Gift Catalog - Musicians in Training - Great Musical Gifts for Kids

Begin teaching music appreciation and education early

"Music students are developing those areas of the brain
that expand human creativity. They broaden their thoughts
of originality, independence, curiosity, and flexibility,
as they interpret, analyze, and break apart music in
new and interesting ways." - Sharlene Habermeyer

Everyone's heard of the Mozart effect... research has shown that a child's capacity to learn is increased when he or she is exposed to music from as early as birth. Perhaps you can create the John Lee Hooker or Etta James effect for your child... play or sing the blues softly in the background while your baby is resting or playing quietly. Research has also shown that music temporarily heightens spatial awareness and intelligence, improves concentration and speech abilities, and advances reading and language skills among children who receive regular music instruction - and there has been a sharp increase in SAT scores among students who sing or play an instrument

A simple definition of the blues for the kids...

"The blues are almost always sad songs about being out of work, broke,
hungry, far away from home, wanting to get on a train but having no
ticket, or being lonely when someone you love is gone. In the blues,
behind the sadness, there is almost always laughter and strength."
- Jennifer Blue, Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute

Blues may have developed after the American Civil War (1861-1865) from short solo calls and wails called "field hollers". Field hollers were used as a form of communication among black plantation workers in the South. In the late 1800's, country, or "down-home," blues developed in the Mississippi Delta region. These songs were sung by a male singer, usually with the accompaniment of a guitar. Blind Lemon Jefferson and Mississippi John Hurt were well-known singers of country blues.

The blues became more widely known in the early 1900's. A bandleader named W. C. Handy began to publish blues songs that won wide popularity. Handy's compositions include "Memphis Blues" (1912) and "St. Louis Blues" (1914). In the 1920's, Bessie Smith emerged as one of the most talented and popular of the classic blues singers. Recordings by Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Ethel Waters, and others helped bring urban blues to a larger audience. In the 1930's, boogie-woogie, a blues-influenced style of piano music, became popular.

They Love The Blues But They Just Don't Know It Yet...

Aside from the famous blues legends of years gone by, here are some popular bands the younger generation might be more familiar with:

The Grateful Dead, The Beatles, Bob Dylan, The Rolling Stones, The
Doors, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan, The Allman Brothers, Bonnie Raitt,
Santana, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Pat Benatar, ZZ Top,Lynyrd Skynyrd.
and there are lots more....

"You simply cannot study music and the arts without feeling joy,happiness, love,
tenderness, sorrow, humor, and so one, and when we allow these emotions to be
a part of the learning process, our education become richer, more meaningful,
longer lasting, and has greater impact in our lives."- Sharlene Habermeyer

~ This article is written by Blues101 2002
some of the info was compiled from World Book®.

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Start Them Off Right With Music

Research has proven that daily exposure to music increases a baby or young child's ability to learn.
The right music is also soothing and uplifting. Start with blues, sounds of nature, world music,
classical, classic rock and jazz, and eventually they'll choose the type of music that makes them happy

The Native American and Celtic music might be great for your health and well-being, also. check them out!

click a selection for descriptions
There are sound clips available for most of the recordings