Whether it’s a 2-year-old dancing along with Beyoncé’s Single Ladies or a 13-year-old playing Mozart, every child can enjoy music. Make music a part of your family and give your child an appreciation that will last a lifetime.

 

by Ruth A. Wilson, Ph.D.

“There are very few things that touch the core of our emotions more than listening to beautiful music,” says my husband, Fred Wilson, who is a composer, conductor, and retired music teacher and guidance counselor. Fred has worked with children from kindergarten-aged through high school; he has also directed adult choral groups and orchestras, most recently at Adrian College in Adrian, Michigan, where he was on the faculty of the music department. “People of all ages,” he says, “can enjoy music.”

Music has been used throughout history and across cultures as an integral part of our ceremonies and celebrations. Whether we sing lullabies to newborns and “Happy Birthday” at a party, rise for the National Anthem at a sporting event, march down the aisle to “Pomp and Circumstance” or “Here Comes the Bride,” or listen to bagpipes at a funeral, music is part of our lives at every stage. 

Moving to the beat at home

You can provide plenty of music-related moments at home. Old favorites like “Old MacDonald” and “Row, Row, Row Your Boat” can teach your child to sing and clap along with simple lyrics.

Rhythm instruments like rhythm sticks and bells can be used along with other music or on their own. Or an empty oatmeal box can become a drum. These are fun toys to shake and bang, but they can also lay the foundation for a lifelong engagement with music. According to Wilson, “feeling” rhythm is a crucial part of a child’s music education—95% of making music is rhythm.

Carl Orff, a notable German composer and music educator, developed a number of musical activities for children. Many of these activities use rhythm instruments like bells, tom toms, tambourines, and maracas. Some of his methods are used in our schools today.

If your child is an infant, hold her in your arms as you move rhythmically and gently. Watch as she settles into the comforting sway of your arms. If the music is lively and your baby is in a bubbly mood, spin or swing or lift her in time to the music and watch as she learns to associate your movements with the timing of the music.

Most children enjoy moving to music. In Fred’s years as a K-12 music teacher with Akron Public Schools in Ohio, he found that movement activities helped children express a wide range of emotions, from sadness to joy.

With preschoolers and young children, classical music can be as engaging as sing-alongs. Try something like Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov’s Flight of the Bumblebee or Camille Saint-Saëns’s Carnival of the Animals. Ask your child how the music makes him feel and what it reminds him of. Encourage him to act out the scene he envisions, whether it’s dancing with a bear, running from a wicked witch, or anything else he can imagine. Let your child express whatever he hears, whether or not it matches what the composer says the music is about. Music affects each of us differently.

Performances especially for children

Some professional musical concerts are designed especially for children. Opportunities in your community can range from child-friendly programs offered by professional orchestra—for instance, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Family Concerts and the San Francisco Symphony’s Music for Families series—to children’s songs performed during storytime at your public library. Summer is an especially good time to be on the lookout for free concerts in public parks.

Music is an integral part of many theatrical performances, too. In winter, someone in your city is sure to be performing the Nutcracker ballet, with its child-centered storyline and instantly appealing Tchaikovsky score. The impressive theater space, the stage with its lights and costumes, and a night out with the family can transform music into a special memory.

Such experiences can reinforce a child’s enjoyment of music, create a new level of appreciation, and perhaps even inspire her to pursue a hobby or career in music.

Music for all

Some children do have outstanding musical abilities, but all children can enjoy music. As an African proverb says, “If you can talk, you can sing; if you can walk, you can dance.”

This is true for adults, too. You don’t have to be an accomplished musician or fabulous dancer to help your child enjoy the fun and excitement of music. Make music a part of your parenting children menu, and you'll give your child an appreciation that will last a lifetime.

Fred describes a memorable moment while teaching music to deaf children. He gathered the children around the piano and had them place their hands on the instrument as he played. It was a moment of discovery for both teacher and students. The children could feel the rhythm with their hands, and they began to dance in place.

Fred’s first music lesson happened at school when he was 11 years old. “At the time, I didn’t know I had any particular interest or ability in music,” he says. “When I played my first note, it was like magic. I was never the same after that.”

Give your children—and yourself—the magic of music.

 

Dr. Ruth Wilson is an educational consultant and curriculum writer. Her primary areas of expertise are early childhood environmental education and peace education.

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