At two and six months now, it really amazes me how much my daughter Hunter would show signs of love and appreciation for the music. I have consistently observed how she would really pay attention to even the classic songs that she hears from her grandparent’s stereo. She would try to mimic and sometimes surprisingly sings the lyrics of the songs despite the fact that she is just beginning to learn to really talk.
In most cases, she would ask me to play movies on our DVD player that are Musical by nature; the likes of The Little Mermaid, The Sound of Music, Shrek the Musical, Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast to name a few.
I see how interested she is when she sees a new musical instrument in our household. Her eyes would really light up when she sees me or her uncle play some music using an acoustic guitar, a piano or a ukulele. Music has now become our favorite way to bond.
Why we need to Expose our kids to Music
Music is a universal language for all humans. It creates feelings and it provides lingering memories of human emotions. Our children’s brains are developing as they grow old; they are like sponges that absorb anything that is going, whether that is good or bad.
A great number of researches have shown that rhythm and melody help spark memory, communication skills, imagination, and reasoning ability in humans. Music also was proven to calm young minds by reducing their stress hormone levels.
According to studies, music also builds a child’s sense of security. Take for example a lullaby being sang to a crying baby, doesn’t have to be a PRO, like the song says “don’t worry if it’s not good enough, for anyone else to hear, just sing” and it will surely soothe the baby.
Getting Children Interested. Start them young and keep it fun. When she was younger, I always made it a point to keep her daily routine fun by filling it up with fun little songs to let her distinguish activities or know when its naptime, bath time, milk time or play time.
I am a noisy mother, and I proactively encourage my child to make some noise as well, (hmm as long as we’re in our territory and nobody else gets disturbed). I introduced her to all types of noise-makers for babies, haha! Those different rattles, xylophone, flute, little drum set, little guitars, those are the type of toys we invest in.
Music is much more accessible now than during my time. Thank you to modern technology, we can play jazz, salsa, rock, hip-hop, classic, OPM, or whatever type of music we enjoy, as we swipe, tap, and tick through our handy gadgets. YOUTUBE for instance, has been a great source of music inspirations for my daughter’s growing years.
Get Involved. Know when your child is ready to play an instrument of her choice. Make sure it is of her interest, and not something you forced her into. Whether you are getting your child a beginner’s guitar, a ukulele, a flute, a saxophone, a keyboard or piano, a drum set maybe, or some fine alesis dm8, it really depend on what she’s really in to.
When your child starts playing an instrument, set aside whatever it is you’re doing and pay attention when she’s playing an instrument and practicing. Be generous with praise and encourage your child to stay focused on what she’s doing.
26 Responses
I want to raise my son too as a music lover because I’m a music lover too. You’re daughter is doing a pretty good job.
Thanks!
im happy with my sons’ music progress, too. they are all into music. my second son told me he wants to form a band someday. ihihi. hooray to our kids!
at a young age they show interest na ‘no which is quite amusing!
I’ve always made sure to expose my son to all kinds of music. I love that he is growing up loving The Beatles, Mr. Big, and Lionel Ritchie alongside the new stuff that kids listen to these days. He basically enjoys music.
I’d like to believe that children these days who listens to old songs tend to become smarter.. hehe or maybe I’m just being biased because I’m an old soul myself..
My daughter is a lover of music, but my son is not really into it… i’m planning to enroll my daughter in a voice lesson and my son in a keyboard lesson this summer.. those were my frustrations din when i was a kid..hehehe
Mismo… Hehehe! Same here. What’s good about it is yung mga lessons, ways and means are now more accessible than before. We have youtube tutorials and everything we need to know is just one google away..
i also want my son to be a music lover someday. I want him to play piano para cute tignan hehe
Both my kids are pretty much into music although I don’t recall doing anything special to instill that interest… lol XD
I remember when my mom lovingly forced me to learn violin. I didn’t learn it, at that time it was difficult. I opted for piano instead and exceled. Then forgot because, college. And hten never got around it. I stuck with guitar and singing jazz or indie for most of my adult years.
Btw, I love this post! Would you want to guest post this one on my blog & social media? 🙂 Self-growth and pursuing passion is my theme.
Iris @ Earth Love Skin
http://www.earthloveskin.com
Aww… I like that you used ‘lovingly’ in your first line.. Says a lot about how you appreciated your mom despite the ‘forcing’ hihi I guess all mom has that tendency sometime of forcing their ‘lil frustration’ to their daughters, can be a positive or a negative thing, depending on how the daughter takes it. Yes I’d love to do guest post, do let me know what to do, my email is vyjae77@gmail.com
I remember when my mom lovingly forced me to learn violin. I didn’t learn it, at that time it was difficult. I opted for piano instead and exceled. Then forgot because, college. And then never got around it. I stuck with guitar and singing jazz or indie for most of my adult years.
Btw, I love this post! Would you want to guest post this one on my blog & social media? 🙂 Self-growth and pursuing passion is my theme. Let me know how it works for you.
Iris @ Earth Love Skin
http://www.earthloveskin.com
I read from somewhere that music teaches kids to be patient…
I guess it does really! Especially when kids are determined to learn a music skill..
I also love that my son is into music! (I think I was more ecstatic when he started showing interest in singing than when he memorized his ABCs haha.) Thanks for these tips!
You’re welcome.. Totoo pala yung somg lines sa “thank you for the music” na “momma says I was a dancer before i could walk, she said i began sing a long before i could talk”
my daughter was and still is the same! 🙂 now she’s into piano
Nice to hear that! Bet you’re doing great encouraging her mommy! Keep it up.
My son loves music too. When he was 6 months old, we’ve tried a music school for babies the instructor told us that music plays an important part in their early years.
Your little girl will surely enjoy Disney On Ice Musical Play.
Yes she actually did.. Have seen it twice as a matter of fact, she’s a certified Disney baby!!!
I really believe that raising a music lover does a lot and my kids both love to sing and dance.
True. It’s always a win win kind of thing 🙂
I totally agree! Music has a lot of benefits for our children especially in their early years. I enrolled my child in Kindermusic when he was two years old and had positive results. Music motivates brain activity and in my son’s case it helped him to communicate with us and express his needs, wants and emotions. Thanks for sharing!
I agree.. One can never go wrong with music.. Well not unless you introduce them with the wrong kind, which id on’t think any parent would.
We expose our kids to music a lot too. In our house, someone is always either singing or playing music from a gadget. Music really has a lot of benefits. 🙂