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When it comes to music, my favorites are country music and contemporary Christian music – oh, and I almost forgot, anything Elvis Presley. I am a fanatic! I grew up on country music and seventies and eighties rock and pop music, and later in life started gravitating toward the Christian contemporary genre.
This gravitational pull towards Christian music seemed to occur after we had kids and the stresses of adult life appeared to be unending. The encouraging and uplifting lyrics in Christian music helped to inspire and give me hope, in a world which sometimes felt hopeless.
I’m not talking about church hymns or old-time gospel music, rather the newer bands and singers such as Third Day, Newsboys, and Jeremy Camp. Today’s Christian groups and singers rival some of the best rock and pop bands, but honestly, the Christian music lyrics are so much more inspiring and meaningful.
As my children were growing up, we enjoyed singing to different tunes in the car or on the home stereo. In addition to the many nursery rhymes and Sunday School songs, the kids really liked some of the rock and oldies music with the simple and catchy song titles and lyrics.
We could be heard belting out, “We all live in a yellow submarine” or “Jeremiah was a bull frog, such a good friend of mine”, or “in the jungle, the mighty jungle, the lion sleeps tonight”, or “it’s a big big house, with lots and lots of room, a big table with lots and lots of food…A big house, it’s my Father’s house”.
In addition, we loved the music from the Disney movies such as “Hakuna Matata”, “Colors of the Wind”, “Tale as Old as Time”, “Under the Sea”, “Spoonful of Sugar”, and “Supercalifragilisticexbealidocious”. To this day, my kids reminisce about the songs and music we used to listen to.
I have carried on our music tradition with my grandkids as well, as we sing “ad nauseum” to fairy tales and nursery rhymes, and to some of the same rock and roll and oldies songs of the past.
I like to teach them songs from my childhood and from my kids’ childhood like “Puff the Magic Dragon” which is a huge hit with the grandkids. Not only do we sing the song, but we talk about the meaning of the song which helps the littles connect to the song even more as their imaginations run rampant.
Another favorite, merely because it’s a challenge and fun to say is “Supercalifragilisticexbealidocious” from Mary Poppins. My grandkids memorized this monstrous, made up word, and were so proud of themselves when they finally mastered it.
Furthermore, I also try to keep up with today’s music for kids but I’m not very good at it. I usually get those songs from my daughter, a 4th grade teacher, who uses a great deal of music in her teaching methods and to better relate to her students.
I usually create an “end of the school year” music video from all the pictures I take of her students and classroom activities throughout the year, and she provides me with popular and relevant songs to add to the video.
I have created playlists on my iPhone and iPad titled “Grandkids”, or a playlist under the specific grandchild’s name. The playlists are full of popular kid’s songs, my favorite songs, my childhood songs, and many of today’s popular songs for young people as provided by my daughter, the teacher. These playlists add so much fun when driving around with a carload of grandkids.
As Plato so eloquently states, “Music gives a soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, and life to everything”. And as GrammaWarrior says, “music strengthens my connection with my kids and grandkids and creates memories and nostalgia that will live on as they grow into their adult years”.
Sing on Warriors!
GrammaWarrior
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