An Introduction to Books ‘n’ Beats

Reading and music have long been wedded in the world of “what will make my kid smart?” studies. We could talk about neural responses and brainy processing networks, and how the study of one improves the other. But, really, let’s get to the point as a parent: We strive to instill a love of the arts in our children because it’s good for their souls, not just their synapses.

Books and songs share a special place in our family, as I’m sure they do in yours. As parents, we all have our own memories of favorites (say, “Frog and Toad” and “Bullfrogs and Butterflies”). And it is a joy to share those oldies as well as discover the new classics with our children.

But it’s a big world of words out there. So Books ‘n’ Beats, a new and regular feature to the Studio3Music blog, will aim to cut through the noise and highlight some of the best children’s books and music. For books, there will be special attention paid to read-aloud books with a musical quality — think terms like cadence, crescendo and cantible. For songs, we aim for quality as well as what won’t drive Mom or Dad batty in a contained environment (Rule No. 1: No Chipmunks in the minivan).

My name is Melissa. I’m a writer mom of two young girls. Big One has immensely enjoyed Kindermusik classes with Miss Beth. Little One will be getting her first taste of “music class” when her older sister starts kindergarten this fall. Our house is chuck full of books, and family dance parties are a must for maintaining sanity. We’ll share what we love, what others love — and if you have suggestions for Books ‘n’ Beats picks, email me at sillyissane@gmail.com.  I’d love to hear from you.

To kick us off, here are two picks from our Kindermusik experiences — the place where this all started. Have you enjoyed these yet?

“Shiny Dinah” is probably our favorite Kindermusik book so far. At random moments, the two girls will start chanting “shine-a, shine-a, shine-a” in the car. Plus, it’s about a train. Really, you can’t go wrong.

“Cock-a-Doodle-Doodle-Blue” was one of the first Kindermusik albums we owned and remains among our top favorites. I get a kick out of “Did You Feed My Cow?” (what the must farmer be thinking about this crazy lady). Big One and Little One enjoy the title track, which is based on a board book that also is among our most dog-eared.

- posted by Melissa, whose childhood memories also include lots of Richard Scarry and a life soundtrack still ringing with “Rubber Duckie” and “Antshillvania.”

attribution note: books ‘n’ beats title images courtesy kennymatic (books) and mikecogh (musical note) via Flickr.com