Adult music for children

Because we shouldn't have to listen to "Baa Baa Black Sheep" all the time!

A week and a half ago C and I went on a mother-daughter road trip, and I made a bunch of new CDs for the trip. Amber from Because Babies Grow Up went on a road trip last week as well, and in Monday's post she asked her readers what their child's favourite CDs are. So I thought I'd share our strategy for mixed CDs, and some song suggestions.

My side of the family has been involved in the music business for years, and my Dad and I have very extensive music collections. C loves music too, and her favourite artists are children's musicians like Raffi, Fred Penner, Sharon Lois & Bram, and Sesame Street. Early on we branched out to new-style children's musicians like Justin Roberts, The Terrible Twos, Dan Zanes, Lisa Loeb and Elizabeth Mitchell. We always have music on in the house (well, that or CBC radio), and always in the car. We've probably played children's music a bit too much - C monopolizes the CD player. She prefers "her" CDs to ours, so I've been adding more and more kid-friendly adult music to her CDs, to give us variety and to expose her to different styles of music. So far she prefers upbeat music and songs that have a short musical intro. Here are a few songs that have gone over well with her:

• Jackson 5 - ABC
• Bill Haley & The Comets - Rock Around The Clock
• John Denver - Thank God I'm a Country Boy
• Bing Crosby - Swinging on a Star
• Aselin Debison - The Dance You Choose
• Bobby Darin - Splish Splash
• Kenny Loggins - Return to Pooh Corner (typing his name makes me think that she'd probably like Footloose too!)
• Simon & Garfunkle - Feeling Groovy
• Frank Sinatra & Gene Kelly - Take Me Out to the Ball Game
• Great Big Sea - Excursion Around the Bay
  (This is one of C's favourites! A note to all Moms & Dads - kids will hear and repeat the words to the music you play for them, so be forewarned! Not that this is terrible, don't get me wrong, but it's not really a song you want your 2 year old to sing. Last weekend when I was humming it, C started singing along - to my shock! It's a toe tapping traditional Newfoundland tune about a wife who dies on a sea voyage - sounds morbid, but it's actually a great dancing song! I'm glad she likes Great Big Sea though, they're my favourite band!)

Some other kid-friendly artists to try are: The Beatles, The Irish Rovers, Elvis Presley, and just about anything from an upbeat 50s or early 60s album. Of course, there are tons of options - these are just a few suggestions. What kind of kid-friendly adult music do your children like?