A woman in the US has started up a DJ school for babies. Read on and see if you think it's a good idea or not...
Time Out NY Kids has called it "The most innovative class of 2013."
Natalie Weiss is a Brooklyn based DJ and early childhood educator who runs Baby DJ School - Dj classes for children aged 3 months to 3 years.
She's taken the traditional baby sing along classes to a new level by offering an interactive music class that uses DJ equipment and beats to improve motor skills, spatial awareness and language skills. With songs like "That's Why Daddy Loves Disco," and rocking beats, it sounds like she's on a real winner.
Her unique spin on baby classes has seen a huge amount of publicity including Good Morning America and The Wall Street Journal. And she hasn't stopped there. Natalie is expanding her services to offer summer camps, parties and even franchises of the rockin' school.
I think she's onto a great thing. As a DJ and music lover, I love the idea of encouraging kids to learn about music appreciation and improve motor skills through the use of decks. It's also a fun way to increase the parent/baby bond through a class that the parents can really get into. The only doubt I would have about the class is the use of the earphones in the baby's ears. If the head phones are just being used as a way for the child to get used to having something on their head (and not plugged into a music source), that's fine.; but there have been studies that reveal the detrimental effects of ear phones on the developing child's ears.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, 1 in 5 teens has some form of hearing loss. This is a 30% higher hearing loss rate than in the same age group in the 1980s and 1990s . Many experts believe is partly due to the increased use of headphones. Dr Foy, and osteopathic paediatrician from California recommends never using an MP3 music device on more than 60 precent of the volume for more than 60 minutes a day.
So I say bring on the baby DJ classes. It's innovative, fun and educational. But be very careful of using earphones with babies and children. If you're not sure about it, check with your local GP.
Natalie Weiss is a Brooklyn based DJ and early childhood educator who runs Baby DJ School - Dj classes for children aged 3 months to 3 years.
She's taken the traditional baby sing along classes to a new level by offering an interactive music class that uses DJ equipment and beats to improve motor skills, spatial awareness and language skills. With songs like "That's Why Daddy Loves Disco," and rocking beats, it sounds like she's on a real winner.
Her unique spin on baby classes has seen a huge amount of publicity including Good Morning America and The Wall Street Journal. And she hasn't stopped there. Natalie is expanding her services to offer summer camps, parties and even franchises of the rockin' school.
I think she's onto a great thing. As a DJ and music lover, I love the idea of encouraging kids to learn about music appreciation and improve motor skills through the use of decks. It's also a fun way to increase the parent/baby bond through a class that the parents can really get into. The only doubt I would have about the class is the use of the earphones in the baby's ears. If the head phones are just being used as a way for the child to get used to having something on their head (and not plugged into a music source), that's fine.; but there have been studies that reveal the detrimental effects of ear phones on the developing child's ears.
According to the American Osteopathic Association, 1 in 5 teens has some form of hearing loss. This is a 30% higher hearing loss rate than in the same age group in the 1980s and 1990s . Many experts believe is partly due to the increased use of headphones. Dr Foy, and osteopathic paediatrician from California recommends never using an MP3 music device on more than 60 precent of the volume for more than 60 minutes a day.
So I say bring on the baby DJ classes. It's innovative, fun and educational. But be very careful of using earphones with babies and children. If you're not sure about it, check with your local GP.