what kind of music do your kids listen to?

[momma2beaugirls]

There doesn't seem to be much variety for kids. There's all the adult stuff on the radio and then there are cds with songs from movies and shows that are for the really young crowd...but not much for the kids in the middle.

Edited by momma2beaugirls - 7/26/12 at 12:35pm

[lilyrn11]

I agree with you. Had to turn off the radio in the car because Katy Perry's song Last Friday Night came on. Some of the material is just so inappropriate. I really do not my soon to be eight year old and five year old asking me what a menage a trois is. We listen to a lot of CDs. Raffi, Paul Simon, classical music, Sara Bareilles, Stevie Wonder, some country music. It is really an odd mix thinking about all that we listen too LOL. The library is a great source for CDs. We just recently watched the Sound of Music. The kids loved the music so I am planning on getting the soundtrack to the movie so they can sing along. I would love to here other mom's suggestions.

[Hoopin' Mama]

He listens to what we listen to and he attends music festivals and shows with us. However, I don't listen to much pop or rap so I don't come up against too much of - what I consider - to be inappropriate content. That definition will vary among parents though.

We also have the kids' channel on satellite radio.
 

[StudyingStones]

DH and I are both rock fans, and DS is too.  We frequently listen to Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles, and DS' favourite, the Rolling Stones.   For us it's really important for DS to be exposed to the  music we grew up listening to - music of substance and meaning. 

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by StudyingStones 

DH and I are both rock fans, and DS is too.  We frequently listen to Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles, and DS' favourite, the Rolling Stones.   For us it's really important for DS to be exposed to the  music we grew up listening to - music of substance and meaning. 

I think that if I said something like the bolded to my kids, they would challenge me about the disco era, 80's synth pop and 90's gangsta rap and mock me unmercifully. 

Anyway, they grew up listening to a wide variety of music, not necessarily "children's music", although there was a lot of that sort of thing too. Classical, rock, folk, jazz, opera, some country (old style stuff - Johnny Cash)....personally, I don't like rap or hip hop so there wasn't much of that in the house. Somehow, DS evolved into a hardcore punk rocker and DD likes some of it too, although her tastes aren't quite as hardcore. 

[Alphaghetti]

Originally Posted by StudyingStones 

DH and I are both rock fans, and DS is too.  We frequently listen to Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles, and DS' favourite, the Rolling Stones.   For us it's really important for DS to be exposed to the  music we grew up listening to - music of substance and meaning. 

SAME! Except now that my kids are getting older, one out of three veers more toward the pop side. They all listen to popular music of our time now, but appreciate our music at the same time.

I don't really mind the Katy Perry and stuff. She's reasonably talented, as in she writes(her own) catchy pop songs that are sometimes a little clever, and she's a bit wacky which I kinda like.  I remember when I was little and listening to the Grease soundtrack. I knew there were swears, and things that were "adult" in the songs, but it was not the reason I loved the songs, and mostly just glossed over these parts.  

[~cassie]

Mine listen to everything.  Dh is big into heavy metal and rock and I like the more pop stuff and oldies so they have a good variety.  There are songs that I know to turn off bc of the bad language or the message so we will switch if necessary.

[CatsCradle]

DD listens to and likes a wide variety of music, mostly because DH and I are huge music fans (I grew up playing classical piano and DH has a huge music collection ranging from rare bluegrass stuff to Bjork).  We don't listen to the radio, just not something we do except when we're making pancakes for breakfast and we listen to the local college music stations.  DD has never had any "kid" music.  We try to get a lot of different stuff for our music library ranging from traditional folk music to opera to old show tunes to alternative rock.  To us, learning a diverse range of music and musical styles is more important than music that is made strictly for kids.  In fact, I think that DD is a bit bored with what is considered "kid" music.  We just interest her in the stuff that we're interested in and she digs that.  We're music snobs on a lot of levels but it has never gotten in the way of immersing DD (and ourselves) in the endless musical possibilities out there.  

[ollyoxenfree]

Originally Posted by Alphaghetti 

I don't really mind the Katy Perry and stuff. She's reasonably talented, as in she writes(her own) catchy pop songs that are sometimes a little clever, and she's a bit wacky which I kinda like.  

DS can be quite critical (i.e. snotty) about music, especially pop music, in the way that only teenagers can be. He mostly likes punk and hardcore rock and plays in a couple of bands that have a following in town. He also played a lot of classical music in various community orchestras and ensembles. He was a music major at an arts high school. He decided against studying music in university, much to the disappointment of his teachers who had been encouraging him because they believed in his talent and ability. Anyway, the point is that he is pretty well educated in music and turns his nose up at most pop music.  

But he thinks Katy Perry is a pretty good musician and she produces good stuff. You could have knocked me over with a feather when he admitted it to me. After that, I started listening to her (I don't pay much attention to the pop scene)....and I kind of like her too.  Her vidoes are way over the top, but the songs are catchy and fun. 

[lnitti]

Originally Posted by StudyingStones 

DH and I are both rock fans, and DS is too.  We frequently listen to Smashing Pumpkins, Tool, Led Zeppelin, The Doors, The Beatles, and DS' favourite, the Rolling Stones.   For us it's really important for DS to be exposed to the  music we grew up listening to - music of substance and meaning. 

I would be thrilled to share this music with my kids.  But I am concerned about the words and that my kids will repeat them, etc.  How do I listen mostly to this kind of stuff and know I'm not doing something wrong?

One of my dd's favorite songs has a swear word in it.  But I still let her listen to it because it's a mild word - "Hell".  But even with that, I feel guilty.  My kids are 8 and 4.

[webjefita]

Our kids listen to my music and my husband's music. I love introducing them to stuff, whether it's Selena or Michael Jackson or The Band Perry or Alabama. We mostly listen to latin music, old and new. We love Juanes, Mana, Shakira, Julieta Venegas, and my husband likes lots of rock en español. When they kids want to hear it, they ask for "papi's fuerte music"

[Bokonon]

My kids listen to what I listen to, because when they listen to music, it's usually in my car.  Sometimes I will put on Laurie Berkner, the Phineas and Ferb soundtrack, or Hullabaloo (a local kids' band) for them, but mostly we listen to 311, Pearl Jam, Pantera, Springsteen, or whatever else I feel like listening to that isn't loaded with profanities (meaning I skip some of my favorite songs).

My 7 year old doesn't know curse words (yet) and can't pick them out of songs, so I actually worry more about my 3yo repeating them!  But it hasn't been an issue.  I didn't know what most songs on the radio meant when I was a kid, and I know they don't either.

[ShadowMoon]

We never did "kid" music DS. He listens to whatever we listen to which means a variety of jam bands, modern and classic rock, some indie/folk/alternative stuff, etc.

His favorite band is currently Phish because that's what is usually playing and their songs are very bouncy and fun. He's always requesting songs to play from them.

We don't censor music with curse words....I listen to quite a bit of Ani DiFranco and other artists with curses sprinkled in. He is just beginning to learn that there are appropriate and inappropriate words and understands that you shouldn't say certain words in public.

[AngieB]

My kids have always listened to what ever I listen to. They notice the "bad words" and will point it out and I've just always said that we can listen to it and enjoy the music without repeating the inappropriate stuff, it's never been a problem. I never felt like they picked up on stuff when they were really young, now I had a teen and a preteen and they notice stuff but I feel like they are the age where it's mostly a conversation starter. The younger to still seem oblivious to most of it.

[CatsCradle]

I would say (based on my various musing and interest in historical trends) that "kid's music" is a fairly new thing (perhaps starting in the Victorian era but more pronounced in the 40s, 50s and 60s).  Music made specifically for kids, in my opinion, was a pure marketing ploy.  Hey!  Let's make music for kids only and perhaps we'll make some money.  Music has always been a central part of culture, but from my observation, it is about kids learning from the stuff out there that is the stuff of their parents.  The whole kid-tailored thing is a relatively new concept.  Kids used to grow up with music that was part of their overall cultural experience, not stuff that was specifically tailored to them.

[Bokonon]

Originally Posted by CatsCradle 

I would say (based on my various musing and interest in historical trends) that "kid's music" is a fairly new thing (perhaps starting in the Victorian era but more pronounced in the 40s, 50s and 60s).  Music made specifically for kids, in my opinion, was a pure marketing ploy.  Hey!  Let's make music for kids only and perhaps we'll make some money.  Music has always been a central part of culture, but from my observation, it is about kids learning from the stuff out there that is the stuff of their parents.  The whole kid-tailored thing is a relatively new concept.  Kids used to grow up with music that was part of their overall cultural experience, not stuff that was specifically tailored to them.

I completely agree.

I find a lot of the Beach Boys' music to be great for kids - no profanities, fun rhythms, singable.  And it's what I grew up listening to, because my parents always loved the Beach Boys!

[KaliShanti]

We mainly listen to worship music, sometimes the Celtic station, and some kids albums.

[gcgirl]

We listen to whatever I'm listening to, which is everything. Lol.

I've made a few playlists for the kids to play on their stereo, mostly for bedtime, some for daytime. There's a mix of stuff - Celtic, harp, various classical, some of that Putomayo international kids' stuff, a few non-offensive pop songs (DS1 LOVES Rockin' Robin and Mr. Roboto). And we just discovered that the bestest ever nighttime relaxation mix is Ray Lynch's Deep Breakfast album randomized with Warren Cuccurrullo's Machine Language. Very calming and both kids love it.