Is Music Part of the Day for Your Family?
Parents do not need to be musicians or singers in order to include music activities for kids as part of playtime or what the family is doing.
Music activities can be spontaneous or planned, kids music or adults, loud and fun, or quiet and calm. Music can be part of a day from waking us up at the start to soothing us to sleep at night, and many times in between.
We can both listen to music or make it. Did you know that listening to music is helpful for brain development? Music is made up of notes and patterns. The brain loves patterns because it’s so helpful for coping with large amounts of information.
While you don’t have to be stuck listening to children’s music, fortunately there are some terrific choices for kids. The popular singer Raffi has been touring recently and there are comments from many parents that they remember hearing and seeing him when they were little and are now bringing their own children. Baby Beluga was released in 1980 and is now on it’s second generation of kids.
Many parents also enjoy the songs from Frozen but you can let kids listen to music that you like, be it rock, jazz, blues, country, folk, or something else. You might need to explain some of the lyrics when kids figure out the words but it’s fun to share favorites with them.
Music connects us to each other and to our cultures. Not only is music included in our everyday life, it is part of special and important occasions. Brides walk down the aisle to a wedding march and we all stand for the singing of the national anthem.
During pretend play, kids will sometimes ask for particular music. From listening and other music activities, children have learned about different types of music and figured out what is suitable. In his book, Musicophilia, Prof Oliver Sachs writes “We humans are a musical species…” Can you and your child enjoy some music today?