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75% of dads want their kids to appreciate ‘their’ music rather than the mom's music

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21% said their children found heavy metal the most challenging genre to accept
21% said their children found heavy metal the most challenging genre to accept

When talking music and child rearing, we're all mostly familiar with the clichéd notion that exposing a child to music, particularly while still in the womb, has the potential to promote early child development

And the stereotype is not without merit. 

According to research from the University of the Sunshine Coast in Australia, "music alone turns on large sectors of a child’s brain, opening crucial neural pathways that will become the highways and byways for every piece of information they process."

Now, a global study of a different kind is confirming what we know: that not only are parents exposing their children to music every day but that parents are incredibly biased to exposing their kids to 'their' kind of music. 

Conducted by music streaming service Deezer, the study polled 10 000 parents with children under 18 in five countries, including Brazil, France, Germany, UK and the US, and found that the majority of parents (72%) had a strong desire to influence their kids' musical taste


Also see: Exposing your baby to music really can produce a genius

Do you care about your child's taste in music and do you try to influence them to love your favourite genres? Share your story with usand we could publish your letter. Do let us know if you'd like to stay anonymous. 


Their findings 

89% of participants said it was important to broaden their child’s musical horizons, while 28% have played their children music they consider to be culturally important. 

Seven in 10 respondents (72%) admitted to trying to get their children to enjoy their favourite songs, and 47% said they choose to play their children music that reminds them of their own childhood. 

When it came to wanting their children to appreciate ‘their’ music, dads (75%) came out tops, but it was moms (41%) who reported that their children enjoyed the music they shared. 

25% of fathers said their children reacted negatively to their favourites. 

Take a look below to see how each country did in terms of how serious parents are about molding their children's musical taste: 



Also see: WATCH: How well do you know the kids' Top 40 hits?

Parental tactics 

The study also noted the creative measures parents employed in getting their kids to share their preference in music, including playing songs in the car ‘because they can’t escape’, or dancing to make songs seem fun

56% said they take their children to concerts and festivals to spark a shared love for their favourite genres, with 16% considering live music the perfect occasion to help their children discover new music. 


Also see: Top music education apps to help your kid to tune in

But what genres do kids actually enjoy? 

On average across the five countries polled, pop was named the easiest genre for kids to get into (94% positive reaction), with positive reactions to other music genres including dance (91%), hip-hop (91%) and rock (88%).

21% said their children found heavy metal the most challenging genre to accept and reported negative reactions.

Here's a look at what Deezer found to be parents' favourite genres kids loved the most in each country: 

Chat back:

Do you care about your child's taste in music and do you try to influence them to love your favourite genres? What tactics do you employ to get them to broad their musical horizons (and like your favourites more)? Share your story with us and we could publish your letter. Do let us know if you'd like to stay anonymous. 

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