All Your Song Are Belong to Us!

The Little Guy turns six this week. Hard to believe that he’s only a few weeks from starting first grade. Time waits for no man. Or woman as the case might be. I digress.

So, for his present we decided to get him an iPod. He loves music and listens, sings, dances around the house all the time. He usually borrows someones phone or his brother’s iPod in these instances. It makes sense to get him his own. So we did.

Now, we are at the point where we need to put music on it. He has his favorite songs. And he has a whole bunch of other ones that he listens to, but we’re talking 16 GB of space. There’s plenty of room to start developing good musical taste in his young mind. So I’ve been going through my 5600 song library and trying to decide what is appropriate for him and what isn’t.

Is it this?

This is tougher than you might think. I want him to like good music, but does that mean my music? Should he instead be introduced to the music that The Wife prefers? Who am I kidding. We know the answer to that.  JK. *Winky Face* and whatnot.

Anyway, back to the music. I started picking bands. What Beastie Boys song can I use? Pearl Jam? David Bowie, Queen, Pink Floyd, Poison, Guns N Roses, Metallica? Or do I try to find some modern stuff that’s more kid appropriate?

Could it be this?

I started a list. Then I deleted it. Then I started a new list. It’s been a much bigger process than I ever guessed it would be. Slowly I’ve begun to select songs that work. How? Well, I asked him. To be honest, I give direction. I’m not giving him a free pass to the archives, but I’m letting him make his own choices. Have any favorites you think he might like? Let me know in the comments.

Here are three of his new favorites.

Fish Heads—Barnes and Barnes (1979) Song kicks in around the 2:00 mark.

Maps—Yeah Yeah Yeahs (2003)

Lovefool—The Cardigans (1996)

What can I say? At least he didn’t pick any of the Marilyn Manson…

6 Comments

  1. Mom on August 13, 2013 at 9:19 pm

    Expose him to all genres and let him decide. The more types he hears the broader his choice.
    I would also consult with Rich and Aaron.

    • Adam on August 14, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Doesn’t posting about it on the blog count as consulting?

  2. Margie Culver on August 13, 2013 at 10:16 pm

    I really like this post, Adam. I would leave some suggestions but the music is pretty old. 🙂

    • Adam on August 14, 2013 at 6:10 pm

      Aww. Margie, that’s exactly what we need. He needs to be introduced to music he won’t hear on the top 40 disney station that he listens to. Things like Tom Lehrer, big band music, or Mozart.

  3. Amy Rudd on August 14, 2013 at 9:28 pm

    Does he like minecraft yet? There are lots of parodies of poprock songs that my son likes. Cars soundtrack…what movies does he like? The themes from movies were a big hit too-Indiana Jones and Star Wars music-also Superman

    • Adam on August 14, 2013 at 9:57 pm

      Thanks Amy. Soundtracks are a great idea. Yeah, both boys are into the Minecraft thing. Amazing some of the things they build.

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