Mothering › Forums › Parenting › Music and children
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:

Music and children  

post #1 of 27
1/14/09 at 6:48pm
Thread Starter 
How much benefit does it do for children who listen to music every day. When I'm babysitting my 20 month old cousin, the music is always playing low enough for us to hear. They have cable where there's lots of music channels to choose from that plays continous music. Sometimes, he will dance to the music He seems to like jazz. We also listen to country and kidz Only!
post #2 of 27
1/14/09 at 6:53pm
We listen to music every day here too. I never thought of it / did it as a specific benefit, but listening to music frequently can't possibly be bad, can it?
post #3 of 27
1/14/09 at 7:32pm
It has been show to increase activity in certain parts of the brain. In this house though, it's more of a relaxant. We all feel calmer when there's music on.
post #4 of 27
1/14/09 at 8:03pm
the most fun and hardly annoying music for children and teaches rhythmic patterns!!!
http://www.themusicclass.com/
post #5 of 27
1/14/09 at 8:17pm
I prefer non-recorded music as dd is very sensitive to sound and so CDs disrupt her thought processes. We sing all the time at our house, play our keyboard and instruments, etc. At nighttime we put on our bedtime song (it's just one song that repeats) and leave it one while we read books and rock and I sing to her myself.
post #6 of 27
1/14/09 at 9:14pm
I think having music on constantly as background noise is almost as disruptive to concentration and focus as having the TV on constantly, especially if its the radio with commercials.

Ideally, listening to music should be combined with some activity that engages the child with the music, such as dancing, singing, keeping time, etc. Second to that having music on while doing creative activities like painting and drawing is good.

Maybe I'm especially sensitive to background noise. I hate going to parties where you have to talk over the music, and the talking is loud enough you can't really hear the music, either. I think children are even more affected by too much stimuli from various sources at the same time.
post #7 of 27
1/14/09 at 11:41pm
We listen to music all the time. I am a huge music lover and so is dp and all of our friends. Ds loves to dance and hum, harmonize with the melodies.
post #8 of 27
1/15/09 at 11:32am
ALWAYS? all the time? continuous music?

that would drive me batty. with or without commercials. continuous background noise. a big no no!!!!

even if it is your kind of music - i personally cant imagine living a life where there is music ALL the time.

so i cant see how that can be a good thing for anyone - even a baby.

now putting it on and actively listening to it of course that is GREAT!!!! and all kinds. in fact at that age i used to borrow many different world music too from the library. that's when i discovered how much my dd loved and still loves japanese opera. we listened to lots and lots of different kinds and genres of music. actually v. little children's music till she got a little older.
post #9 of 27
1/15/09 at 12:58pm
I'd rather have music on than the TV, personally. It was a constant thing when I was growing up. Can't disagree more with the people who say it's bad and distracting. Of course, everyone in my family is a musician of some sort.

Not children's music though. That would be terrible for the adults in the house.
post #10 of 27
1/15/09 at 3:24pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by plunky View Post
I'd rather have music on than the TV, personally. It was a constant thing when I was growing up. Can't disagree more with the people who say it's bad and distracting. Of course, everyone in my family is a musician of some sort.

Not children's music though. That would be terrible for the adults in the house.
The bolded part probably has a big impact on it. We're a very musical family. Just because there is always music in our house doesn't mean it's all on CD or radio. The second it gets turned off someone start singing/humming/whistling/playing an instrument.
post #11 of 27
1/15/09 at 5:31pm
I feel like there is never such thing as too much music. I always like to have music on for some backround noise.
post #12 of 27
1/15/09 at 5:38pm
We have "music time" ever day where I put on music and we dance around and be silly.
post #13 of 27
1/15/09 at 5:39pm
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mozart_effect

music is also related to the ability to understand science and math. music is a good thing!

nak
post #14 of 27
1/15/09 at 5:46pm
My husband is a musician, so Rory is exposed to a lot of music. Not on a constant basis (I need quiet!) but very frequently. I think it's good for development, but if nothing else, it's something she and her daddy can bond over. :
post #15 of 27
1/15/09 at 5:53pm
music is life, here no but, we do listen to it for a good part of the day. We have a central stereo system so there are speakers in every room. If it bothered the kids, they could surely turn the volume off wherever they are in the house... but what happens is that (my dd especially) cranks it as loud as it goes when a song she likes comes on.

We listen to a huge variety of music, too. from a bit of classical to hardcore (that's DH's genre of choice). Even rap and the occasional country thrown in the mix. Hip hop/Pop is the kids favorite at the moment. My DD cranks the bass on our computer stereo and the living room turns in to dance party usa.

We are TV-free, so like a PP said, I'd much rather have music on in the background than hearing television shows constantly.
post #16 of 27
1/15/09 at 6:23pm
We're also TV-free! (My husband hates television. I've never watched very much, but my husband hates it. Ask him what his three least favorite things in the world are and I can guarantee his answer as "racism, drugs, and television") I wonder if there's a correlation between the amount of music people listen to and their TV viewing.
post #17 of 27
1/15/09 at 7:06pm
We have music on for many hours each day. DH and I are huge music lovers and DD has shown herself to also love music - both CD music, making music herself and live music on the few occasions she's seen buskers and whatnot. We don't have it on 24/7 or anything but we have it on a lot. She LOVES to dance and sing along and has strong preferences for certain songs. Sometimes she'll literally ask to hear the same song over and over for an hour or more. Once she can actually talk and I can just picture her telling us what playlists she wants us to make for her.
post #18 of 27
1/15/09 at 7:11pm
I'd be concerned that constant background noise of any sort would interfere with language development.

I understood that young children can't filter out background noise.

But I'm noise sensitive and probably overcompensate!
post #19 of 27
1/15/09 at 7:41pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Drummer's Wife View Post
music is life, here no but, we do listen to it for a good part of the day. We have a central stereo system so there are speakers in every room. If it bothered the kids, they could surely turn the volume off wherever they are in the house... but what happens is that (my dd especially) cranks it as loud as it goes when a song she likes comes on.

We listen to a huge variety of music, too. from a bit of classical to hardcore (that's DH's genre of choice). Even rap and the occasional country thrown in the mix. Hip hop/Pop is the kids favorite at the moment. My DD cranks the bass on our computer stereo and the living room turns in to dance party usa.

We are TV-free, so like a PP said, I'd much rather have music on in the background than hearing television shows constantly.
Can I live in your house? I want that stereo system... The one we have you have to crank it to hear it anywhere other then the living room.
post #20 of 27
1/15/09 at 8:50pm
If the tv isn't on, the radio is on. I can't stand a totally quiet house.

Usually the girl watches Sesame street while I shower, then the radio comes on. She loves to dance and sing.
New Posts  All Forums:Forum Nav:
  Return Home
  Back to Forum: Parenting
This thread is locked  
Mothering › Forums › Parenting › Music and children