Help Me Find A Book of Easy Children's Music

December 29, 2008 7:16 PM

Hi. I'm looking for recommendations for books of children's music. I would like to put together a collection of songs to play for my little one. I am a beginner-intermediate guitarist - so chords are important. I grew up on Raffi and Sharon, Lois and Bram (I guess that tells you where I'm from) and any traditional/folky stuff would be great. I already own rise-up-singing which is a good start, but I think there is a lot more out there. Also, any music based on dancing purple dinosaurs or other similar characters won't make the cut. Thanks for your ideas.
posted by commissioner12 to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (11 answers total)

Folkways has put out some fantastic children's CDs.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:45 PM on December 29, 2008

From another thread, I retrieved this suggestion.
posted by yclipse at 7:50 PM on December 29, 2008

Dan Zanes is also well-worth checking out, especially his CD of songs from Carl Sandburg's American Songbag.
posted by ryanshepard at 7:55 PM on December 29, 2008

Ella Jenkins! She has several albums and a songbook, too.
posted by SisterHavana at 8:07 PM on December 29, 2008

Seconding Dan Zanes and adding a recommendation for Laurie Berkner. I'm not a musician, but I find myself singing her songs to my kids (and occasionally in the shower) - they're catchy and usually not annoying. She's got a songbook for order as well.
posted by bibliowench at 8:21 PM on December 29, 2008

I've used this book, by American composer and folk-song collector Ruth Crawford Seeger. It's a great resource, partly because it includes (pretty simple) piano accompaniment as well as chords for guitar or banjo or whatever. The chords are really easy -- all in C or G or F (use a capo) and there are suggestions on simplifying them even more.

I also like Sally Go Round The Moon for similar reasons. Really, anything by Ruth Crawford Seeger or the Langstaffs will be well researched and presented, if you're looking for American Folk Music.

Caveat: some songs, especially in the Seeger, are pretty accurate depictions of real folk songs, which means that they can be pretty racist. This is pretty easy to get around if you get creative and sub out different lyrics.

I am a music education student and am always looking for more resources for songs to use with little kids. I'll be watching this thread! Email me if you have other questions.
posted by rossination at 8:49 PM on December 29, 2008

I was going to ask this question! Looking forward to the answers.

For prior threads on CDs and/or artists in this vein, see here and here and here. From those artists, you could discover a lot of traditional/folky songs for which you could probably find free musical notation online.
posted by winston at 8:49 PM on December 29, 2008

You might like Mark Dvorak.

Old Songs & New People is a presentation for kids and families in educational and social settings alike. It captures the innocence, strength and beauty of folk music while audiences smile, laugh and spontaneously join in. Mark shares his love for traditional music, presenting these seemingly simple songs with dignity and care.

My daughter and I really enjoy his music.
posted by Sailormom at 11:20 PM on December 29, 2008

It doesn't have to be songs specifically for kids, does it? My aunt used to play Desolation Row to my uncles when they were little (they were both about ten years younger than her) and that was a pretty big hit, though I don't know what permanent damage it might have done to their little minds. I loved Dylan when I was a kid (after I moved on from Sharon, Lois, and Bram), but I don't know how easy he is to play. Fortunately, all his chords have been obsessively worked out by various fans and are widely available on the internet, so you can decide for yourself.

(I also loved Trio when I was little, especially the Dolly Parton songs (like this one) and Hobo's Meditation, which is originally a Jimmie Rodgers song. Those two were probably my favorite; some of the album seemed pretty boring then and probably still would now.)
posted by felix grundy at 7:50 AM on December 30, 2008

Response by poster: Wow. Thanks for all the input. From the posts I've seen, I think I have to admit to myself that my folk knowledge is a bit more mainstream than I originally thought. The American folk songbooks look pretty good.

They definitely don't need to be exclusively children's songs, but that's where I need the advice. I do have a repertoire that I've compiled over the years, many of which are great for kiddies. It's the children's music that isn't exactly coming back to me so fast.
Thanks again for all your ideas.
posted by commissioner12 at 8:33 AM on December 30, 2008

Pete Seeger's sister Ruth Crawford Seeger put out a book, American Folksongs for Children, that is a classic. It's still an excellent place to start, sixty years after it was first published.

For listening, follow up by grabbing the children's albums done by Peggy & Mike Seeger, Pete Seeger, and Woody Guthrie.
posted by jeeves at 11:24 AM on December 30, 2008