Ah, kids music. It’s the genre I love to hate. There are exceptions, of course….there is some good music out there. It seems like so much kids music, though, is inane and/or annoying and/or inappropriate (Kidz Bop, anybody?).
The Musician and I were talking about this the other day. We both like to bounce with our babies to a dance beat, but we really don’t want them to learn about brushing their teeth with a bottle of Jack. (Musician, so far my best guess is create a mix of old Newsboys dance hits with some Echoing Green and Code of Ethics — heh.)
I do like the Wee Sing series; it seems to have lots of classic songs in good, basic arrangements.
However, I’ve finally found a kids CD that is also music for me. I don’t become embarrassed when I find myself singing it in public, and I’m even excited about attending one of the concerts.
The source of this wonderful phenomenon is Coal Train Railroad. It’s a CD of jazz for kids, and it was created by some of my fellow East Nashvillians! I heard about this band from The Musician. Honestly, I was too impressed when I first heard some clips of their music online, but I decided to buy the music anyway to support the project.
To my absolute delight, I found Coal Train Railroad to be just what Ian and I needed. The musicians on the album are fantastic, managing to combine jazz, education, and goofy fun into a charming concoction. What was truly impressive to me was the structure of the album, which included Latin jazz, a torch song, a foxtrot, and several other standard jazz forms.
Oh, and I tested in the car today — the upbeat songs are great at keeping Ian awake, while the slower songs put him right to sleep. Fabulous!
Clearly, I recommend that everyone check out Coal Train Railroad for their munchkins, but I’m sure y’all have some good recommendations for kids’ music that won’t drive parents up the wall. Let me know in the comments what’s on your playlist! Thanks!
P.S. – In case you’re wondering, this is not a sponsored post. Just rambling about something I like. 🙂
I friend of mine introduced me to Seeds Family Worship sometime last year. I LOVE it. They take scripture and set it to well-crafted, musically-sound tunes. They are catchy, and I’m only a little embarrassed when I sing them in public…usually only when I realize that there is no child with me at the moment. I also don’t have to worry about some crazy theological interpretation because it’s straight scripture. And Becca LOVES them! As soon as I start the music, she starts dancing! And as a Methodist pastor, I’m determined to disprove the stereotype of UM kids being raised without knowing the Bible. But wait, there’s more! They package their cd’s in 2’s – so when you purchase a cd, you get two copies of it (for the price of one) – one for you, and one for you to pass on! Brilliant! (I think the musicians are also local, but I’m not totally sure.) Visit http://www.seedsmusicstore.com to more info and to order.
Have no recommendation, but you’ve revived my determination to write and produce something myself. I have this vision, maybe along a slightly different genre-line, but hymns and scripture with children’s choir (kids love hearing kids, I’ve found) and some real, live instruments–imagine that. 🙂 I’m thinking along the lines of “Be Thou My Vision”, and “Joyful, Joyful” not “You Can’t Get to Heaven on Roller Skates”. (A song actually on my kids’ CD titled “Bible Songs”…guess I missed that verse) All I need is a choir, time to write some arrangements, musicians, and…money. Ah, well.
Glad to know about both the album you mentioned, Christy, and the one above. will check those out. I do have a funny anecdote–One of the CDs we have contains “I Have Decided to Follow Jesus”, which Annie has memorized. She sings the second verse “Be joyful always/Pray without sneezing” (ceasing) 🙂 Love those little toddler ears!
“I’m determined to disprove the stereotype of UM kids being raised without knowing the Bible”
…wait….you mean I wasn’t the only one?!
I love the idea of using straight scripture.
Sarah — I thought for sure you would have some good recommendations. I remember always hearing good CDs at your house. But roller skates, not so much.
I think music is wonderful way to learn scripture, though.