Musical toys for a first birthday?

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,DrWord
Date: 16 Oct 12 - 10:17 PM

and AT ALL COSTS avoid things which "play [...] all 'classical tunes' - Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn etc, albeit rather electronic sounding!"

this is HUGELY!!! important. Whenever you can hear 'electronic sounding' you are hearing electronic and not musical sounds, even when they are emulating the classics. This is not trivial. I have nothing against electronic music, or electronics in music, but I came to some important understandings about musical sound(s) from a friend's textbook entitled, I think, The Physics of Musical Sound. As a nurturing person, you will appreciate that little ones' musical experiences ought to exclude 'rather electronic sounding' toys which will be cycled thousands of times.

good thread. and many happy years of finding age-appropriate REAL musical instruments.
keep on pickin'
dennis

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Nick
Date: 16 Oct 12 - 07:32 PM

Go for the most expensive classic instrument you can almost afford to buy.

If you buy well then when they appreciate it it will be great. And if not you can sell it for lots more than you paid for it.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Megan L
Date: 16 Oct 12 - 04:56 PM

the twins are figuring out how to get sounds from a harmonica and honestly it wasnt aunt meg bought them thedrum or ribbit frog for their 2nd birthday

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,Dave Long
Date: 16 Oct 12 - 04:21 PM

http://www.thetoysroom.co.uk/musical-instruments/

Try the above link, should be something there.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 09 Oct 12 - 11:13 AM

I don't believe somebody one year old is ready for true music. Kids today, especially girls, are pushed too much. Get her the pounding bench.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Leadfingers
Date: 09 Oct 12 - 08:51 AM

I am a bit ambivalent - While I DO agree that getting children 'into' music early IS a good thing , I do sympathise with parents who have to suffer what can easily be a cacophony , especially if several children have Noise Making toys !

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: bill\sables
Date: 09 Oct 12 - 08:13 AM

Why not try a melodeon or hurdy gurdy, then it doesn't matter if they get broken.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,BobL
Date: 09 Oct 12 - 06:29 AM

My parents occasionally threatened each other with buying me a drum...

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 11:17 PM

my friend's daughter is a 4th generation muso! At 10 months she was banging away at her doggy xylophone (using a bone-shaped hammer, naturally) when I realised she was beating along with the session, not just making noise.

When she was 2 her piano & mouthorgan playing aunt have her a uke to add to all her plastic instruments. She was a bit enthusiastic at her first real instrument so her Dad only let her pay it when he was practicing so it was a special time. He plays banjo & guitar so she had never seen lap instruments, but she decided to lay her uke across her lap to play & she had her own plectrum! I have a pic of her playing it that way.

Calum your niece is a lucky little girl to be getting music in her life so early.

sandra

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Tattie Bogle
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 07:07 PM

My grandson is not bad on upturned bucket (drum) and 2 wooden spoons. No need to spend money!
I was impressed that one musical toy he had from a much earlier age played all "classical tunes" - Mozart, Beethoven, Haydn etc, albeit rather electronic sounding!

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 06:56 PM

"So far, silence and my niece are almost entirely unacquainted!"

My first good laugh of the day. Many thanks, Calum.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,CS
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 10:56 AM

Shaky eggs! Lovely to hold.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 10:51 AM

Thanks guys, some very useful stuff here.

So far, silence and my niece are almost entirely unacquainted!

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 09:09 AM

Ain't that the truth. It's when it goes silent that fears creep in.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,leeneia
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 09:04 AM

My mother, the mother of five, loved the Playskool Pounding Bench. (It makes a soft tapping sound, not actual pounding.) She'd say, "As long as you can hear that, you know exactly where they are and exactly what they are doing."

And that's a very good thing.

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,999
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 07:57 AM

A rubbery plastic spoon and a few rubbery plastic bowls of different sizes and if possible different colours. A Gene Krupa instruction booklet for the parents--they will thank you for the gift in twenty years.

A small xylophone and rubbery plastic hammer.

Go to page 229 on the following link. I think it may give you some ideas, some of which have been heretofore mentioned:

http://www.cpsc.gov/businfo/adg.pdf

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 07:44 AM

Heh! I've been threatening to get her a bagpipe since she was born, but I suppose that'll have to wait until she's old enough to know not to swallow the reeds.

Yep, noisy instruments all the way :D

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: AllisonA(Animaterra)
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 07:19 AM

Percussion: jingly bells, xylophone, tambourine- she won't be up to much more for another year or so. You've got the perfect opportunity to create an annual tradition- what crazy musical instrument is Uncle Calum giving THIS year??

Subject: RE: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: Henry Krinkle
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 07:02 AM

Slide whistle
(:-( ))=

Subject: Musical toys for a first birthday?
From: GUEST,Calum
Date: 08 Oct 12 - 06:51 AM

Hi all,

My wee niece has her first birthday in a couple of weeks and - not being particularly knowledgeable about small children - I wondered if anyone had any advice/suggestions for good quality musical toys for her? I was thinking of putting together a diddly-bo but think she's probably a bit young for that still. Harmonicas/toy accordions likewise.

Any & all ideas welcome!