I've realized that my "Approach to Kids' Music" post, originally written (pre-blog) about five years ago when our daughter was just a wee one, doesn't completely reflect my thoughts about kids' music now, particularly as our daughter is now in kindergarten. So for your amusement I'm providing additional thoughts on my original beliefs...
I should note that I'm under no illusion that what I'm saying is revolutionary. Most of it is common sense. Nor am I under any illusion that I have any control over my kids' taste in music -- I don't want to have that control, I just want our kids to be able to enjoy a wide range of music if that's what gives them pleasure and comfort.
But in case you think I'm reviewing music for myself, and not for my kids, I hope this will give you some indication of what I'm thinking of as I review music for slightly older kids...
1) Good kids' music is enjoyable for adults, too: This will never change. Now, having said that, I'm totally aware that there is some kids' music that is made just for kids, and that's OK. But to paraphrase W.H. Auden, who was writing about children's poetry, there are no good songs which are only for children.
2) Not all good adults' music is enjoyable (or even suitable) for kids: As your kids get older, the number of songs that are inappropriate for them to listen to dwindles. They can listen to longer, more complex songs. And they can handle more difficult topics. It's not that they don't hear about life's difficulties from a very young age ("Rockabye Baby" is about a plummeting crib, after all), but for the most part those songs are simple stories or declarations of unconditional love. As kids get older they strengthen their ability to handle scary stuff or stories about life's trials. I know I have to fight my tendency to protect my kids from every problem -- I need to do the same with the songs they hear...
3) Did I say simple was good?: When I said "simple," I was talking about redoing classic children's songs and suggesting that you didn't need cheesy Casio synthesizers. Having said that, as kids get older, they'll want to soak in all different types of experiences -- have them hear zydeco, jazz, classical, electronic arrangements, banjos, autoharps, whatever.
4) Who are you anyway?: No change here -- if you can't tell at a glance who's playing on the CD, put the CD and walk away quickly.
5) No "Stairway to Heaven": I noted that 2 minutes was a good song length for infants and toddlers. Clearly, as kids get older, they can pay attention for much greater stretches of time. So crank up "Freebird" and let them enjoy!
Time to Rebrand
I had low expectations when I started this website.
I wanted to share some music that was recorded with kids in mind that both kids and adults could find enjoyment in. But my bar for parental enjoyment was pretty low -- I was looking for music that wouldn't drive parents to rip the CD out of the minivan's player and drive over it repeatedly. My tagline -- "Music for kids that the parents won't hate" -- was a reflection of those low expectations.
Even though the tagline is still not a bad reflection of my concerns, I've never been particularly enamored of it. I don't like the word "hate," and there's something distinctly negative about it (something implicitly acknowledged in the headline for the NPR piece I was in -- "Music For Kids That Even Parents Might Love").
It's time to try out a new tagline.
Snakes on a plane!
OK, you're right, not good. So we're going with this:
Kids music worth sharing.
When I'm Not Listening to Kids' Music
I was rereading the "My Approach to Kids' Music" post and besides the amusing out-of-date comments regarding our kids' music collection -- nearly two dozen kids' records, can you believe it, folks? -- I also noticed the listing of my "adult" music preferences:
"I particularly enjoy the following artists, among others: Wilco, the Jayhawks, Spoon, REM, They Might Be Giants, Matthew Sweet, U2, Lyle Lovett, Kelly Willis, Patty Griffin, Miles Davis and most classical chamber music."I'm one of those people who, when visiting someone else's house for the first time, is particularly drawn to CD collections, hoping to glean some piece of critical information that might help me understand the person just a little more. It's as if I was the "guess-your-age" guy at the carnival, except instead of asking questions about the person's marital status, I'm asking, so, uh, "which albums do you have on which Sting is a musician?" In looking at that list from two years ago (and, frankly, with the exception of Spoon, it's really almost 5 years old), I'm thinking I need to update the list slightly, splitting it into two components -- artists I have 4 or more CDs of and bands with less than 4 CDs that I really adore, which basically gives you the list of bands that have been part of my life for a long time (even if they're not really any more), and newer bands I'm looking forward to hearing for many years to come. Artists with 4+ CDs in my collection, in rough order of # of CDs: They Might Be Giants, Ludwig van Beethoven (yeah, I know he's not a band in the traditional sense), R.E.M., Matthew Sweet, U2, Wilco, The Jayhawks, Talking Heads, Bruce Springsteen, Spoon, Fountains of Wayne, The Dixie Chicks, Lyle Lovett, Kelly Willis, W.A. Mozart With the exception of R.E.M., I really haven't "abandoned" any of these artists. (I'll still listen to R.E.M., but only the old stuff. Yes, in this regard I'm the snob like everyone else.) Artists with less than 4 CDs that I quite adore: The New Pornographers, The Shins, The Futureheads, Golden Smog (OK, I'm ignoring the On Golden Smog EP), My Morning Jacket (OK, I'm ignoring their earlier stuff), Kathleen Edwards I'm sure I'm omitting artists with, like, one CD that's just fabulous (see Patty Griffin, whose 1000 Kisses is incredible and whose other albums are mostly "eh" to me). If I had to make this list a year from now I'm sure it'd be different. But now you know where I stand. (And you can guess how old I am.)
British Kids' Music Scene Not Much More Than Belle and Sebastian
While the old saw about the awfulness of British cuisine may no longer be valid, perhaps the new saw is the awfulness of British kids' music
Well, according to one Times of London writer, who bemoans the state of British kids' music, while lavishing very evasive praise on the new Belle and Sebastian-curated compilation Colours Are Brighter.
While I really don't like the goal of making sure he "can take pride in the songs [his] kids like," I love the idea of creating a "back-story" to certain non-kids' CDs to get them more interested in the albums. In addition to praising Elizabeth Mitchell fave Vashti Bunyan and giving a backhanded compliment to They Might Be Giants, he also puts The Sippy Cups on his Small Ages-esque mixtape for kids.
Oh, and dude, "Furry Happy Monsters" is right here.
I should also note that the Colours Are Brighter website is now offering a free "Go Go Ninja Dinosaur" mp3 along with a "Jackie Jackson" game (which proves to me how old I am, 'cause I failed miserably at it).
Crosseyed and Painless
David Byrne recently posted a few thoughts on the past, present, and future of album art. Byrne's main point? We shouldn't necessarily mourn the loss of album art (which was often designed without the artist's input) with the rise of the iPod et al. Bryne posits a future in which recorded music is free while graphic designers develop ways to entice those listeners to pay for other stuff (merchandise, etc.) associated with the artist. (Thanks to Stereogum for the original reference.)
What does this have to do with children's music? I don't know whether many children's music artists spend much time considering album art. Even if they do (and they probably do), the results often doesn't show that. Raffi's early albums, while pretty darn good, could hardly be considered to have great album art. Those covers are pretty good compared to some I've seen. Aside from the Wiggles, who have very consistent art direction (THE WIGGLES! SMILING! FUN, BRIGHT COLORS!), there aren't a lot of kids' artists whose art direction I love. Dan Zanes is a conspicuous exception (it helps if your brother-in-law is an artist), and there are some other exceptions, too. (The packaging of Lunch Money's Silly Reflection is fabulous, for example. By the way, do you have that album yet? Why not? Go!)
I think much of children's music is trapped behind packaging that screams "you, the adult, will tolerate this and that's all." And I think that may explain partially why certain albums do or don't do well. Flipping through the small kids' music section at your local Borders... what are you going to choose? If you're trying to decide what to give as a gift for your niece's 4th birthday, what are you going to choose? How about looking at covers online? (Yes, I realize that, considering the current plainness of this website, this is a bit "pot-calling-the-kettle-black.")
While bad album art won't always win (Raffi's CDs are still very popular), it takes an awesome album to overcome that art. While Byrne may be right that album art in general may fall by the wayside, I think that day is further away for kids' music than for most music.
And just because I dig the Talking Heads, here's a page with some Talking Heads audio samples. The obvious choice for this site is "Stay Up Late," a funky tune from Little Creatures, but how can you not listen to something from Remain In Light? Go have fun.
What's your favorite children's music album cover/packaging?
"Because Dan Zanes would sure make one funny-looking Wiggle"
I was browsing the Parents Choice website just yesterday, and this article concerning the selections of their Spring 2006 music award-winners hadn't been posted yet. Devon points it out today. (Look for more reviews of some of the albums on the list in the weeks ahead right here.)
Also of note is an interview with XM Kids' Director of Children's Programming Kenny Curtis, who comments on the current state of children's music. My favorite part of the whole piece:
PC: Any Other Reason To Keep Promoting High Quality Kids Music? KC: Because Dan Zanes would sure make one funny-looking Wiggle.Finally, I had meant to post this anyway -- Richard Perlmutter of Beethoven's Wig fame has 10 tips on "How To Get (and Keep) Your Child Excited About Classical Music." It's a good article, worth a read, but I would argue that his tips apply to all music, not just classical: Start With Music Mix It Up See Music Identify Instruments Make Connections Dig In Take Music Lessons Listen With Them Make Up Songs Do It Again (Repetition, Repetition, Repetition) There is absolutely nothing in that list that should be restricted to classical music alone.
