About.com Rating
MPAA Rating: NA
Genre: Childrens educational/Music
Age Range: Ages2-6
Runtime: Approx. 40 minutes (not including bonus features)
Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs - Overview
When Elmo has his cousin Elmer over, Elmer teaches him all about country music with the "Rootin' Tootin' Hootin' Hollerin' Country Music Jamboree." Elmo learns about what country music is, and about some of the different instruments used in playing country music.
He is also visited by many country music friends.
John McEuen stops by to sing "Oh Susanna," Lee Ann Womack does a medley of "Skip to My Lou" and "The Farmer and the Dell," and the bonus features even include performances by Faith Hill, Tim McGraw, and Garth Brooks. Elmo is lucky to meet a host of new friends as he learns all about how to hoot and holler himself.
Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs - Guide Review
Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs mixes in some footage from past shows along with a significant portion of new material in this country music DVD for kids. The star-studded musical performances include songs many people grew up with, but that are not heard as much today, such as "Home on the Range." In addition to hearing the music, kids will learn to better distinguish country music as a genre.
The music on the DVD is pretty good, although some segments of the show don't seem to blend with others as well. Each song is introduced by a segment from Elmo's room with Elmo, Cousin Elmer, and other guests.
The musical number itself is often material that has been previously shown on other Sesame Street shows.
At times, the talking segments drag a little bit, but they are educational. Elmo learns about different instruments and about the imortance of feelings in country music. The DVD is fun for kids, and it will help them to develop a better ear for music as they learn to recognize country as a unique musical style.
Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs - DVD Bonus Features
- Performance By Faith Hill and Tim McGraw
- Performance By Garth Brooks
- On-screen Karaoke Lyrics
Sesame Street: Kids' Favorite Country Songs - Expand Upon the Curriculum
- My kids love to listen to different styles of music and guess what genre it is. Preschoolers love music, and they can distinguish genres such as jazz, country, blues, opera, and rock. The guessing game is easy to play in the car. Just switch between different stations and help kids figure out what style of music is playing.
- Another fun game is to sing the same song using different styles of music. Singing the ABCs opera style or like you are in a rock band is fun, and it can be pretty hilarious.
- Let kids try making their own country music using toy instruments. The About.com guide to crafts offers lots of suggestions for making your own musical instruments and crafts.