Like nearly everyone, I love music, and not just any music; I like to think I enjoy really good music. I was one of those mommies who played classical music for my kids, before they were born and afterwards, but not because I thought it'd make them smarter; I did so because I like classical music.
A bit of background: I started playing flute when I was in third grade. A year before on a trip to see my Aunt, she gave me the flute she used when she was in elementary school. I fell instantly in love with its red velvet case, lovingly putting together the three pieces and trying to make any type of noise I possibly could, and it turned out I was pretty good at it. My flute was a hand me down when my aunt had it, so this instrument is easily fifty years old and I soon discovered that it was made of a a different metal than all the other flute student's instruments, but it just made me love it more. (It's a bit shinier than most flutes)
I played flute or piccolo from third grade up through some of college, even after I married. I still know the piccolo solo for Stars and Stripes Forever, my High School's fight song, and Dvorak's Slavonic Dances.
All this to lay the groundwork that I like real music.
When my children were born, I wanted them also to enjoy "real" music. Nothing annoyed me more than music that was sung by kids and marketed to kids. The original version is always better, so why not expose them to the original, better artists? So I did. And life was good. I'm not cruel; I bought them some CDs geared for kids but sung by real artists: Elizabeth Mitchell, Lisa Loeb, The Jellydots, Ella Fitzgerald, etc. Really brilliant artists. And they never complained, and I was happy because I got to listen to really good music instead of cringing to really bad music.
A few weeks ago in a Happy Meal the toy was a CD of Kids music. Katie was so excited and I thought it'd be okay to indulge her and put it in the CD player. It has not left! All three of my kids think it's the best CD ever! How can it be? I've exposed them to such great music of all types of styles; how can they be so enamored with this? Really; it is quite painful to listen to. Yet, within listening to it twice they were singing along, they had nearly every song memorized.
I have decided it must be the kid's voices that is so compelling to them, so i have decided to give in and perhaps buy them a few kids cd's. Any recommendations?
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You are right it is the kids voice, the beat, something marketed to them and it is theirs. We have the classic kids song CD's which uses the old nursery rhymes and Sophie loves them...but I have not played them in a while. you could take them to a music store and just listen. Ha, my niece started to love yanny when she was 5, so I will not let Sophie listen to him.....don't tell my mom.
ReplyDeletewe got one of those not too long as well...KidsBop or something...HORRIBLE!!!! I finally threw it away when the boys weren't looking, and they haven't asked for it back yet! :) As a former SOT groupie I can recommend a great new solo artist...go to www.bugnogmusic.com and check it out! :)
ReplyDeleteWow, that DOES look like an exceptional solo artist! I'll have to put his album on my wish list.
ReplyDeleteI broke down and bought my kids a Hillsong Kids DVD. They LOVE it. Reid knows several songs from church and Katie tries to dance like the girls do on the DVD. There's a clear gospel message but I have to say, I wonder what kids do or think when they are told via a DVD to bow their heads and say "the prayer". I know I did at age 4 and it was meaningful to me. (however, I prayed The Prayer every sunday for the whole year of that Baptist Sunday School class! I never realized it just took one time!) I suppose I should talk to them a bit more about what it means, LOL! What a concept!
But they DO love seeing and hearing kids voices. It becomes so personal to them and more of an "ownership". They are constantly asking for "their music"... Don't worry; they know the lyrics to at least 20 U2 songs! I know what is important!