Tip—Music appreciation can be encouraged surprisingly early.

Although I knew that music was important to provide in the lives of young children, as a new stepmother, I wasn’t too sure how to go about it. I have a memory of singing in the car one day with my husband in order to entertain my two-year-old stepson in his carseat. After we finished a rousing verse of The Big Rock Candy Mountain, a little voice in the back commented dryly, “My mom sings it better than that.” He then requested we put on some Raffi music.

Despite such early discouraging results, we kept singing in the car. My stepson is now an older teen with music attached to his ears non-stop in the form of an I-pod. Pediatric advice nurse Helen Neville, author of Is This a Phase? says that singing in the car, at bedtime or at the dinner table are all good times to encourage music appreciation and develop emerging musical ability.

Neville points out that enjoyment of music and rhythm starts in the womb. Babies whose mothers sang to them before birth, markedly pay attention to those tunes when they are newborns. Babies recognize pitch, tune, and rhythm—the basic components of music. They show their appreciation by becoming calm and attentive.

Toddlers and preschoolers continue to appreciate music and will sing enthusiastically. Music and motion go together. Babies and young children love it when we hold and rock them or dance. Once they are able to stand, toddlers will sway and wiggle their bodies to music in their first dances.

Tools—So what are some simple things parents (especially non-musically trained ones like myself) do to encourage music appreciation in their babies and young children? Neville has some good ideas for places to start.

• Practice singing a single note to your 6-9 month old baby. With relaxed practice, some babies can match the pitch of a single sound, as when we sing “Ooo” higher or lower. First, match the pitch the baby makes, then try it the other way around.

• Children ages three and four have a tendency to lose pitch on the second line of a song. This is especially true when they sing in a group. It is easy for them to learn to sing in tune with just one or two other people.

• Often preschoolers learn songs more easily when the words are accompanied by hand or body motions.

• Toddlers and two-year-olds really enjoy playing simple instruments, such as drums, maracas, cymbals, or xylophones. They also love plain, old-fashioned clapping.

You’ll find more practical tips you can use right now in Is This a Phase? Child Development & Parent Strategies, Birth to 6 Years by Helen F. Neville, B.S., R.N.

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