Over the holidays I was looking for music cds for stocking stuffers. So, with idea firmly in mind I went shopping for some children’s music for my grandaughters. I went to our local music shop and was surprised to find four very sad looking used CD’s which I didn’t recognize. So, with time pressures looming I rushed to Best Buy to check out their selection. I was just as disappointed there as well. Maybe the specialized children’s toy store would have presented me with a wider variety of ‘decent’ music.
I had fond memories of Raffi and other child oriented musicians when I started on this quest, trying to find music for the kids’ holiday road trip. All I found were Sesame Street and Disney productions along with no name compilations. I settled on one of the no-name collections because it had the ‘old-timey’ music I remember growing up on… the music I sang to my children.
Songs I can recall and still sing:
- Frere Jacques
- Ring-a-Round the Rosies
- Erie Canal (my sister’s favorite childhood song)
- B-I-N-G-O
- When You Wish Upon a Star
- Twinkle Twinkle, Little Star
- It’s a Small World
I could go on and on. The songs are old ones, passed down from generation to generation. They have sticking power. I’m dubious about the longevity of some of the songs we’re hearing today. My granddaughters can sing along with Dora the Explorer, and I guess that’s good if it encourages them to listen and learn music. And, of course there are the songs from Sesame Street-my personal favorite is anything The Count is singing. But it’s the nursery rhymes I remember and the sweet lullabys.
Music can be so soothing as well as energizing. Bedtime music played as you’re getting everyone ready to settle in becomes the signal for little bodies and brains to slow down. There is learning music like the A-B-C songs, or counting songs. The Baby Genius series has thematic cds to be used as learning tools. And, of course there is classical music, which I probably first heard on a Bugs Bunny cartoon.
Music has the ability to transport, to teach, to relax, to excite and to spur us on creatively. What’s your favorite children’s song? Do you sing with your kids?
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