaching tool, but it would also be helpful to read up on Mozarts' life in order to separate fact from fiction. The boxed set has 4 DVDs containing a total of 13 episodes. In between episodes there is a short music lesson (i.e. types of instruments) from Monti the rat. It would've been nicer though if these clips were presented by a more likeable character. There is also an interactive game where viewers will learn to identify different instruments. Aside from the DVDs, the boxed set comes with a CD-ROM containing additional learning materials such as lesson plans, activity pages, screensavers, posters, coloring sheets and printable music sheets of Mozart's compositions arranged for various instruments. Additional resources and games are available on their Web site. Considering the quality and the amount of educational materials included, I find this product reasonably-priced." -Espie Estrella -- About.com - http://musiced.about.com/od/softwaresdvdcd/fr/LittleAmadeus.htmTake a trip back to the 18th century and learn about music with eight-year old Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart via the children's TV show Wunderkind Little Amadeus. This animated series is designed for children ages 4 and up, and not only keeps them entertained, but educates them about music through the adventures of young Mozart and his friends. ... Overall, Wunderkind Little Amadeus is a pleasure. The 18th-century setting is nicely conveyed, and the music is neatly tied into each episode. Each character even has a leitmotif based on a work by Mozart. The animation isn't quite up to Disney standards, but it's acceptable, and the backgrounds depicting the city of Salzburg are actually quite accurate and detailed. You're not going to get a pedantic music lesson here; the main aim of the show is to inspire children to learn more about music and to even create their own, as well as to see that Mozart--arguably the most famous composer of all time--was once a child like them. -- Marin Mommies, November 30, 2009This is an amazing offer for music educators who teach in schools, or for parents or grandparents who can serve as teachers in the home (for kids from ages four to 12, I'd say). Each of the 13 programs are like little allegories that capitalize on the acceptance of the audience of the "good" Mozart family, "Little Amadeus" and Sister "Nanerl," plus Mom "Anna Maria," Dad "Leopold," and "Pumperl," the good family's good dog. Arrayed against them is a rival family: the satanic "Lorenzo Devillus," his son "Mario Carrieri," and their impishly evil dog "Monti." Most of the stories are parables on good vs. evil, and a few other characters enter the fray: "Lorenz Hagenauer," the Salzburg baker who is also deviled by Devillus, and his good wife "Maria Theresa Hagenauer," right-thinking folks, if a little naive. Of course Countess KissKiss, and the virtuous Archbishop Schrattenbach enter into the stories too. You see what is coming. The CD-ROM contains 13 printable lesson plans corresponding to the music in each episode. In addition to the epic battles between good and evil, the central focus of the lesson plans is music. The students are offered 60 printable activities pages that can be used for coloring exercises, and up to 100 pieces of printable sheet music featuring famous Mozart melodies including "A Little Night Music," Symphony in G Minor, Papageno's aria from the opera The Magic Flute, Figaro's aria from the opera The Marriage of Figaro, Concerto in E♭, and a "Sonata for Piano" (arranged for guitar, piano, keyboard, recorder, violin, cello, clarinet, trumpet, oboe, piccolo, flute, and more). Of course, the lessons begin with very basic information and they build step by step to the more complicated things. This way of teaching children an introduction to music has already been awarded some citations for merit in Europe. This program introduces classical music to children and their families, inspiring their musical creativity and encouraging them to become actively involved in music-making. I haven't personally had a chance to give my grandchildren any of the lessons, yet, so I can't make a comment on the efficiency in teaching music to little kids. But once their parents get into this, I'll be able to keep track of them and their progress. I can report that certain established techniques are employed for making children's videos, or "kid-vid," and this series has already appeared on the American Public Television circuit and more than 100 countries worldwide. As far as that goes, the producers seem to have touched all the bases. Obviously, I don't have years of experience with this program to recommend it unquestioningly. But it looks sound enough to say; if you want to get in on the ground floor with music education for the kids in your family, and someone has some teaching skills, and some music skills, this should be a wonderful opportunity for introducing your family to classical music. It could be a wonderful Christmas present from Grammy and Pop Pop. -- Fanfare, Ilya Oblomov, Mar-Apr 2010