I introduced my son to “inspirational music” at a young age. Although we still listened to classic children’s songs like ‘Wheels on the Bus‘ and ‘This Old Man,’ I wanted to show him that music was much more than just a catchy tune. Gathering songs from various genres, including pop, hip-hop, rock, and even metal, I selected songs where the lyrics and meaning behind each song focused on themes that we should live by.
These themes focused on ‘believing in yourself,’ ‘togetherness,’ ‘hope,’ ‘never giving up,’ and other motivational topics. I found that, at least with my son, music really resonated with him. He would easily pick up the beats to songs and bob his head or dance. My son also easily memorized song lyrics and would interweave verses from songs into conversation.
Noticing this pattern, I thought to instill life lessons through music by selectively choosing songs on a playlist that were inspirational. I truly believe that the music we listen to defines who we are and I wanted my son to be confident and courageous.
Only time will tell if the effects of listening to these songs are positive. But, what I have noticed is that encouraging him to listen to inspirational music at a young age made him appreciate song lyrics. Whenever he listens to songs now, his friends would comment on the beats and how it sounds, while he would comment on the words and their meaning. Being attentive to these nuances is a great skill to have.
To read more about the benefits of music, check out my August edition of ‘Hold On‘ to read about brain.fm. If you haven’t signed up yet, click here to get your copy of this digital magazine today.