Music

[DanielsMom]

???Have anyone of you ever tried using music to calm your child or help them concentrate?? I have heard that classical music helps to calm children. However, I am strange I think. I find that for myself, unofficially dx ADHD, the louder the better. And I'm talking music like Limp Bizkit, Eminem, Korn and Linkin Park. I have found that I get more things done (and better) when the stereo is blasting. I start college the first of the year and I fully intend to have music blasting when doing work for school. Even as a child I used to go to sleep with the music loud. Strange. I am going to do an experiment on my son when he is on winter break. I am going to see which music he does better with doing his school work. Just to satisfy my own curiousity.

[RiahBubbaPooh]

Bubba hums and sings (to the point of annoying the life out of his sisters) while he works. No music, no work.

I got a bunch of classical CD's. I wasn't sure how this would go over since they like loud rock/pop/bluegrass, etc. But it was an amazing thing. If it's classical, there are no words to think of while you hum along. He started being MUCH more productive.

I think you'll be pleased with results.

[DenverSarah]

This works for mine...he gets his room cleaned up if the radio is on. I know a few people whose children have compact CD headphones that they use for homework time and school and it helps a lot. Limp Bizkit though? Eminem, now he's awesome...but Limp Bizkit? LOL

[DenverSarah]

BTW good luck in college! I just graduated after 12 long years and it was so hard sometimes but so worth it! Go for it!
P.S. On-line classes are great for us crazy brains

[DanielsMom]

OMG!! I LOVE Limp Bizkit. I have this really weird crush on Fred Durst. I don't know what it is about him but............. My son also loves to listen to Limp Bizkit. But whatever works for my son will be listened to. Even if it is classical. I don't care for it at all. It kind of irritates me.

Thanks DenverSarah, I might need it.

[finnmom]

Hi
My ds8 always fell´s asleep with radio on, help´s him not to think so much, says he His theacher has also tried those headphone´s with music, no rock though ;D, that worked like charm for him.
Marja

[catatonic]

My boy likes to put his headphones on in the car when we are making the 4-hour drive to my parents. With them on, he'll read and never gets so bored he starts picking quarrels with his siblings. I haven't tried music during homework time, but it sounds like it might be worth experimenting with.

I'd really like to try letting him wear a Walkman in class, like Finnmom says. I bet it would help him shut out all those distractions that seem monumental to him but are a normal part of school...sharpening pencils, dropping papers, etc. I think Finnmom's schools are more progressive than ours!

Danielsmom - bite your tongue, woman!!! Irritated by classical music? omygosh, you'd provoke a riot in this house. Oldest son (14) is already preparing himself for a career as a classical musician, second son plays classical and jazz, Challenge Boy is a trumpet legend in his own mind, and I'm a pianist (not a very good one, I must admit, but I manage to make a few bucks as an accompanist). I doubt my kids could name a single Limp Bizkit song, but they can identify Sibelius, Mussorgsky or Ravel when they hear them (along with the Stones, the Who, and Aretha). My house sounds like an orchestra pit during practice hour, with a different instrument in each bedroom and the piano thundering in the living room. My parents always shake their heads and ask me how I can stand it. I love every second of it.

We are a bunch of dorks around here. There, I've admitted the truth. We are dorks, dorks, dorks, dorks! But we're happy in our dorkdom...and we know LOTS of Christmas songs.

[DanielsMom]

Catatonic~~~so sorry!!! I have different tastes in music than some people! Please forgive me.

Also, I was thinking that if the whole headphone/music worked, would he be able to do this in class? As in would it be fair to everyone else in class? I know in his school bringing that stuff to school is frowned upon. Who knows?

[catatonic]

Danielsmom, as I said, I recognize that we are a bunch of dorks. Now that you know this, you can pretend to think classical music is really cool and I'll pretend I knew how to spell "Limp Bizkit" before I saw it written down here.

I don't know if your schools are like ours, but they don't let the kids bring Walkman-type things to school at all, not even to listen to at lunch time or on the bus. (This is elementary and middle school. The high school doesn't care.)

My son is 4th grade, so he can't even take a Walman to school or it's taken away and a parent has to go to the principal to get it back. Seems kind of lame to me. I'd think the teacher would be happy to see my boy sitting quietly with his headphones on. However, principal is a big believer in rules, so I really don't see an exception being made just because it MIGHT ACTUALLY HELP A CHILD SUCCEED!!!!!!!

[DanielsMom]

Catatonic~~DEAL!

I thought that after I conduct my own experiment during winter break , and depending on results, I would go and talk to the teacher and principle about this issue and see what could be worked out.

[rosyred45]

Well, I'm taking a break from house work.....And GUESS WHAT>>>Radio is BLASTING. I don't like taking sides, so
Danielsmom: When I do house work and physical activites, it's OLD Metallica, Pantera, old school Rap or Raegee(sp. I listen don't spell), Megadeath, that kinda stuff. Right now, Shaggy is blaring..

Cat: When I need to sit and do my paperwork for my job, I'll slow down and listen to classical, earthsongs, slow jazz, not really contemperary, later stuff.

And all o this, my husband can't really stand anymore, so I obviously get more done when he isn't here. I cna say Mikey will do his homework (or anything else) better with the radio on. Even eating. We just tell him no moshing at the table ;D
He's only 6, he thinks moshing is what you do to make nice potatoes, and you said it wrong.

I like this topic. I believe in musical intervention when it comes to children and thier psycological attributes. (that phrase and I love Metallica, ain't that ironic

Kaiti

[DenverSarah]

For kids in regular US public schools, being allowed to have a walkman in class would probably require an IEP. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to talk to my son's teacher about this and see if that's correct, and if so, what it takes to get an IEP in place. This is territory I wanted to avoid up until now, but I think that until I'm in a position to homeschool, an IEP may make things easier for all of us. However his school is great and very accomodating. I've heard nightmare stories from other parents trying to implement these kinds of measures. I will post what I find out about getting IEPs. Have a good one ladies and ROCK ON!

[lofo]

Wow!
I do think classical music is a great concentration builder. I use quick top hits style for house cleaning to give me an energizing lift.

And yet I never have thought to use it for my son's homework time. His teacher last year let the children bring CD's to class to play during work time. She had to approve of the selection. My son's classical ones were the class favorites.

One of his favorite composers is American, Copeland. If I remember right, one of the songs is that American Airlines song on their commercials which everyone is familiar.

Here are a few websites detailing music and its effect on the brain:
www.advancedbrain.com/Article_Music_in_Classroom.asp
www.macalester.edu/~psych/whathap/UBNRP/Audition/site/melanie.html

Merry Christmas!
Lori

[rosyred45]

Ya know, I didn't think of it until Lori said the kids brought in music. When I was in 10th grade, the Art teacher that I had said for us to let our creative juices flow.

After the first marking period, when we all got adjusted, she let us bring in records. Well, I took in Led Zepplin, Earth wind and Fire, CCR, all kinds of my mom's records.

Our class was pretty much made up of the misfits, so there wasn't any big grips about the music, although at christmas time I took in the Muppets Christams record with John Denver. IT WAS HYSTARICAL!!!!! Everybody was just a singing and sculpting. Imagine high school kids singing the 12 Days of Christmas with the Muppets, epecially when Miss Piggy does the Ba dum bum ba.

HAHA
Kaiti

[DanielsMom]

I thought about downloading some classical music today and making my son a cd for work(and my little "very scientific" experiment). But who do I look for??? Help!!! Any suggestion?