Why do so many people think it’s important for children to know the different between Beethoven and Mozart or Baroque and Classical, but not between punk and rock and blues? Or why limit children to those insipid kids sing the Itsy Bitsy Spider type albums?
Our children’s favorite songs range from Bobby Darin’s Beyond The Sea to Queen’s We Will Rock You, and from the Pogue’s Poor Paddy to Michael Buble’s Spiderman Theme. Even in the selections that are considered children’s music, there are some excellent tunes. Our kids love Erick Morillo’s I Like to Move It, Move It, Pencilhead and the Playground Punk’s Catboy, Robbie Schaefer’s Sally, Can I Walk You Home? (and I love his song Ferdinand based on the excellent picture book) and Seth Decker and the Missing Piece’s Edna the Elephant. I mean, now that They Might Be Giants is making children’s albums, why listen to anything less than brilliant? Then again, any band that can pull off Particle Man and Istanbul (Not Constantinople) really doesn’t need to specify that some of their songs are good for children. Or when Jack Johnson sings the soundtrack for Curious George both parents and children win.
It isn’t to say that our children only listen to popular music. But I know children who only listen to Mozart because it expands minds. We go to symphonies but we also hold raves. We end up in discussions of lyrics (Bob Marley’s Get Up, Stand Up usually leads to questions of why they’re fighting, for instance: “Get up, stand up: don’t give up the fight!”) and the storyline of pieces like Grieg’s In The Hall Of The Mountain King. Rock, country, gospel, rap, punk, orchestral, operatic – kids can try to figure out tone or theme. The movie Fantasia can be fun – do their ideas match other peoples? For music with lyrics, kids can try to figure out what they think it means or if it matters if their interpretation matches the song writer.
After years of mocking tv shows like Dancing With The Stars, we saw one a few months ago. The 7 yo, 3 yo and I are hooked. The kids like the twirls and spins, the fancy clothes and the music. I love that they are watching ballroom dancing and that we end up in intricate discussions of why something is latin instead of ballroom, why some of the costumes are flashy and some are fancy (the kids equivalent of elegant).
There is so much to music and such good music available; music can make you dance, make you cry, make you laugh, make you think. No matter what you like you can find something fun, brilliant, quirky for your children and yourself . . . and then go try something new.
(more music yesterday: Dancing Along , and tomorrow: Eclectic Fusion Blend)
