Is jazz good for babies?

[BillF]

http://www.theguardian.com/music/2013/sep/25/jazz-for-babies-michael-janisch

I've seen British-resident American Janisch a few times - nice guy and a fine bassist.

[crisp]

I saw that article earlier. It's quite pertinent to me now as I've just become a father (six weeks ago).

My son is being continuously exposed to all kinds of music, as he was in the womb. I've noticed that it makes no difference to him what's playing and that he prefers music to silence (probably because he was conditioned in the womb -- he kicked a lot during drum solos!). Music doesn't play any part getting him to go to sleep, unfortunately -- that secret remains a mystery!

[cih]

I saw that article earlier. It's quite pertinent to me now as I've just become a father (six weeks ago).

My son is being continuously exposed to all kinds of music, as he was in the womb. I've noticed that it makes no difference to him what's playing and that he prefers music to silence (probably because he was conditioned in the womb -- he kicked a lot during drum solos!). Music doesn't play any part getting him to go to sleep, unfortunately -- that secret remains a mystery!

congratulations! in my experience, dub reggae keeps them quiet... (temporarily)

[Hot Ptah]

An interesting part of this subject to me, is what happens to these babies when they get older. In my experience, and the experiences of my jazz loving friends who had children at about the same time that we did, the babies who hear a lot of jazz do not show any increased tendency toward liking or appreciating jazz when they reach their teens.

[Head Man]

An interesting part of this subject to me, is what happens to these babies when they get older. In my experience, and the experiences of my jazz loving friends who had children at about the same time that we did, the babies who hear a lot of jazz do not show any increased tendency toward liking or appreciating jazz when they reach their teens.

No self-respecting child would ever like ANYTHING his parents liked.........

[crisp]

Perhaps I should take cih's advice and play my son dub reggae. Then I can get him to sleep and he'll think I like it so won't play it when he's in his teens!

[Blue Train]

Pops would play all kinds of music (mostly classical/jazz). Moms snuck-in some stuff Pops hated. Been doing the same with our soon to be first born.

[BillF]

An interesting part of this subject to me, is what happens to these babies when they get older. In my experience, and the experiences of my jazz loving friends who had children at about the same time that we did, the babies who hear a lot of jazz do not show any increased tendency toward liking or appreciating jazz when they reach their teens.

I would agree with that. I have a tape of my elder daughter singing (after a fashion) along to a Gerry Mulligan Quartet record before she could talk and when she was 10 I took her to a Dizzy Gillespie concert (the year before the great man's demise.) Although she made a second jazz visit with me 20 years later in 2011 to see Pharoah Sanders, her musical taste since teenage years has been for the more progressive side of rock. This doesn't surprise me; I rarely see anyone of her age at jazz gigs. The significant thing is that the liking for music has passed on. Same thing with me - I had a mother who played popular classics on the piano and could sight read anything. When I started bringing Monk records home, she said he sounded like a beginner, but that's another story ...

Edited September 26, 2013 by BillF

[xybert]

My son is almost 7 months old. He seems to like music but it's hard to tell, he's generally pretty happy unless he's hungry or tired. I honestly can't remember what we were listening to around the house while my wife was pregnant so I can't test to see if he recognises anything... he doesn't seem to have any particular reaction to different types of music other than what i might project. He definitely responds to sound but it's not like i see him particularly light up when Monk is playing or whatever. It's all good stimulas, i guess.

[PHILLYQ]

I played all sorts of music for my son(He's 21 now), and when he was little he loved James Brown and Tower of Power. When he hit his teenage years he called jazz 'music by people who don't know what they're doing'. Now he's quite eclectic in his tastes, bit of Bill Evans here and there, along with lots of other stuff. His taste in music is all his own.

[JSngry]

Some jazz is good for making babies. Or at least trying to.

Some, not all.

And not only good for.

But still...

[king ubu]

Some jazz is good for making babies. Or at least trying to.

Some, not all.

And not only good for.

But still...

Like Carla and Steve playing "Rut"? The board does not forget

[JSngry]

HA!

That's RIGHT!

[Hot Ptah]

I played all sorts of music for my son(He's 21 now), and when he was little he loved James Brown and Tower of Power. When he hit his teenage years he called jazz 'music by people who don't know what they're doing'. Now he's quite eclectic in his tastes, bit of Bill Evans here and there, along with lots of other stuff. His taste in music is all his own.

And I think that this is all a parent can do--expose your child to good things and let them decide for themselves what they truly like. If you expect more, you run the risk of seeming too pushy and turning your child off, I think.

[crisp]

That's it. I have pretty eclectic tastes and hope that when my son is old enough to find his own music he will introduce me to stuff I haven't heard before. I mostly want him to be inquisitive and form his own tastes.

[JSngry]

I have pretty eclectic tastes and hope that when my son is old enough to find his own music he will introduce me to stuff I haven't heard before.

That's when it gets fun!