Disney: Music for Everyone
© Jacqueline McMahon
With re-makes of common classic Disney movies like “Freaky Friday” and “The Parent Trap”, Disney continues to show its unwavering attention to providing quality entertainment to children. Updating their classic movies and re-issuing timeless favorites maintains an availability of “family” entertainment parents know and trust.
As today’s children continue to grow more mature at a younger age, Disney movies call upon the composers and performers of the “pop” genre to fill their musical needs with their new movie releases. From Boyz to Men singing, “I will get there” (Prince of Egypt) to Elton John (Lion King/Aida) and Phil Collins (Tarzan), Disney continues to move along with the ever-changing times.
But, many of their original soundtracks offer timeless classics still popular with kids today. From school music programs to children’s choirs to private voice studios, children are still singing such Disney fare as found in MARY POPPINS (“A spoonful of Sugar”, “Step in Time”, “I Love to Laugh”), SNOW WHITE (“Someday my Prince will come”, “Whistle while you work”, “With a smile and a Song”)and a wide variety of other popular favorites.
A wonderful element as common to Disney’s music as its movies is variety. Songs run the gamut from the beautiful ballads:
“Part of your world” LITTLE MERMAID
“Can You feel the Love tonight?” LION KING
“Candle on the Water” PETE’S DRAGON
“You’ll be in my Heart” TARZAN
“Colors of the Wind”, POCAHONTAS
to rhythmic pieces, many often influenced by cultures and peoples not of 20th century North America
“Under the Sea” LITTLE MERMAID
“Friend like Me” ALADDIN
“Supercalifragilisticexpialidocious” MARY POPPINS
“The Bare Necessities” JUNGLE BOOK
“The Ballad of Davy Crockett” DAVY CROCKETT
With all the advances of technology, exposure to this wonderful music can come in many forms. The most obvious, the movies, continue to be shown in theatres as well as becoming available on videocassette and DVD. Soundtracks for most movies are also available on CD and tape and are available at most chain store outlets.
For children with an aptitude toward playing a musical instrument (piano/recorder/guitar), many collections of Disney music exist in levels from the simplest “five-finger”- melody only versions to those suitable for more advanced players. And if this weren’t enough, Disney karaoke CD’s abound in stores and online. Kids can learn to sing their favorite songs and experience professional orchestrations to make them feel like stars themselves.
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