Director of Music Education

AJ and I just wrapped up a 10-day visit in Iowa, where we stayed with my mom, AJ's Grammy Julie. Since Grammy Julie is AJ's self-appointed Director of Music Education, we had lots of exposure to music during the trip. Our music lessons this time included sessions at the piano and an outing to the local Barnes and Noble to purchase some CDs to beef up AJ's collection (with the added benefit of providing me with a little more variety in what I am listening to with him).

If I had a dollar for every time my mom said "little children just love music," I could buy AJ a Steinway grand piano. Seriously. As with most things, though, my mom is right on this one. AJ's eyes light up whenever she plays the piano for him, and I have noticed that music can have an immediate affect on his mood. For example, we have a CD that one of my work colleagues gave to me that instantly soothes AJ in the car. We call this the Million Dollar CD, and it is the first thing that I pack in the diaper bag whenever we get ready to go anywhere. The real name is Return to Pooh Corner by Kenny Loggins. When I first heard it, the music was so sappy that it made me cringe. The tracks include The Rainbow Connection, Somewhere Out There and All the Pretty Little Ponies (Joe's favorite!) But it works so well that I can't argue with it. I was shocked to realize that Kenny Loggins is the same artist who had hits in the 1980's including Footloose, I'm Alright (the Caddyshack theme) and Danger Zone (from Top Gun).

I am currently looking for more CDs to add to the rotation, so if you know of any good international children's music or fun, upbeat music that would be good for playtime, please post a comment and let me know.

The pictures are of AJ and and his Director of Music Education playing a duet on the piano.