28/05/2024
Interesting observation from Mary Spender
I read an article in the Guardian this week that made me consider a whole new negative aspect of the rise of streaming.
The wholesale shift to digital subscription services means a growing number of pre-smartphone children – usually age eleven and under – have no independent access to music, at least without the aide of a parent, either to play a song on a smart speaker, or by granting access to a tablet or other connected device.
The first five years of a child’s life are so important in their development, and a strong connection to music brings a host of benefits.
I count myself lucky that I had access from an early age to my own cassette/CD player, then iPod and could independently listen and form a bond with artists like Green Day, Muse, and Nerina Pallot.
Music was something I could see, touch. It meant something to me, and I felt connected to it. If you’re signed up to this newsletter, you probably feel the same.
If children are entirely reliant on a smartphone to access music, they will absolutely be led astray by other, more tempting pastimes, with no benefit.
We risk raising a generation of children that just don’t consider music to be that important.
If you have no sense of agency, or control over what you can listen to, you’ll lose out on one of life’s greatest pleasures.
So, for the parents out there (or parents to be) please consider how you can ensure your child has access to music that doesn’t require your input, or permission to play.
It could be the best investment you’ll ever make.
Mary x
