'Let's Go Everywhere' by Medeski Martin & Wood

I started sharing my eclectic taste in music with my little Monkey during pregnancy. Not only did I play a wide range of music for the kid, but I also kept up my love of going to live shows.  I went to about 30 shows during my pregnancy, ranging from bluegrass and jazz to symphony and progressive rock. My last concert before giving birth was approximately a week before my due date. Let me tell you, I got a lot of dancing space at that show.

Exposing my kid to music certainly didn’t begin and end in the womb. Music is always playing in our house and, between me and The Dude, we have discovered quite a few favorite albums to share with our son. Many of the albums were already in our collection, but we did find some great albums that are geared towards kids. We quickly learned that we like to rock out to them, too. We like to mix up the “kids” music with some of “our” music, with the hopes that our Monkey will also have a good ear for awesome music.  However, all of this might backfire and he’ll end up listening to death metal…or worse. Like Enya.

Here’s my list of must-have albums that kids and parents will both enjoy:

• Beach Boys – Pet Sounds
• Beatles – Revolver
• David Grisman and Jerry Garcia – Not for Kids Only
• Grease – The Movie Soundtrack (Various Artists)
• Hot Buttered Rum and Orange Sherbet – Campfire Sing Along
• Jack Johnson – Sing-A-Longs and  Lullabies for the Film Curious George
• Jerry Garcia Band – After Midnight
• Medeski, Martin, & Wood – Let’s Go Everywhere
• Michael Jackson – Thriller
• They Might Be Giants – No!

One more thing:

When singing along to your favorite songs, have your kids pick up some instruments and play along…or just create your own instruments using good ol’ pots, pans, and spoons! If you’re looking for some pint-sized instruments, check out the music in a box from Melissa and Doug.