FEATURE:
Erase/Rewind
PHOTO CREDIT: Vika Glitter/Pexels
The Conflict Between Introducing Children to Music and Some of the Drawbacks
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AT the moment…
PHOTO CREDIT: Karolina Kaboompics/Pexels
I am introducing my nephew to music. Well, the whole family is. For his birthday recently, I bought him a Walkman. A modern replica anyway. One that is a radio and has a few cool features. He is getting into physical music and seems to engage with the tactile nature of it. Interested in flicking through C.D.s on a rack rather than looking through Spotify. Cassettes are more rare but, as there is a record shop near where my parents live that sell a lot of cassettes, I picked up a few a while back. A bit of a bundle to go with the cassette player. I was pleased that I could get the cassettes so inexpensively, though I was thinking about the songs on the cassettes. In a zeal to get a few good Pop albums, I did wonder about the lyrical content. On Spotify, there is an Explicit (or E) next to songs that have swear words or questionable content. It normally covers bad language. In terms of suggestiveness or anything sexual, there are looser guidelines. It is up to parents to an extent to filter what children and can and cannot listen to but, even on celebrated albums that you want everyone to listen to, you sort of forget that some of the songs are very much not geared to children. In the sense that they know obvious albums and songs not suitable. It can be hard to police and assess everything. I don’t think there is anything too suggestive, immoral or even overly-risqué in the music I chose. Nothing that is impressionable or going to do any damage. It is just some of the songs and the sexual suggestions. Some that may raise questions about the lyrics or what lines mean. In that excitement to roll back time and have a child experience the same sort of music education I had, I did wonder about the implications.
I suppose you have to be pragmatic and reasonable. There are obvious no-go areas with regards music and what is appropriate to play particular people. However, think about albums you would not necessarily flag. You find them okay because you’re an adult and can understand the lyrics and relate in a way that is not questionable or unusual. The things I am not shocked by would possibly be a lot different for children. At the heart of everything is that access to physical music and passing it on. Seeds being planted so that someone like my nephew can go on and broaden his horizons. The same way I did when I was a child. Thinking back, I don’t think there was too much music from my childhood that stays with me in a negative or damaging way. You can’t shield children from the real world. However, when it comes to music, there do have to be limitations and caution. For context, the albums I bought included George Michael’s Faith and The Beautiful South’s Carry on Up the Charts. Both albums contain songs about sex. Some explicit lyrics. The melody and the choruses will make an impression but, thinking about the lyrics, is it wise to expose children to those, even if the artists are not lewd or trying to be controversial?! It opens up this greater debate. It is vital that we expose children to physical music and albums. Not just rely on streaming and have them on devices. I do worry at what price access to a world of music has on children. Albums used to have parental guidance labels on them. You do not really get it much now.
Maybe it is overreaction or being overly cautious. The way children engage with music and how they experience it is different to someone like me. Words and thoughts they might not be used to or really understand. Not that this will put me off curating, searching and trying to pass on music and buy albums for young relatives. The importance of opening their eyes and ears to the wonders of music is one of life’s great joys. With it comes this need to tread more carefully than you might otherwise have wanted to. Some would argue that some of the more challenging or adult themes in music are important in terms of teaching or educating. Rather than it being shocking, it is framing something adult in a way that is more appropriate for children. But when is enough enough or a little too much? I keep coming back to that. In a wider sense, should there be more guidelines or advisory notices on particular albums? If you are looking to buy one for a younger listener, do you need to do more research just in case there is something a little spicy or that which would raise eyebrows? It has raised questions and conundrums in my mind. A gesture or present maybe coming with caveat or disclaimer. In the long-term, the music I buy and expose someone like a nephew too is unlikely to lead to awkward questions being asked or them repeating standout (i.e. explicit or suggestive) lines. It is more about the listening experience and whether certain lyrics or attitudes in some songs will make a bigger impact through time. You can know that an artist like Taylor Swift might be safe ground and not cause too many surprises, though there are so many other artists and albums that sort of take you by surprise. I guess I need to find the positives and celebrate the joy of music rather than the worry about things that may turn out to be small. Rather than pause, erase or rewind, it is best to simply…
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