Music for Kids

[lillibet]

Things (friends' comments, a video posted, a blog post) have been bringing up this subject at least weekly for the past month or more, so I thought I'd post about it and solicit others' thoughts on the subject

Comments

[muffyjo]

You've heard me tell the story of Jesus Christ Superstar and me singing it as a 6 year old. I don't think I've been scared for life by it, but then again...

I loved Carol King and James Taylor. Mom played the Tapestry album for me a lot (she loves it too). It's a happy memory that I share that music with her. As is the memory of JCS.

And my grandmother loved Harry Belefonte, which has amazing rhythm and cultural references (it's how I know the words to Hava Nagila). Mambazo Black Ladysmith might be fun for some of the wonderful rhythm and harmonies. Some Dar Williams might be appropriate. Or Cheryl Wheeler?

Maybe Emperor's Norton's album so she can dance? They were dancing to dizzy gillespie when they were here.

[lillibet]

Yes, that was one of the inputs that led to this post. Like I say, it seems to be everywhere just at the moment.

[gmpe]

We grew up listening to the music my parents listened to. (Until late in junior high, when I took control of the radio dial and I listened to the Top 40 countdown each week religiously

[hilaritea]

I can't speak as a parent, but as a teacher, I have seen this issue played out on the other side a lot. There will certainly be kids who are listening to pop, rap, hip-hop, etc. that she has never heard before (I had 2 kindergarteners attempt to teach me the Superman dance 5 years ago), but in the earlier grades it's not going to be such a social issue. You're right to think that she'll learn about it from her friends. It seems like the question becomes what do you do if she comes home with an interest in music that you guys think is sending bad messages. Not that this is your style at all, but the only way I have seen this play out poorly is when parents close the door on the conversation. Kids are going to make up their minds about what they like and what they want to listen to. This will be influenced by their families as well as their peers. So long as you're willing to be open to talking about what that means, I don't think it matters one way or the other whether you expose her to the music or not.

[jelazakazone]

I agree with all of this.

I find that listening to pop music with my girls (ages 7 and 10) has given us some fun bonding time. We can just be silly together and sing and dance to it in the kitchen if we want. DH does not like pop music at all, so we don't listen to it when daddy is around and it's mostly fine.

I feel like it gives us another thread to connect on and is a possible opening for conversation if my girls want to, but I don't think you need to expose Alice to it if you are not interested.

[bookly]

If she's like me, she'll learn about it from her friends in middle school (and high school, and college). I think any negative impact I suffered wasn't so much from not knowing about pop music, but rather from not having heard much of anything growing up besides gospel, Christmas, church, and children's music--not a problem Alice has to contend with!