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!
