What are they listening to?

[brachysira]

I have this sense that I need to expose my children to some music in an educational way...they enjoyed They Might Be Giants singing about science.  We go to music class, which is mostly just singing kid songs but includes some world music.  My friend's kid listens to things like Simon and Garfunkel and also reads--he's 4--and carries around an MP3 player and so is all like, here's my favorite song, etc. But my friend is a cool music archivist so of course her kid is like this.  

[beenandgone]

What kind of music do you like?

What about the Little Einstein cartoon? (Not Baby Einstein). They solve adventures and problems with Rocket using music.

How about just enjoying some good tunes?

My mom tried to force us to like classical music and even though I play symphony violin, I freaking hate classical music. But I'm old school country to the very core. With some classic rock on the side.

[brachysira]

Yeah, I listen to ska, which DD says is too loud, some Americana, some popular and mildly alternative 80's music, some more recent folky mainstream hipster stuff, and some things that probably most women who went to college in 90's know--Indigo Girls, etc. I also like a popular classical. The kids only like music that comes with video...and a lot of videos from fairly innocuous songs include inappropriate videos. I have spent the evening using Prime to set up a playlist of things I like and paid a tiny to download some other things I thought the kids would like. We have a kids MP3 player that the in-laws bought, so I put the downloaded things on there, which includes a few kids songs from Frances English and They Might be Giants and some things DD has enjoyed me singing (Werewolf Bar Mitzvah).

Perhaps it isn't something they have to know at 3, but I feel like a lot of people are like, "I remember listening to the Beatles with my parents" etc. and I just want them to know some classics and know some variation. DD can (and does) sing anything she hears so I just want her to diversity a bit.

[expatmama]

We listen to a lot of Beatles actually, DS 2 loves Yellow Submarine and Let It Be. Also Queen with We Will Rock You and We Are The Champions. They also like Tom Petty. I usually have some classic rock in the background and if they like a song we add it to our Spotify list.

[beenandgone]

I can honestly say my kids have never intentionally listened to the Beatles.

But check out Little Einsteins! Its not free on Amazon, but it is on Netflix. It's fairly harmless (meaning NOT mind-numblingly boring or annoying) and the kids really love the adventures. Plus it teaches them about music aspects.

I've also gone through and set up a couple of music playlists on YouTube for my kids, and we will occasionally put the all music channels on TV--when we had cable that is. I don't anymore.

We do listen to Pandora though, and I like that I can object to songs if I don't like them, and dismiss them. But mostly, my kids just like cartoons and music. They actually yell at me to turn off the radio in the car.

[creepyeyeball]

We do mostly contemporary Christian music. In the car I do a lot of kid music CDs - current favorite is Slugs and Bugs sings the Bible. Otherwise it's whatever DH and I listen to -mostly oldies and stuff from the nineties when we were kids. They get classical when DS1 practices violin or I am doing barre work with the girls.

[brachysira]

Yes, we have seen all the Netflix Little Einsteins and like them. DD now says "na na na na na" which she learned from there but sounds very much like taunting and now is employed as such.

[beenandgone]

Aug 22, 2016 11:30:27 GMT -5 brachysira said:

Yes, we have seen all the Netflix Little Einsteins and like them. DD now says "na na na na na" which she learned from there but sounds very much like taunting and now is employed as such.

I get "3, 2, 1, Blast off!!!! We're going on a trip, in our favorite rocket ship, traveling to the (bathroom, car, swings, insert every destination a 3yr old might have)!" Set to music. But not the music from the show, just whatever random sounds the kids wants to make...

[dc2london]

We listen to a wide variety of music. I love to play jazz standards and sing along. We play kids stations on Pandora. We dance to silly Laurie Berkmer songs. Irish folk music. Soft classical. My kids like One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Ray Lamontagne, the Beatles, Paul Simon. DS1 decided he liked a blues band we heard at a free outdoor concert so sometimes I turn on some blues for him.

[wineandcake]

I've never thought to play kids music for them. When we're at home it's usually Google play turned to Today's country hits. In the car it's on sirius radio either 90s alternative and grunge station, pearl Jam radio, or new country. Mac really likes The Barenaked Ladies and Queen as well.

[kleigh926]

We don't listen to much music, which is kind of weird because I'm a musical person, but it mostly just adds to the already existing kid noise. Too much background noise stresses me out. I used to be a big country music fan but I really hate a lot of the new "country" that has come out lately. Still, in the car I turn the radio to either country or classic rock stations if we have it on at all. I also have a Christian rock station on pandora that I occasionally play at home. They have a DVD of Bible songs that I put on every now and then but that's the only kids' music they listen to.

All of this changes at Christmas though. I have 7 or 8 Christmas CD's that I play almost constantly and never get sick of

[crimsonandclover]

Aug 24, 2016 11:55:00 GMT -5 kleigh926 said:

We don't listen to much music, which is kind of weird because I'm a musical person, but it mostly just adds to the already existing kid noise. Too much background noise stresses me out. I used to be a big country music fan but I really hate a lot of the new "country" that has come out lately. Still, in the car I turn the radio to either country or classic rock stations if we have it on at all. I also have a Christian rock station on pandora that I occasionally play at home. They have a DVD of Bible songs that I put on every now and then but that's the only kids' music they listen to.

All of this changes at Christmas though. I have 7 or 8 Christmas CD's that I play almost constantly and never get sick of

This is me. Actually I wrote a post that pretty much said the same thing, but either I forgot to hit post or TCF ate it.

I love music but hate too much background noise, so I don't listen to it with kids. I do play the piano when it's just DD3 and I at home because she likes it and it's a good time for me to practice. I also used to love country but haven't listened to a country station in so long I have no idea what's new.

The only exception to the no-music situation is Christmas time - then I listen to background Christmas music whenever I get the chance.

So, yeah, same post.

[dc2london]

We listen to a lot of NPR. My kids know who the presidential candidates are....

[brachysira]

I wish I could listen to NPR...I feel like it gives me a headache when there's talking over talk. Kids are now listening to Superchunk, as it was a free Amazon download...

[kleigh926]

Aug 24, 2016 13:22:13 GMT -5 dc2london said:

We listen to a lot of NPR. My kids know who the presidential candidates are....

A couple months ago DH and I must have been talking about Donald Trump a lot (in disgust) because DD started randomly saying his name. I told her to stop saying it. I don't really want her knowing who he is....

[dc2london]

Aug 24, 2016 14:41:03 GMT -5 kleigh926 said:

Aug 24, 2016 13:22:13 GMT -5 dc2london said:

We listen to a lot of NPR. My kids know who the presidential candidates are....

A couple months ago DH and I must have been talking about Donald Trump a lot (in disgust) because DD started randomly saying his name. I told her to stop saying it. I don't really want her knowing who he is....

J thinks Trump is a buffoon. Though, he arrived at that conclusion entirely on his own. We are very careful not to use unkind language about politicians in front of the kids bc we don't want them to think it's ok to disrespect our leaders.
Even if they are buffoons.

[creepyeyeball]

We don't do name-calling in our house, but we don't hold back our feelings when it comes to politicians. The kids are very aware that this is a lesser of two evils kind of election for us. My boys are old enough to know what abortion means now, having heard it come up in political discussions with family. They are absolutely disgusted by any politician that would allow it. With that said, they love Mike Pence and were happy to get his autograph, shake his hand, and get their photo taken with him at a local rally. (Apparently there aren't many families with five young kids that show up to rallies, because if you do the campaign team will rush you front and center for photo ops .

[brachysira]

Well, probably All Things Considered doesn't expose children to too much hate, but Fresh Air and Science Friday most certainly would not. I love Diane Rehm but her show is quite hit or miss with what I'd want my children to hear...plus, she's retiring...

[singingsea]

K pretty much listens to what H and I do (within reason). I try to filter out bad language and inappropriate topics. He really likes pop, rock and classic rock. One night he was really getting down to David Bowie and I thought it was the cutest thing ever.

We don't talk politics around him nor does he really understand it. We are fans of NPR but usually shows like wait wait don't tell me and car talk.

[holly321]

My kids prefer classic rock. Iron Man is currently their favorite song, mainly because they think it is related to the super hero. But they enjoy Queen, Sting, the Beatles, the Eagles, and Led Zeppelin a lot. I have been trying to listen to more classical music around them lately.

Newer bands, DS really likes Nathaniel Ratliff and the Night Sweats. And heavy metal.

[sagen]

My Feb 13 baby's favorite song is Handclap by Fitz and the Tantrums haha. Today he said "that's was a great song" to 311's Come Original. I listen to my music unapologetically. I am learning Iron man on the guitar, so a little Black Sabbath thrown in