Having Kids Doesn't Mean Having to Give Up Your Musical Tastes Completely

   By lauralee  Aug 08, 2011
18

Before I had kids, going to late night gigs at smoky downtown clubs to hear my favorite indie bands was one of my passions.  Then came pregnancy, sleep deprivation, and being home for bedtime with my kids every night and I thought my days of experiencing joy at the discovery of music I love were far behind me.  Don't get me wrong--there is definitely a place in our home for Raffi and The Wiggles even if it doesn't appeal to my musical sensibilities--but I enjoy it only for the elation it brings my daughters and the opportunity to see them dance along.

So how did I regain some of my music loving groove?  First, a friend turned me on the the Music for Aardvarks classes that are all over New York City when my eldest was an infant.  Definitely a step forward from the some of the more traditional kiddie music.  And once we came up the Yo Gabba Gabba learning curve, I was thrilled to discover bands like the Salteens and the Ting Tings along with my kids that primarily make music for grown ups (or those of us who sometimes think we are). I was also delighted to find bands I already loved like They Might Be Giants had albums and dvd's for kids.  The Here Come the 1,2,3's dvd is a family favorite.

We also started exploring live music again and are very fortunate to live near Madison Square Park which has both a kids' summer concert series and evening concert series that is family-friendly.  Two summers ago, I took a day off from work to take my eldest on a special mommy day and we caught the Suzi Shelton show and we both loved it!  My daughter insisted on getting a CD to take home and it's rarely been out of the CD player since then.  My two year old loves it, too.

I was fortunate to meet Suzi last week and let her know about my work here at SheSpeaks and our wonderful community of women, many of them mothers.  She has given us two of her CD's, No Ordinary Day, winner of the Parents' Choice Silver Honors award, and Simply Suzi, winner of the iParenting Media Award, as well as the DVD of Suzi Shelton Live at Southpaw, winner of the National Parenting Publications Awards Nappa Gold award to give away to our members and followers.  And please let us know which kid-friendly artists make you smile.

To enter the giveaway:

  • Comment on this blog
  • Get extra entries in the giveaway by sharing this post on Twitter and Facebook. Post the link to your Tweet or your Facebook post as a comment on this blog.

Prizes:

Winners will be chosen at random and contacted by Friday August 12th.

Update: Congrats to our winners Heidi B., Elaine C., and Melissa T.! Thank you all for participating!

 

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KainatSalami by KainatSalami | WOODSIDE, NY
Aug 17, 2011

It would be amazing to win!

MomKnowsBestMHM by MomKnowsBestMHM | HUNTINGTON PK, CA
Aug 13, 2011

I love listening to any type of music and I'm open to different things. My children's music brings my inner child out but it does not compromise to my taste of music.

basilandcatnip by basilandcatnip | GARLAND, TX
Aug 09, 2011

Her song Go'in On A Road Trip is a toe tapper/head bobber. We listen to Steve Songs. And since I was a kid, they still occassionaly perform today, from The Magic Garden - Carole Demas and Paula Janis.

dnuncio by dnuncio | Elmhurst, NY
Aug 09, 2011

My nephews & nieces would love this!

melissawoodc by melissawoodc | Trussville, AL
Aug 08, 2011

Oh how my life has changed. No more cool indie films or slightly inappropriate songs, at least when the kids are around! My day consists of mostly theme songs, Wonder Pets, Yo Gabba, Kipper, Shaun the Sheep and so on. Thankfully SOME of them are catchy. I love the days when I run errands by myself and can crank up the radio to not so wholesome songs that I use to enjoy back in the day!

girl17 by girl17 | EAGAN, MN
Aug 08, 2011

We really liked Jacks Big Music Show--it had great songs!

elainecad by elainecad | Cedar Lake, IN
Aug 08, 2011

I love indie and kindie. Will have to check Suzi out!

twinkler by twinkler | FOUNTAIN HLS, AZ
Aug 08, 2011

My son's are 1 and 3 and they would love this music. They are always dancing and singing around the house!!

ferns48 by ferns48 | Delphi, IN
Aug 08, 2011

Grandkids love music! This would be great for when they come over to visit grandma (which is not often enough). Thank you.

w2005blc by w2005blc | HENDERSON, NV
Aug 08, 2011

Posted on twitter https://twitter.com/#!/mommieoftwo/status/100642956263952384

w2005blc by w2005blc | HENDERSON, NV
Aug 08, 2011

I would love a chance to win!

moo77hb by moo77hb | Kingsley, IA
Aug 08, 2011

Here is my twitter post! http://twitter.com/#!/moo77hb/status/100639524996120578

missie_dee2003 by missie_dee2003 | NASHVILLE, GA
Aug 08, 2011

we would love to win one of these cd's , My grandchildren and I love singing kids music in the car everywhere we go.

moo77hb by moo77hb | Kingsley, IA
Aug 08, 2011

Would love to check this out! Thanks for this giveaway!

jessicamac by jessicamac | MAPLEWOOD, NJ
Aug 08, 2011

We love Sara Weeks, especially her album "I'm an Animal", because of the song "Z is for Zoe", because, or course, we have a daughter named Zoe