 | Apostrophe (') by Frank Zappa
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $10.84 This is a must-have, especially if you have a boy. Girls love it, too, but there's something about a yellow snow joke that draws male children in. There are a lot of noise gags on the album, which help keep children interested and listening. However, some of the content is a bit adult, so give it a listen yourself.
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 | MARRIAGE OF HEAVEN & EARTH by FULLY CELEBRATED ORCHEST
Buy new: $22.98 / Used from: $4.99 The Fully Celebrated Orchestra is an amazing modern jazz quartet. The music is both extremely well-crafted and virtuously performed, and the Fully Celebrated Orchestra brings a playfulness to the table that makes their music perfect for younger ears. Odd time signatures do not bother little kids.
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 | Samson and The Fully Celebrated Orchestra by Leslie Gildart
Buy new: $12.95 / Used from: $32.68 This book makes a good companion to your Fully Celebrated Orchestra cd. It tells the story of a show from a child's point of view. Lots of sound gags in the text make it easy to keep your child interested in music that's a little more complex than Jonas Brothers or Hannah Montana.
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 | Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock Wireless Bundle - PS2
Buy new: $39.79 / Used from: $24.84 It's kinds of a cheesy way to get your kid interested in playing an instrument, but it helps forge neuropathways that allow your child to look at a screen, listen to sounds, and respond with his or her fingers to make another sound. And it's fun. Music is supposed to be fun.
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 | Singstar Rocks Bundle (w/ microphone)
Buy new: $41.79 / Used from: $24.29 Pick whichever Singstar game has the songs you like. This little karaoke game is actually a stealth ear-training and sight-singing teacher. Your child gets visual confirmation of how close he or she is (or is not) to the desired pitch. These brain connections help with math and with critical evaluative thinking.
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 | 49-KEY Electronic Keyboard
Buy new: $47.79 This is one of those price-driven decisions. I wanted a keyboard that was inexpensive enough to leave my son alone with so that he could noodle to his heart's content, but close enough to "real" that he would be learning while he noodled.
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 | Peter and the Wolf / Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra / Carnival of the Animals
Buy new: $8.98 / Used from: $5.96 This is a must-have. Period.
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 | Doodlebops Super Star Drum Set
Buy new: $9.99 A set of child friendly percussion instruments is critical. You and your child can play together while you listen to Apostrophe, the Fully Celebrated Orchestra, and Peter and the Wolf, or while you read Samson and the Fully Celebrated Orchestra. Music was invented to connect us to each other. Participate!
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 | Abbey Road (1990) by The Beatles
Buy new: $16.99 / Used from: $3.85 This is probably one of the most child friendly popular records ever made. It has a bonking song (Maxwell's Silver Hammer), an anthropomorphic song (Octopus's Garden), and a lullabye (Golden Slumbers). Any mature themes are obscure enough to get past a child. Great music doesn't have to be hard to understand.
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 | Pokemon X: Ten Years of Pokemon by Original Soundtrack
Buy new: $10.99 / Used from: $4.72 I picked this one because my child is deeply interested in these creatures. He loves the shows. He loves the games. When he wakes up some mornings, "Pokemon" is the first word out of his mouth. This is how I help him tie music to the things he is interested in. Listen to your child. Then, offer him or her music that relates to his or her interests.
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