Really Terrific Tunes For Kids

Future Rock Star In Training

Growing up as a child surrounded by music, I can adamantly state that I’m a very different person today because of that music.  I was the son of a drummer, the son of a drum corp director, the son of an aspiring piano player, the son of an aspiring trumpeter, and the son of a music teacher.  That may say more for my father, then it says for me, but it also speaks volumes for the world I lived in.  There were always musicians of all shapes and sizes, and skill sets around my home.  Most were adults, but as I grew through the years,  many of my peers were up and coming musicians that to this day continue to pursue their love of music.  To say music in my childhood shaped me as an adult would be an understatement.  And I mean that in a very positive way.  With the exception of the big name celebrity types, I can’t think of a single person that was close to me as a child, that didn’t benefit from growing up with music in their life.  For many of my friends, it was an escape from a family or school life they couldn’t cope with.  I have to wonder how much better their family lives would have been, if their parents had exposed them more to music.

Apart from the sense of accomplishment music brings to a young child, is the benefits to learning it provides.  It truly is a pathway to the brain that works exceedingly well for some kids who otherwise have great difficulty in learning.  The neurological benefits of music is still a relatively new area of research.  It is believed, that the sensory stimulation that music provides children can actually help them when they need to start learning reading, writing, and arithmetic.  There are of course been all kinds of approaches to getting kids to listen to music at a very young age.  Even before their born, some mothers play music to their kids while their in the womb.  They believe, that music can be heard by children waiting to be born.  Then there are all sorts of videos and CDs you can get specifically targeted to children which are meant to nurture their mental abilities.  This usually involves classical music.  One of the jokes around our family, is that my father (the drummer) used to tap out rhythms and drum beats on our backs while burping us.  That little anecdote may answer why my father managed to have four sons who all grew to become very accomplished drummers.