Music Man

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While still very much into football (and gymnastics, and books, and cycling, and...), Little Man has really ramped up his interest in music lately.  We recently got an Echo Dot with Alexa, which was a great and horrible family gift to ourselves; it has been handy, but Little Man thinks it is his domain.  Along with listening to various versions of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles theme song or songs from Blippi on constant replay, Alexa has become an inadvertent tutor on the importance of patience and diction.  He does his best, but trying to pronounce artists or song titles with complicated sounds is a tall order for a Little Man.  Even just properly including the "l" sound in Alexa is difficult when desperately trying to hear the Batman theme song for the thirtieth time in a day.  Still, the good outweighs the bad and controlling Alexa is a small step in independence. It's also adorable to hear him tell Alexa good night or ask her for a knock-knock joke or tell her that he loves her (which, by the way, she hears from him more than I do).

Within the musical chaos is blossoming skill and language.  He can't sing all the words but not for a lack of trying.  He is recognizing chords and intros, and lately his requests have expanded to include what we hear on the radio and music that Husband and I also prefer instead of just his own favorites.  He is matching tones to the best of his voice's ability, and every so often a song will cause him to bounce and dance with gusto.  Seeing his memory and rhythm develop is delightful, even if it means endless loops of repetitive songs.

Music has always been important to Husband and I, so seeing Little Man pick it up as well is exciting.  While our musical interests don't always mesh (see Exhibit A:  Little Man's loud rendition of "Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden in the car), I love that he is developing his preferences.  Putting aside the connection between child development and music, his cognitive growth is really taking off.  He is into so many things and I can't guarantee that this will be his singular focus, but who knows.  I'm just thrilled he is at an age where there is something we can all share.


Bonus: A Little Man Playlist

"Spider-Ham" by Insane Ian

"Ninja Turtle Theme Song" by Fun Squad

Any version of the Batman, Spider-Man, or Superman theme songs

Anything by Blippi

"Cruel Summer" by Taylor Swift

"Hot to Go" by Chappell Roan

"Scream" by Usher

"What's Love Got to Do With It?" by Tina Turner

"Bohemian Rhapsody" by Queen

"Halo" by Beyonce

"Isn't She Lovely?" by Stevie Wonder 

"Raspberry Beret" by Prince 

"Fear of the Dark" by Iron Maiden

"Let it Go" from Frozen

"Master of Puppets" by Metallica

"Believer" by Imagine Dragons

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