The Universal Language

by Matt

"Dad?"

"Yes?"

"Can I hear 'Hey-ay'?"

"What?"

"Hey-ay!"

"Oh, yeah. Here it is."

My kids listen to a lot of music. Awhile ago, I was having a conversation with another musician. I mentioned that I was listening to a lot of Disney stuff that day. He was surprised by me having that kids stuff playing. He thought that I would (and that he intended to, when he had kids) listen to just jazz. Some Coltrane, Miles or Mingus. I told him that like most things when it comes to kids, changing plans is the norm.

I started my musical education in jazz, so a lot of my taste lies there. But before that I listened to a lot of Soul, R&B, Hip-Hop, & Motown. My parents listened to a lot of Motown, classic rock, and folk music. My music palette was all over the place as a kid. Like most people, my tastes came from my parents. And the same will happen with my kids, right?

Maybe.

My kids love kids music. Both of them love the Disney princesses, so we have "A Dream Is A Wish" & to echo Phil's earlier post, "Part of That World." They're big fans of the entire Disney catalog, which I can't complain about. It's well written, fun, & I sing along. They like "Here Comes Science" by They Might Be Giants. There's more in that series from TMBG, but we haven't heard the rest. They really like "There Is A Mountain" by Kenny Loggins. ( I do, too. It's super catchy!)

They also pick up on stuff they hear in the general day to day. They heard "Hey, Soul Sister" in a commercial while we having a laundry folding party. The next day, the two of them were running around the house singing "Hey-ay! Hey-ay-ay-ay-ay!" At their Gymboree music class, they heard the Black Eyed Peas "I Gotta Feeling." Within hours, it was downloaded onto the iPod and the kitchen was turned into a kiddie nightclub. Yes, I was the bouncer.

They also like the "Prelude & Main Title March" from Superman: The Movie. The comic book geek in me bursts with pride as they fly around the house to the London Symphony Orchestra yelling "Su-per-MAN!" I also got them into Stevie Wonder, Michael Buble', & a little Miles Davis.

There's stuff they don't get into. They're not really at the stage where they can appreciate John Coltrane's "A Love Supreme." They like some of the new John Legend & the Roots album "Wake Up", but not all of it. Any classical trombone concertos are usually no good to them, but they'll listen to some Mozart. E likes to hear Dora more than the princesses, which L loves.

Music is so important to me, that I want to share it with them. I think that goes for any person/parent. They want the best for their kids, and that includes clapping along to their favorite tunes. (2 & 4, people!) We often define ourselves through the music we listen to and love. Why not let our kids do the same?

[I defy you not to get that Kenny Loggins tune stuck in your head. We're all singing it right now!]