Children's Music Matters

A singer-songwriter's call for excellence in the songs we feed our kids.

With two young children, we've made a point of exposing our kids to as much W.A. Mozart, Woody Guthrie, Paul Simon, and the Beatles as we possibly can. We want them to know about good music before they are old enough to pop in the earbuds on their own. We often check out music CDs from the library, and have discovered some great children's music in the style of bluegrass, rockabilly, and of course the family kids' jazz favorite, Coal Train Railroad. But I must confess that, on the whole, I am disheartened with the selection of what is out there, and I cannot stomach most of the packaged children's music "product."

Some friends and I were remembering and laughing about which childhood songs we could remember. We especially remember the Sunday school songs like "Seek Ye First," the camp/scout tunes like "Rise and Shine," or the hymns our grandmothers sang to us in the rocking chair like "I Love to Tell the Story." This conversation got me thinking about what a significant moment that is in a child's life when he or she can absorb art and beauty by way of these clever little soul vehicles called melodies. Read more