When a dad showed how drums can unlock kids' creativity, the White House noticed.
Let's be real: How many times can a parent listen to "The Wheels on the Bus" without losing his or her mind?
"Make it stop!" GIF via "The Simpsons."
The answer differs for everyone (it's about two times for me), but hey — when it comes to music for our kids, we have to roll with the options that are given to us.
Thankfully, one dad decided to flip the script on children's music, and even the White House took notice (more on that later).
Meet Norm Jones, a professional musician who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two sons.
Norm enjoying some smooth beats by the ocean. All photos from Norm Jones and used with permission.
When he became a father, he tried to search for music for his kids that was "cool," but very little suited his tastes. Instead, he did what any good musician would do: He took matters into his own hands.
"I was looking for music that had interesting grooves, soulful melodies, and clever lyrics, but there really wasn't a go-to source for kids' music at the time," Norm told me. "So I did my best to fill the void."
That sparked the birth of Rhythm Child, a small company Norm created with his wife, Heather. It provides parents and teachers with the opportunity to share engaging musical interaction with their children and students. This is done by introducing kids to the importance of rhythm, movement, and diverse sounds.
Music can have huge educational benefits for kids, and Norm wanted the world to know it.
Numerous studies have shown how music can help kids with intelligence, social skills, emotional awareness, language development, and coordination. Additionally, Norm believes it's a much better option than the growing trend of kids burying their noses in their tablets, cellphones, or other devices for hours on end.
"Get off that iPad, kid!"
"In an effort to become more connected, adults are constantly staring at their phones and instead are becoming less connected with the world around them," Norm said. "This epidemic of distraction is being passed along to our children, and it has to stop. Music and rhythm can help."
Nobody is on trial when it comes to device usage; after all, electronic music is a form of expression, too. The problem arises when we allow our devices to control us instead of the other way around.
"In an effort to be more connected, adults are constantly staring at their phones and instead are becoming less connected with the world around them. This epidemic of distraction is being passed along to our children, and it has to stop. Music and rhythm can help."
So how does Norm use music to inspire children? Drumroll, please.
Drums.
Norm uses the beat of a drum as a teaching tool.
The dude is a percussionist and a damn good one. So good, in fact, that he once won the grand prize in the children's category of the John Lennon Songwriting Contest.
He travels the state of California to introduce children to the instrument as a tool for education, entertainment, and empowerment. As Norm said, "Most importantly, I've been able to introduce children to a part of themselves that they might not even know exists."
He holds concerts.
He visits schools.
And no matter how big or small the audience is, he ensures everyone in attendance has a drum to play.
This little one is focusing hard on keeping the beat.
"When I first started, I was bringing anything that was safe for kids to hit in my garage," Norm admitted. "After a couple of years, I partnered with Remo Drums, and we provide the instruments to everyone in the audience, sometimes as many as 300."
After receiving a lot attention for his work, Norm received an invitation to perform on the White House lawn for its annual Easter Egg Roll in 2011.
It was the thrill of a lifetime for Norm to perform at the White House.
Because of Michelle Obama's Let's Move initiative, all of the acts on stage needed to have some element of physical activity for the event. Norm certainly had that covered.
"Rhythm Child was recognized for the interactive drumming that went along with our music, and once we were pitched to the main folks at the White House, we got in," Norm beamed. "It was definitely a game changer to have the First Family recognize our work."
So what's next for Norm and Rhythm Child?
More drumming, of course.
The happy hands of the little drummer boys and girls.
He's reached thousands of kids in California and now plans to expand beyond the state to perform in schools and concert venues across America.
"We are responsible for preparing our children to be leaders and critical thinkers," Norm said. "In order to do that, we need to find ways to expand their creative expression. I'm just doing my small part to help."
This man is absolutely helping. Other than being a valuable teaching tool, music is a universal language that unifies people of all backgrounds.
Because all it takes is a drum and a couple of mallets, and you'll find a new friend.
If you're a parent who gets an anxiety attack over the thought of your kids playing with loud drums, is it any worse than the little ones playing Angry Birds on a device or blowing up pixelated terrorists on an Xbox?
Only you can answer that.
"We are responsible for preparing our children to be leaders and critical thinkers. In order to do that, we need to find ways to expand their creative expression. I'm just doing my small part to help."
In the meantime, Norm has shifted his focus to what brought him to this place to begin with: being a good dad.
"This all started as my way of being a good father and applying my life's passion to also benefit my kids. If I can use that passion to also benefit kids all over the world, then my lifelong dream will become a reality."
Word.
Now let's hope moms and dads will help their kids keep the beat.
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There's a reason why some people can perfectly copy accents, and others can't
Turns out, there's a neurodivergent link.
A woman in black long sleeve shirt stands in front of mirror.
Have you ever had that friend who goes on vacation for four days to London and comes back with a full-on Queen's English posh accent? "Oooh I left my brolly in the loo," they say, and you respond, "But you're from Colorado!" Well, there are reasons they (and many of us) do that, and usually it's on a pretty subconscious level.
It's called "accent mirroring," and it's actually quite common with people who are neurodivergent, particularly those with ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). According Neurolaunch, the self-described "Free Mental Health Library," "Accent mirroring, also known as accent adaptation or phonetic convergence, is the tendency to unconsciously adopt the accent or speech patterns of those around us. This linguistic chameleon effect is not unique to individuals with ADHD, but it appears to be more pronounced and frequent in this population."
Essentially, when people have conversations, we're constantly "scanning" for information—not just the words we're absorbing, but the inflection and tone. "When we hear an accent, our brains automatically analyze and categorize the phonetic features, prosody, and intonation patterns," writes Neurolaunch. For most, this does result in copying the accent of the person with whom we're speaking. But those with ADHD might be more sensitive to auditory cues. This, "coupled with a reduced ability to filter out or inhibit the impulse to mimic…could potentially explain the increased tendency for accent mirroring."
While the article explains further research is needed, they distinctly state that, "Accent mirroring in individuals with ADHD often manifests as an unconscious mimicry of accents in social situations. This can range from subtle shifts in pronunciation to more noticeable changes in intonation and speech rhythm. For example, a person with ADHD might find themselves unconsciously adopting a Southern drawl when conversing with someone from Texas, even if they’ve never lived in the South themselves."
People are having their say online. On the subreddit r/ADHDWomen, a thread began: "Taking on accents is an ADHD thing?" The OP shares, "My whole life, I've picked up accents. I, myself, never noticed, but everyone around me would be like, 'Why are you talking like that??' It could be after I watched a show or movie with an accent or after I've traveled somewhere with a different accent than my 'normal.'
They continue, "Apparently, I pick it up fast, but it fades out slowly. Today... I'm scrolling Instagram, I watch a reel from a comedian couple (Darcy and Jeremy. IYKYK) about how Darcy (ADHD) picks up accents everywhere they go. It's called ADHD Mirroring??? And it's another way of masking."
(The OP is referring to Darcy Michaels and his husband Jeremy Baer, who are both touring comedians based in Canada.)
Hundreds of people on the Reddit thread alone seem to relate. One comments, "Omfg I've done this my whole life; I'll even pick up on the pauses/spaces when I'm talking to someone who is ESL—but English is my first language lol."
Sometimes, it can be a real issue for those around the chameleon. "I accidentally mimicked a waitress's weird laugh one time. As soon as she was out of earshot, my family started to reprimand me, but I was already like 'oh my god I don’t know why I did that, I feel so bad.'"
Many commenters on TikTok were shocked to find out this can be a sign of ADHD. One jokes, "Omg, yes, at a store the cashier was talking to me and she was French. She's like 'Oh are you French too? No, I'm not lol. I'm very east coast Canada."
And some people just embrace it and make it work for them. "I mirror their words or phrase! I’m 30. I realized I start calling everyone sweetie cause my manager does & I work at coffee shop."