On a show that features children showing their interests and talents, a very young girl about seven showed a great deal of talent. When asked to perform a song, she chose to sing the trendy “Ah we Noss” which Nancy Agram has made famous.
After her stunning performance, the audience began cheering and applauding. It was obvious that the audience had enjoyed the child’s performance rather than being aware that she had chosen an adult song.
This young girl is not alone in this; we have noted in recent years how children are more drawn to adult songs rather than to those more suitable for their age and stage of development.
Faten, a mother of three, said: “I overhear my daughter sometimes humming one of those tunes and when I ask her where she picked it up, she tells me how all her friends know it by heart. It has become natural for children to know the names of singers and their songs and to keep up with them.”
But what makes children choose these adult songs? The answer simply is because they don’t have another option.
No one denies the important role that music plays in teaching children. Songs and music make learning easier and fun for children. The Arab world, however, seems to lack songs that are for children only, and this is especially noticeable in Saudi Arabia.
“My daughter has learned songs in both English and Arabic. She has learned a great deal from songs, such as days of the week, numbers and colors. She likes the songs so much that she actually sings them while she is playing,” said Maha, a mother of two. “But I notice that most of the Arabic songs are in fact translations from English. Many of the songs are also in classical Arabic that is fine but I wonder why there aren’t many songs in Saudi dialect. Perhaps the only traditional Saudi song that I recall is one for Gergeaan which is associated with the month of Ramadan.”
Dr. Ebtisam Murshid, an assistant professor in the College of Dentistry and mother of five, could not agree more. “My children grew up in the States and to this day they still remember the songs they have learned at school and from children’s programs. They keep the music for their younger siblings and they sing them at parties. On the other hand, the Arabic songs which are available don’t always interest the children. And most of the songs are in dialects other than the Saudi one and this influences the child’s language,” she said.
Children’s songs have existed for years in all cultures passing from one generation to the next. They are, however, neglected in Saudi culture. Music classes are banned from the Saudi school curriculum. Playing instruments is not allowed and children’s rhymes are only taught in kindergarten. In the early stages of elementary school, children are taught only poems that are recited without music.
Another fact is that among the many Saudi singers, none has ever produced a children’s song. A quick visit to a music store makes the whole picture much clearer. A number of records of children’s songs are available yet most are in English. The Arabic ones are few and far between and very out of date.
In the absence of proper children’s songs, the satellite TV music channels also influence children and their music. Children love music and are attracted to these channels, which show all kinds of videos in both Arabic and English.
“My daughter is always curious about these channels. Although I don’t allow her to watch them, she tries to watch them with her cousin who follows them all the time. That’s when I have to interfere and explain to her that what she is seeing does not represent our religion or our culture,” said Maha.
But, Abdul Rahman Al-Slimi, a human resources manager and the father of five children, disagrees. “I don’t object to my children watching the music channels because what’s on TV has become a reality and TV helps to expose children to the outside world. I also believe that we can’t deny our children from seeing what we watch ourselves. After all, it’s the music that attracts the child and not the lyrics. We see that this is true when children love the music in the ads or when they like songs in languages they don’t even understand.”