One thing I have always hated is paying a lot for a music CD and getting it home to find that it isn’t what I wanted. The songs are too complicated, the sound is terrible, the songs stick in my head (and not in a good way), I don’t recognize any of the tunes….you know what I mean. Worst of all, you can’t return it once it’s open. That’s where the library has saved me thousands of dollars.
I might not have had the most recent releases, but by checking out a wide variety of CD’s to listen to BEFORE buying my favorites, I could be assured of getting exactly what I wanted and what I could live with. I know you are with me on this one–how many times have you caught yourself humming “The Wheels On the Bus” while grocery shopping?
I would first scan the songs to see what I thought would work, and then played them for my daughter. She let me know quickly she was going to be a tough audience (you should hear her complain when I sing with “broken notes”….). If we still liked them after two weeks, I ordered personal copies. Infants and toddlers need to hear and respond to music for a variety of educational reasons (see this article on how music effects changes in the brain). A few of our favorites were anything Baby Einstein, Laurie Berkner and Raffi. We loved (and still listen to) compilations for meditation (yoga CD’s) and cello music at bedtime – “Cello for Relaxation” is our favorite.
So get out your shakers, rattles, finger puppets, and library card! Check out some new music and work out those brains!