Music in the Home

Editor's note: I don't recall when I wrote this but it had to be before 2000 since my little girl was born in 2000. The ideas are still fresh, new and applicable. This is an email I sent to my homeschooling friends.

Please be careful at how much TV (that includes video watching) your youngsters do. Even "interactive" videos. It has been proven that brain waves shut down when watching a screen, computer included. (Failure to Connect by Jane Healy) But when a child is active with music, movement, rhythm and song, their brain waves are rapidly firing and crossing into all sections of the brain. Their brains are literally on fire. Having brain waves going fast and furious is one of the best ways to make brilliant children.

Here are some ideas for young children and music.

Play shorter songs, about two minutes in length, because of their short attention spans. Increase the time as they grow or just play longer parts of a song. Play all sorts of music. By the age of six their taste in music is pretty well grounded. Yes, they can change but they will "love" the music they heard when a child. Play all sorts of music. Some favorites for children are Mozart, Sousa (my kids beg for the marches), Copland, and almost any ballet suite. There is a 3 CD set out called "The Mozart Effect." Even if you don't buy into the theory, the CDs are great! Of course the CDs and tapes produced just for children are fun too. (Raffi, Wee Sing, etc.)

Now that you are playing music give them windwands. Easy to make, not to costly and FUN. I have had my babies, just learning to walk play with them. Have them follow you as you do circles, go over the shoulder, do snake in the grass, snaps and figure eights. Have them feel the music and come up with their own patterns. This is fun to do with the Children's Songbook or Hymns CDs.

Give them scarves. Pots and pans (I shopped the Goodwill stores and bought some pieces of junk for my kids to hit and bang.) Try giving them a dowel and a top hat and watch them dance, dance, dance. Now would be a great time to find a costume store for all sorts of hats and scarves. Boas are also fun. (They are the "scarves" made of feathers.) Tutu are fun for little girls. (Wish I had a girl.)

Don't forget to dance with your child. Yes, WITH your child. Pick them up and dance with them. Play folk songs and move. The church produces a Dance manual that comes with three tapes. It is a great resource. Try it for your next family reunion or ward talent night. Practice the dances and perform. Teach your child the waltz, fox trot, cha cha, square dancing etc. Dancing is becoming a lost art form, resurrect it in your family.

The nursery tape is awesome! Buy it and use it. My older kids even like it. If anyone is interested I have a handout on what each section is. I wouldn't mind posting it or sending it privately, if I can find it.

Puppets! My kids love to play with the many puppets we have made and bought. On the same vein, use stuffed animals. With A Hunting We Will Go, use a stuffed fox and hide him. Sing the song while the child tries to find him and bring him back to "put him in a box." Sing Eensy Weensy and use spiders (homemade or bought this Halloween) and have them put the spider on their body parts at different times during the song. Sing Old MacDonald with animal puppets or the Fisher Price farm set. Sing "Have you ever seen a Lassie" but put your child's name in there or an airplane, sailboat, doggie etc. and have the child move the way THEY think that object should move.

If you haven't noticed most of this is you *with* your child. Let them know you love music. That is the best way to get your children to love music for themselves.

Sing, Sing and Sing! Sing them songs for bed time, wake up songs, meal time, prayer time, brush your teeth time. Have them make up their own verses to songs. "Here We Go Round the Mulberry Bush" is an excellent tune to make up verses to. Sing books to them. I have a list (close to 15 pages) of books that you can sing. Wonderful time to sit down, look at the pictures and sing with your children.

We have "recitals" for dad about once a month. No one is a master yet and every one get to play an instrument. Most of the time it is the jingle bells, triangle, or sand blocks (easy to make) and dad is so happy to have sweet music played for him after a long day. <grin>

I hope this helps. I guess the number one rule we have for music in our house is:

If it isn't fun and you think it is work, then just add music and it turns into a dance. Try it, washing window is kind of like directing the William Tell Overture.

by Doreen Blanding

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