What's the best children's music? by Dr Christobel Llewellyn

It's sometimes confusing for parents to know what's the best choice for children's music. As both a music educator and parent, I found myself browsing through record stores eagerly looking for something both my husband and I, and my children could enjoy. Unfortunately, I didn't find it. Most of the chidlren's music was corporate ie. attached to a tv show. It seemed to be all copies of the same thing. Lots of vocalists singing nursery rhymes, mostly in G or C Major with little variety. Hardly any instrumentation.

Children are magnificent. Any parent knows this. Children's music should play to this magnificence, not down to the common denominator.

I started KINDERJAZZ The Big Swing Band For Little Kids for this reason. You can check it out against the list below on http://www.kinderjazz.com. I wanted children to be exposed to the cream, not the residue. Childhood is when a human's hearing is most acute. It is when we learn our language and this informs much future success in our lives. The best children's music has the following ingredients:-

a) melody
b) rhythm
c) interesting key signatures
d) variety of styles
e) clarity
f) be performed by professionals
g) harmony - simple or complex
h) safe, intelligent and fun lyrics
i) educational

Don't just walk into a store and buy what you've seen on tv. Music is powerful. Ask any advertising agency. Children's music needs to be the highest quality. What your children listen to will form a memory bank in their brains for the rest of their lives. PLATO said, "To become the right kind of person, you must listen to the right kind of music."

About The Author

Dr Christobel Llewellyn is a music educator and leader of leading kid's music Big Band, KINDERJAZZ - http://www.kinderjazz.com. She lives in Sydney, Australia with her composer husband and three children. She has produced six albums for KINDERJAZZ all offering music tuition for children from birth.