What's on your ipod?

So the other day I was trying to update my ipod listings with some new items from our family library. Those of you who know me, know that things technical are not my strong suit, so I was asking my son, Colson, for help. Well...in two seconds he was showing me how to download files from his listings and put them into mine.

The first couple of times I was pretty slow and cautious, but as is inevitably the case, the more times I did things, the more cavalier I became. With one quick click, before I knew it my husband's entire ipod list was now downloaded onto my ipod library, including doubling up on some things that we both already had. ARGHH. Some of you more techno-savvy people may know a quicker way around this, but I spent the better part of an hour going through and deleting from my list what I didn't want staying. Let's just say that Willie and Waylon didn't make the cut :)

So my husband was commenting on what stayed on the list last night ("You have the Beach Boys on your list?!") and it got me to thinking. The more time you spend with people, the more their characteristics rub off on you, including music preferences.

Maybe my love of piano music comes from hearing it everyday of my life growing up in a piano teacher's home.


Maybe my husband's love for the Canadian Tenors is partly due to his wife's love of "classical voice".


Maybe my son's love for jazz music comes from a family heritage of loving the Canadian Brass, and from his connections with a fantastic music program/band teacher.


Or sometimes it's just shared musical experiences that make for lifetime bonding moments:

To this day when I hear the opening lines of "The New World Symphony" by Dvorak it reminds me of my dad telling me at the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra one evening that it was his favorite symphony.

Or when I hear "Surfin' USA" I think of my son, Colson, on stage at his latest band concert at Hawrelak Park doing a beach boys imitation complete with costumes and choreography (big heart swells!)

So when you are at home listening to your favorite Kindermusik CD's, make sure you are taking the opportunity every once in a while to be interactive with your children while they are on...


get up and dance along

do the fingerplays

open the books and have a snuggle


You are making memories....and musical memories have real staying power.