Music for 10 year olds?

Try her on FLOTUS the new album by Lambchop

I find this thread interesting as I've never once come across a situation where a 10 year old is requesting guidance with regards to music.

I also find it odd that "bands" such as Little Mix (where none of the members play any instruments and who always seem to appear in photographs wearing their knickers), are targeted specifically at your Daughter's age group. When I was 10, there was plenty of rubbish knocking about in the charts which I completely ignored and I found myself instead listening to lots of post-punk, new wave, white reggae, new romantic etc. I simply wasn't interested in the majority of the charts.

Through all of this, it's definitely worth your Daughter finding her own way. She'll quickly learn what she does and doesn't like. The occasional swear word doesn't tend to bother me (e.g. 'Come On' by Verve), whereas I would ignore whole albums filled with explicit lyrics (e.g. 'Get Rich Or Die Tryin' by 50 Cent) as I really just don't need anybody shouting obscenities at me.

Some music can be extremely powerful both lyrically and musically (e.g. 'Happiness Is Easy' by Talk Talk - example lyric 'Take good care of what the priests say. After death it's so much fun.', or 'The Fan And The Bellows' by The Chameleons - example lyric 'She manipulates, steals my mind and hides it in the garden').

I would certainly look at starting her off with some classic stuff. Ignore the fact that it's not currently in the charts. 'Rumours' by Fleetwood Mac is worth about 5,000 Justin Biebers any day. She'll thank you for a copy of that album and still be playing it into her fifties.

If she likes indie, then there are far too many classics to mention, but try The Stone Roses' debut album, it's packed full of classic songs. For singer/songwriter pop, Suzanne Vega's second album 'Solitude Standing' is a wonderful listen. It still sounds as crisp today. The aforementioned Talk Talk record 'The Colour Of Spring' would also definitely be on my list.

I still listen to more music today than I watch the telly, I find it simply more fulfilling.

Good Luck and report back to let us know how your Daughter's getting on.

I suggested instrumental music earlier, but one approach might be to lead the young lady into how music developed from the 'proper' music (which I take to mean mainstream classical - Beethoven, Bach, Haydn, Rachmaninov, etc)

That would mean leading from those above to the modern composers such as Boulez, Varese, Stravinsky, etc.

From there, move on to the dance bands and early dixieland jazz of the 1920s and 1930s.

From there, to the swing era, big bands, and jazz, along with crooners such as Sinatra, Crosby, etc. (1940s, 1950s)

Early rock n roll and pop (1950s, 1960s)

Rock n roll developing into heavy and progressive rock in the 1960s

etc etc

She sounds educated enough to find her own way once you set her on this path.