| This article was written for Paducah Parenting magazine. |
| Children & Music |
| Did you notice when your child was a baby, that he would become quiet and listen when a music tape would begin to play, or when you began to sing? Have you ever heard your child singing to a stuffed animal? Does he respond with body movements in steady beat when hearing music? Does she know the order of all the songs on a recording? These are common music behaviors that show a child is well on his way toward achieving two primary musical milestones - learning to sing in tune and to keep a beat. |
| In many cultures outside America, children grow up with active music-making families who are not as tied to the television or frantic with activities, and these children have a natural ability to speak the language of music by ages 3 or 4. They can sing on pitch and feel a steady beat, they can understand music and are able to audiate, that is, think musically. Acquisition of these skills is dependent not so much on innate ability as on proper environmental conditions. Empirical knowledge show us that people are born with varying degrees of music aptitude, but regardless of the level of music aptitude children are born with, they must have favorable early informal and formal environmental experiences with music, or that music aptitude will never fully be realized in achievement. It is clear the earlier informal guidance and formal instruction occur, the higher the level at which a child's aptitude will stabilize. Characteristics of a favorable musical environment include 1) play and movement, 2) an exposure to a variety of both live and recorded music in different styles to help young children develop a musical listening vocabulary, and 3) modeling by teachers and parents. |
| We are so performance oriented in this culture that we think of doing music as singing a whole song or playing a whole piece. But just as with everything else, there are developmental stages involved. Before you can perform the whole piece, you have to learn to speak out, and to understand elemental bits and pieces of the language of music. By a baby's rapt attention and by not crying when music is playing you can know she is aware that music (as opposed to talk) is happening around her. It has been shown that infants are, in fact, so sensitive to music that they change the key in which they are crying or cooing, if you begin to sing to them in a different key. Once they are able to change the pitch and inflection of the sound they are making in response to what they are hearing, a child's total development tends to proceed in the following stages. First, young children are able to chime in on particular notes of the song, such as the final resting tone. Then they imitate their parents as children become capable of singing by themselves, making up their own songs or singing their own versions of familiar songs, approximating the melodic contour of the song. Eventually, they are able to sing whole songs accurately. They are learning to think musically. |
| Parents usually notice the beginnings of rhythm development when their children try to keep some kind of beat. Gradually they learn to keep a consistently steady beat, although not necessarily one that goes with the song! Finally, they are able to coordinate their body movements to the beat in many different songs and can even change tempo as the song changes. Again, a child is learning to think musically. |
| When your child recognizes the order of songs on a recording, it is a sign that he is discerning patterns. Another sign is when your child fills in the beginnings or endings of a song's lyrics. Try leaving out the last word or note of a familiar song to see if your child will fill in the blank. You might also notice your child creating their own words or patterns for a familiar tune. This is a further synthesis stage of musical development that has to do with pattern discernment. A child who learns a second language early will speak easily and with the proper accent. In much the same way, a child who experiences, and then has hands on activities with melody, rhythm, timbre, and all the elements of music will be comfortable with performing and creating music as he or she matures. We would not expect a child to wait to talk until he can read - nor should we want to deprive students of a whole world of musical growth until they can perceive note reading. Parents are encouraged to optimize their children's potential during the accelerated learning years of early childhood by participating in musical activities. We encourage parents to sing, rock, bounce, pat, clap, dance, and play with their children as they listen to and make beautiful music together. Parents can share quality music with their children and can set a good example by supporting their local music organizations and by attending concerts given by those in the community. Support the arts. Seek out developmentally appropriate musical activities and make music part of children's lives from birth. Make music part of life, and reap the rewards as children grow and develop! |
