Listening to VGM with Children!

[mushgloom]

I've been in the habit of putting on various VGM albums to listen to while my one year old identical twin daughters are playing, napping, bedtime etc.

I am listening to Kenji Ito × SaGa Battle Music Collection +

http://vgmdb.net/album/7763

with them right now. They are crawling around and seem pretty into it! It's like they are on a little adventure.

This could be a pretty broad question but people always said classical music was good for your brains development. What do you think the effects of listening to quality (I know this is relative) VGM albums are as a child?

We were all raised on our parents choice of music. (Later all of us discovered VGM) I plan on continuing to introduce them to the music of video games. What do you think it will be like to have been raised on VGM from an early age?

[Xenofan 29A]

My parents listened to classical music, and although I fell away from it for a while I listen to a lot of that now in addition to VGM.

I think that video game music is a great thing to wean children on. It contains music of just about every genre and style, so kids will be familiar with all sorts of melodies, instruments, harmonies, and so forth.

From what little I know, classical music is usually specified because of its relative complexity to genres such as pop and (a good deal of) rock. The complexity of VGM varies widely, but it is often above that of the aforementioned "radio-friendly" genres.

[Hellacia]

Like Xenofan said, game music contains just about every genre and style, so it really depends on the specific songs you're playing for your kids. You could play any number of great piano arrangement albums and probably achieve effects similar to those suggested by playing classical music. Personally, SaGa Frontier is pretty much my favorite soundtrack ever, so I'd say you have a winner with the one you're playing for them now But really, I think it's great you're playing VGM for your kids, and I suggest just trying to change it up, and pick stuff with good melodies. VGM is awesome I think they'll have an appreciation for melody if they grow up with it. Or at least, I hope.

[_if]

I think it's pretty dubious that classical music has any real effect on children's intelligence; correct me if I'm wrong and some credible study really does show that. What I think would be more valuable is music with a beat and pattern they can pick up on. I've seen a 2 year-old dance to Talking Heads fairly in rhythm. As great as Mozart is, I've never seen a baby dance to him.

Not that it would likely affect an IQ test, it does sound like a good idea to me to expose children to a more diverse range of music than solely classical, so VGM is a great place to go for that. That could have a real effect on the sounds and styles they'll like, broadening their horizons and leading them to new things and interests.

[Hellacia]

Originally Posted by _if

As great as Mozart is, I've never seen a baby dance to him.

Not to derail the topic and create a discussion about this, but I think the idea of exposing kids to classical music as complicated as Mozart's is so that they grow up to be able to recognize its complexities more naturally. Expecting a baby to get something that complicated that early is like expecting them to start talking just as early just because you exposed them to words once or twice; that's not all it takes. I'm not saying any theories (or studies) that say classical music increases a person's intelligence level are true; they could be BS. But at least they may have a greater appreciation for that kind of music later on in life. In any case I certainly don't think it hurts to play it for them.

Also, I'd have to ask how many babies you've seen while Mozart is being played, etc

[Vert1]

Hmm. Do children at such a young age have preference for one genre over the other? You can have a lot of fun experimenting around seeing what your kid likes (Yuzo versus Hosoe).

I'd play the downtempo or playful stuff for your girls. From my collection I'd recommend Puchi Carat, Senko No Ronde, Brandish Piano Collection, All Sounds of Zavas, Persona 2: Innocent Sin, Sailing to the World, Winbee's Neo Cinema ~Evergreen side~, Beyond The Beyond, Gunstar Heroes, and GötzenDiener Original Game Music.

[mushgloom]

Thanks for the recommendations! I was actually going to ask about more ambient albums. I've created some playlists but didn't know if any albums had a constant ambient feel throughout. Nothing like a battle theme to interrupt naptime...

As far as Yuzo goes Wangan Midnight soundtracks are a huge hit especially on car trips (appropriately enough ^__^)

Hako no Niwa has been good for chill/play time and it fits perfectly, I have Sailing to the World but have yet to play it.

One thing I must add though is the violin breaks in Hamauzus work really gets their attention. Sigma Harmonics tracks and Unlimited Sagas Battle theme 1 seem to be favorites.

Live music by piano and strings (Etrian Odyssey) has been great for sleep skip a few tracks.

I've heard to the studies on classical musics effect are varied and may not be true. And would agree that varied genres are best which is exactly why VGM is a great choice I think. Yet another reason to appreciate it!

[Xenofan 29A]

Originally Posted by _if

I think it's pretty dubious that classical music has any real effect on children's intelligence; correct me if I'm wrong and some credible study really does show that. What I think would be more valuable is music with a beat and pattern they can pick up on. I've seen a 2 year-old dance to Talking Heads fairly in rhythm. As great as Mozart is, I've never seen a baby dance to him.

Not that it would likely affect an IQ test, it does sound like a good idea to me to expose children to a more diverse range of music than solely classical, so VGM is a great place to go for that. That could have a real effect on the sounds and styles they'll like, broadening their horizons and leading them to new things and interests.

The Mozart effect study had extremely limited results, and it was never intended to say that a child's IQ will be permanently raised through listening to classical music.

I remember reading somewhere that people who are into classical music have less response to rhythmic stimulation than people who like other kinds of music, but I am sure that that doesn't apply to fans of Stravinsky or Messiaen! As a kid, I remember going wild to Fantasia (yes, the Disney movie), especially the Nutcracker suite.

I'd like to offer a corrective to one thing, though. VGM may be the most diverse "genre" of music, but "classical" music is certainly up there, and for the same reason as VGM. Neither is actually a "genre" or "style", and they both contain many different types of music in them.

But the most important thing is just to have your kids listen to the music you love. Don't force something on them just because you feel you should.

[jdkluv]

A Memory of Childhood from SaGa Frontier is one of the most touching pieces I've ever heard, but I can only imagine how much more so it would be if it literally did remind of my childhood.

[Blitz Lunar]

If I had kids I'd definitely introduce them to video game soundtracks I'm looking forward to being a middle ager when listening to VGM is much more common place.

[mushgloom]

Mr. Ito must have had an awesome childhood if that is what he recollected. ^__^

[jdkluv]

Originally Posted by Vert1

You can have a lot of fun experimenting around seeing what your kid likes (Yuzo versus Hosoe).

Yeah, like the desolate autumn breeze vs True Plant, both from TEN PLANTS, an album meant to appeal to children (or atleast sounds like it is, beautiful stuff).

[LiquidAcid]

Originally Posted by Vert1

Hmm. Do children at such a young age have preference for one genre over the other? You can have a lot of fun experimenting around seeing what your kid likes (Yuzo versus Hosoe).

My parents always told me that I had a very strong preference for certain vinyls when I was a small boy:
Eddy Grant - Life Under Rock
some compilation album by Cliff Richard (containing "We Don't Talk Anymore")

I also had a favorite tape (ö by Herbert Grönemeyer) which had to be played when I was in the car. I drove my father mad with thad habit (according to my mom).

We also had some classical radio plays by Deutsche Grammophon (also tape), which I very much liked at that age.

[mushgloom]

I wonder how much the styles of music we listened to in our youth dictates what we like or what we look for in VGM?

Although I like a varied amount of styles in the soundtracks I own, I tend to gravitate towards orchestral, ambient and those with complex percussion (everything I learned about percussion I learned from Hiroki Kikuta ^__^)

Thinking back on the past, my parents listened to alot of best of Bach, Mozart, Vivaldi etc. And acoustic folk by Croce, Cat Stevens and the like. Still doesn't explain the percussion thing though.

[jdkluv]

I wonder if you're ever tempted to bring out the Yamaoka when the kids need to be disciplined. I plan to.

[mushgloom]

Haha! I'm sure that would scare some kids straight. Unless you're talking about Jerry Boy/Smart Ball

[Vert1]

http://nicotter.net/watch/nm17066374

Sounds like it could work on kids.

[Vert1]

"This sounds like lullaby music" -- comment someone made on Chrono Trigger music I had playing one time last year.

[Jormungand]

I had totally forgotten about this thread...

I have been playing various kinds of music, including classical and video game music, before I start morning meeting while my first graders do their usual routine (lunch sticks, chairs, etc.) Debussy, Ravel, and Vielen Dank are perfect for independent work time.

So, the seeds have been planted.