What is Age-Appropriate?
When it comes to music for children, what is age-appropriate? What does that even mean? Appropriate as opposed to morally or socially unacceptable, or appropriate on a developmental and educational level? And who sets these standards of appropriateness? Early childhood experts? Parents? Local religious precepts? Community mores? State laws?

Trust Your Instincts
The bottom line is this: trust your parental instincts. If you feel uncomfortable having your child hear a particular song or watch a specific video, ask yourself what bothers you about it and tell your kid why you feel that way, if they're old enough to discuss it with you.

Sing!
Even with the best music collection in the world, nothing beats singing to your baby, playing instruments with your toddler, dancing with your preschooler, or reciting nursery rhymes to them. In fact, until they've reached an age where they can comprehend "appropriateness," feel free to keep up the one-on-one musical activities with your child and don’t even bother with CDs.

Top Picks
Here are some of the best recently-released albums for children that I’ve classified by age group according to my general idea of appropriateness:

Music for Babies and Toddlers

Dean Jones, Napper’s Delight
Enzo Garcia, LMNO Music-Pink
Johnny Bregar, Stomp Yer Feet!
Little Miss Ann, Music for Tots
Melanie Dill, Alphabet Parade
Various Artists, Putumayo’s African Dreamland
Music for Preschoolers and Early Elementary Children

Dog On Fleas, When I Get Little
Elizabeth Mitchell, You are My Little Bird
Father Goose, It’s a Bam Bam Diddly!
Frances England, Family Tree
Gunnar Madsen, I’m Growing
They Might Be Giants, Here Come the 123s
Music for Upper Elementary Children

Captain Bogg & Salty, Prelude to Mutiny
The Jellydots, Changing Skies
Mr. Leebot, Activate!
Morgan Taylor, Gustafer Yellowgold’s Have You Never Been Yellow?
Recess Monkey, Wonderstuff
Secret Agent 23 Skidoo, Easy

什么是年齡相稱？

當(dāng)談到孩子的音樂時，什么是年齡相稱？ 那甚至意味著什么呢？相稱是從道德或社會方面來反對不被接受的東西，還是在發(fā)展或教育層面上與之相稱？ 并且誰規(guī)定了這些標(biāo)準(zhǔn)？ 嬰幼兒專家？ 父母？ 地方宗教規(guī)范？公共道德？ 還是地方法律？

相信你的直覺

底線是： 相信你做父母的直覺。 如果你讓孩子聽一首特別的歌曲或者看一個特殊的光碟而你感到難受時，問自己什么讓你煩躁，如果你的孩子足夠成熟跟你討論這個問題了，把這種感覺告訴他。

歌唱!

就算有世界上最好的音樂，也沒有什么能敵得過給你的寶寶唱歌，給你學(xué)走路的孩子表演樂器，和你上幼兒園的孩子一同跳舞，或者背誦童謠到他們聽。實(shí)際上，等他們到了能領(lǐng)會“適合”的年齡，孩子不用CD都能配合這種一對一的音樂。

最佳精選

下面這些是最近發(fā)售的兒童最佳專輯，根據(jù)我的相稱理論，我按年齡段分類：

嬰幼兒音樂

迪恩-瓊斯，拉毛工人的喜悅
恩佐-馬西亞， LMNO 輕快音樂
約翰尼-布羅格， 踩她一腳！
小安娜，小兒音樂
麥蘭妮-迪而，字母游行
群星，普士馬由河的非洲理想國
托兒所和入學(xué)兒童音樂

跳蚤上的小狗，當(dāng)我小的時候
米切爾-伊麗莎白，你是我的小小鳥
呆鵝爸爸，浜浜音樂
弗朗西絲・英格蘭，家庭樹
加那-麥德生，我在長大
他們也許是巨人，123，這里來
小學(xué)生音樂

博格船長，反叛前曲
簡麗多斯，改變天空
里歐博特， 行動吧！
摩根・泰勒， Gustafer的金子  從沒害怕過嗎？
悠閑猴，  神奇女孩
特務(wù) ， 23，走開，我要自由