Music for Your Autistic Children
I remember when I was young, and I heard Fatboy Slim and Chemical Brothers. While others found it kind of robotic and repetitive, in my mind the music kept more of a beat, not to mention, my ability to fill that music in with imagination. My taste in electronica rose by the time I heard Squarepusher and Aphex Twin at an age of about 10 or 11. No one, even the pop stars and metal artists which eventually made its way more on television could tear me away from the imaginative takes with Electronic music. Now, I listen to more psycedelic music, for the same thing: the wonders of both imagination and the ability for music to have so much life that, to those who have synaesthesia, music feels like a lifeform.
The more I notice my Autism, the more I seem to find one of the positives in music: whether there is creative slates in music, there is a shred of imagination that goes with it. Especially, if you are talking about specific genres from Psychedelia to Electronic music.
Think of it this way. You can either just listen to music for what it is, or you can use that music as a portal and soundtrack to some motion picture or world no one has ever seen. Anyone with Asperger’s may be more able to do the latter than the former. That’s why psychedelic music, electronic music, or music with a conceptual thread can be perfect listens. To give you a good idea, let me give you an example of bands to introduce to your asperger child, if they aren’t listening already.
1. Beck
An amalgamut of musical experiments can’t be wrong. And music that can’t be bothered to be classified in one simple genre feels like a nice alley to go to when picking up an album for those with aspergers, and Beck has went down to making a cosmic hip-hop album, a blue eyes soul album, 70’s psychedelic rock, folk…
2. Chemical Brothers
Dance music that sounds like it is in essence from either the fuutre or your heart. Any type of music with the sun in its sound can be a winner for an Asperger kid. Start with Surrender to possibly peak their interest.
3. Squarepusher
IDM may sound like music made to cover a PlayStation, bu there is more to Squarepusher than that. There is the fun in the music, as well as expert scoring and Tom Jenkinson’s bass playing. Squarepusher is one of those band’s where it is interesting to create your own mental adventures to. Not to mention, if they take interest in creativity, this can be a nice artist to build upon.
4. The Beatles
The band that served up the wonders of love and peace. They were the original guys to ever do it and install a bit of musical positivity.
5. Animal Collective
Aimal Collective is at least the type of psychedelic band that you’d want to play to your kid. Panda Bear’s lyrics or his voice is delivered as though it came from a man with a child’s soul, with Avey Tare as thepossible wild instinct of a human. Animal Collective is all about music moving to the straight future, with hte soul and life of a kid running free and wild in a park.
6. The Flaming Lips
If there is any band that both makes you feel like a child, and serves up positive (albeit: strange) vibes, just the way an Autistic kid might enjoy it once he is older, The Flaming Lips is a good band to start with. I’m not just saying that because theyt are a psychedelic band for everyone’s enjoyment, as well as their ability to drop their inhibitions. But Wayne Coyne’s voice sounds as youthful and unsure of the world, as they might be, when they are on a search for truth in the universe. Someonbe around here once said that Asperger children are likely to grow up to b truth seekers, right?
7. Four Tet
Electronica with occasional drops of hip-hop and the soul of the new folk revival, Four Tet is made for playing music in the sun or to soundtrack good days, and life to. But mostly, the reaso nwhy Aspis will love Four Tet is because the musical hops can be both a challenge as well as a travel back to memory lane.
8. Max Tundra
Max Tundra’s music hops so much in circles and around that the ADD direcytion from A to B won’t really confound, so much as impress an Asperger child.
9. Spiritualized
Save the love and the gospel references, if ever you need music that is worth spacing out to, or worth feeling like an astronaut to, Jason Pierce conducts the music for your kid to feel like they are flying to. In fact, Spiritualized makes records to feel to
10. Mars Volta
Mars Volta, like your othe progressive rock bands, takes time, work and patience, and this can be a patience and mindbender for any Asperger teenager or adult willing to listen. Decoding the lyrics, Omar’s space-tinged orchestration…and also following the storyline, if there is one, while learning some new terms along the way. If your Asperger child likes a band or music where they can work for satisfaction in their music, Mars Volta can be your best bet.
The point is that when it comes to music, Asperger’s may be likely to take it more as just something to listen to. It can be something to imagine to, something to think about, something to feel to. Don’t be surprised if they feel like the music is a part of their being, rather than entertainment value.
What types of music do you enjoy?
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@Lynnjynh9315@xanga – I would put them, but I had to cut it down to a list. I had 18 artists in a list (The Vines and Gary Numan being two of them, and both of them have a form of Autism), and this is whittled down to only ten.
@faeran2@xanga – Pink Floyd are good also. I heard Dark Side of the Moon. Pretty solid work right there.
@keystspf – No Red? No Skillet? No TFK? Man, at least listen to Red, they have this amazing mixture of Metal and classical piano and strings. I never knew I liked Metal til I heard them.
@Lynnjynh9315@xanga – Enigma is one of my favorites…
Personally I can’t stand metal or rap.
On my MP3 right now is:
Bill Whalen (Riverdance)* Bing Crosby * Braveheart Soundtrack * Casting Crowns * Clannad * Collective Soul * Cruachan * Delirious? * Dido * Eden’s Bridge * Enigma * Enya * Evanescence * Goo Goo Dolls * Green Day * Hans Zimmer (Pirates) * Jars of Clay * Jo Dee Messina * John Williams (Star Wars) * Kelly Clarkson * Lifehouse * Loreena McKinnett * Moulin Rouge Soundtrack * Martina McBride * Matt Redman * Matt West * Michael Flatley (Lord of the Dance) * Newsboys * Paramore * Petra * Philips, Craig, and Dean (singing a song by Benny Hester) * Rich Mullins * Rob Pattinson (Twilight Soundtrack) * Robbie Williams * Rodney Atkins * Royal Scots Dragon * Sarah McLachlan * Savage Garden * Selah * Sheryl Crow * Sinead O’Connor * Skyclad * Steven Curtis Chapman * Switchfoot * Tonic * Twilight Soundtrack * VeggieTales * Waylander *
As you can see, I like a lot of Celtic music… and some other random stuff, some of it Christian out of old habit…
Music can help every person.
What, no Enigma? Honestly, they’re plenty psychedelic.
Hey, if you like Mars Volta, I’d also recommend Pink Floyd.
THE MARS VOLTA! woot woot. One of my all time favorites.
I love some of these bands, and will check out the ones i havent heard before.
@layerz@xanga – Agreed : )
Oops, sorry here they are with the links:
That’s Sviatoslav, not Max.
Liszt
Ondine by Ravel
Scarbo by Ravel
Horowitz Carmen Fantasie
Scarlatti
Debussy Reflet dans l’eau
Rachmaninoff
Non-Piano clips:
Rachmaninoff
end of Mahler 2nd symphony
end of Stravinsky firebird
Elgar cello concerto
@mynameisblueskye@xanga – You should definitely try! Here are a few Youtube links you might want to try.
Piano clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ty-kVEQVeog&feature=channel_page That’s Sviatoslav, not Max.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W_sEJzZ8yBI&feature=channel_page Liszt
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sUQoFOIn8dA&feature=channel_page Ondine by Ravel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_pFsMqVr3B8&feature=channel_page Scarbo by Ravel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qnla_5zrHAE&feature=channel_page Horowitz Carmen Fantasie
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrRdNwgt0B4&feature=channel_page Scarlatti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLbpQl1cCl8&feature=channel_page Debussy Reflet dans l’eau
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tRdjhnDmLYg&feature=channel_page Rachmaninoff
Non-Piano clips:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xeUUACeuGJo&feature=channel_page Rachmaninoff
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rECVyN5D60I&feature=channel_page end of Mahler 2nd symphony
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5tGA6bpscj8&feature=channel_page end of Stravinsky firebird
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L5C99JyP2ns&feature=channel_page Elgar cello concerto
Anyway, listen to any, all, or none of them. Let me know, or not, what you think. 🙂
@layerz@xanga – The closest I ever got to Classical music is MONO, Sigur Ros (if you can call them classical) and Max Richter. Even then I kind of hesitate to call those classical, because i usually don’t listen to classical myself.
Have you tried classical? Bach, Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, Chopin, to Rachmaninoff, Mahler, Wagner, Stravinsky…etc It’s both stimulating intellectually and emotionally.
I don’t have autism or Aspberger’s but this is just straight-up great music for anyone as far as I’m concerned. It’s great to see a Xanga blog about some decent bands for once.
Positive punk Hardcore… For it’s aggressiveness and powerful lyrics. Pop punk. Slam/Death metal for it’s breakdowns (Hate metal). J-pop/rock because it’s fun. Hip Hop that’s inspirational and educational. No bullsh*t from the radio. No mainstream garbage. No cheesy melodies and no lyrics about killing, money, women, or just about anything useless and ignorant.
For the emotional aspect… hardcore feels rhythm can be therapuetic for me. Singing along. Chanting and stomping your feet to it to show how much it means. It’s like that for all music I believe.
I listen to a large variety of music, I’m attracted to beats, the rhythm of the music, and lastly, the lyrics, the pitch of the lyrics and how they are sung.
The Mars Volta.
Nine Inch Nails
Crystal Castles
Green Day, not very inventive with their sound, but I enjoy them
Daft Punk
Beck
LCD Soundsystem
Death Cab For Cutie
Calvin Harris
The Cure
David Bowie
Arcade Fire
The Editors
Everything but the Girl
Fall of Troy
Garbage
Gorillaz
And the list goes on….
I prefer classic rock and blues…but I can listen to anything where I can understand the lyrics.
@emileerene76@xanga – This list and suggestion doesn’t really apply to everyone with Aspergers or form of Autism. But the ones I am familiar with listened to something not everyone would. Heck, I have a friend who mostly listened to music from Japan. And I (also) listen to hip-hop and pop. But I love music that doesn’t have a specific genre pinned to it (Gorillaz, Broken Social Scene, The Beta Band [they go best into the psychedelic genre, mostly], etc.)
My point was that no matter what they are listening to, if some music have a bit of psychedelia or a bit of electronica, anything that kind of involves your mind listening as well as your ears, then at least one of those recordings are most likely to wind up in an autistic child’s CD collection. If not, imagine the surprise when you introduce them to stuff like above.
To Autisable: You messed up the tags of Squarepusher and Beck.
i have asperger’s and i enjoy listening to country music