[dylan's alias]

I'll chime in again with the Beatles, but I really agree with Turnip. I still remember my high school band conductor saying how his son would march around the house with John Philip Sousa playing. He knew that soon enough it wouldn't be "cool" for his son to be listening to band music, but there was a magical time when he was open to everything.

I'd also push for some folk music. I grew up listening to Pete Seeger, The Weavers, Cisco Houston, etc. because those were the records my dad played. The melodies were easy for a kid to grasp and the choruses really encouraged singing along. Plus, its nice to know that I grew up listening to political music, not just kids songs.

I wonder if my son will have the same experience of discovering music through my collection. My dad had a big enough record collection, but it was probably only about 100 albums. My iTunes library is 140gb and growing. You would need a guide to get through it. My dad's library was like a small boutique. There weren't unlimited choices, so it was easy to browse.


If your pupil is old enough then you should try to explain some of what makes music important to you. What was going on in your life when you first heard that song. What do you think about when you hear it. Is there some story related to the artist that makes it more interesting? Make listening an active process.