Brazilian Music for Children: Great Music for Little Ones

There are some wonderful artists in Brazil creating music for a small public, meaning about this tall (and you can imagine my hand gesture here)...And it's very clever, funny, and engaging music, so much so that grown-ups are quite entranced by it too. Some of our favorite artists appear below. Their CDs are available online in the U.S. All CDs donated to our site automatically become part of the Sheila Thomson Collection of Brazilian Culture at Florida International University in Miami.

Roda de Cantigas. I can't understand why no one ever did this before: record all the great, traditional children's songs with the "respect" they most certainly deserve, meaning, arranged like "real music." Well, finally, here it is. A CD to sing along with tots and/or students that adults will enjoy enormously. It could be used in the classroom as an introduction to Brazilian rhythms, such as maracatu, ciranda, samba de roda, and so on. Available online from Rob Digital.
Adriana Partinpim. Singer Adriana Calcanhotto's alter ego sings absolutely delightful songs that were not all necessarily written for little kids, but have been enormous hits with audiences of all ages (such as Ciranda da Bailarina by Chico Buarque and Edu Lobo, and Saiba by Arnaldo Antunes). Don't we wish she could bring her show up here...
De Paes Para Filhos. Poems by José Paulo Paes set to music by composer and guitarist Paulo Bi. As described by Sandra Peres and Paulo Tatit (a duo of musicians that specializes in entertainment for children) this CD is an invitation for kids to the powerful, profound world of poetry. And the world of frogs, fish, astronauts, mangoes, and fireflies. Wouldn't you want to go there too??

Brazilian CDs