Like most moms, I’ve read the statistics countless times... children with musical instruction perform better in school, are more disciplined, have better cognitive thinking skills, and are well-rounded culturally. I yearn for my daughters to appreciate music, but music is not my personal forte. My mother is a music major, piano teacher, church pianist and organist, member of the choir and hand bell choir. My youngest sister can play more instruments than I can count, many of them by ear. Meanwhile, I am the least musical member of my gifted family as I only play piano “so-so” and I am tone deaf. I wish my family a “Happy Birthday” by refraining from singing!
So, how can a mom who is not naturally musical instill a love and interest in music in her children? Even without the aid of musical relatives?
Here are six simple ideas to introduce music to infants, toddlers and preschoolers:
- Join the Band!
Around KC: We’ve been Mr. Stinky Feet groupies since my oldest was just over a year old. Even my husband knows the lyrics to all of his songs and my daughter can name them upon request. We love Kansas City’s musicians and enjoy the FREE concerts around town thanks to our talented Kid Rockers: Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove, Funky Mama, Dino O’Dell and the Doo Dads. Keep an eye on our calendar at KCParent.com for local concerts at libraries, children’s museums and parks. The best part? All of these singers understand that children should actively participate in music! They invite the kids to join them on stage as members of the band. They introduce simple movements and gestures as they remove imaginary “Ooey Gooey” bubble gum from their shoes or dance like a dinosaur. The kids learn to clap and cheer and sing along to fun, catchy and occasionally educational tunes… and all of these performers have CDs available for sale or checkout at the library so you can continue toe tapping after the concert ends.
At Home: Invest in simple children’s instruments or create your own. Household items like wooden spoons and pans make simple drums and rhythm sticks. Add beans, rice or pasta to plastic bottles or Easter eggs to create maracas with different sounds. Take last year’s jingle bells and tie them to the edges of paper plates or cardboard to create a homemade tambourine. Then, pop in your favorite music from The Wiggles, Imagination Movers or sing-along DVDs available at all local libraries and encourage your budding musician to move and groove to the beat. You can also enjoy Musicals! With the popularity of musicals like Wicked and Phantom of the Opera, it is easy to forget the countless family-friendly musicals available for viewing. Introduce your children to Mary Poppins, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, The Sound of Music, The King and I and Rodger’s and Hammerstein’s Peter Pan or Cinderella. You can check out the DVDs or the soundtrack CDs at the library and before long the whole family will be singing along. - Identifying Instruments:
Around KC: Peter and the Wolf is one of the best musical tales for young children to learn the names and sounds of orchestral instruments. The Gottlieb Planetarium at Union Station is currently showing Peter and the Wolf at 10:15 Tue.-Sat. Also, the Kansas City Symphony hosts an Instrument Petting Zoo at local libraries and events like Celebration at the Station. Children are invited to touch and explore instruments used in the symphony. Another local source is the American Jazz Museum at 18th and Vine. Take the kids for a free Jazz Story Time, then explore exhibits where you can play sound engineer, adding and subtracting instruments to your listening mix of selected songs. This activity helps everyone hear how different instruments contribute to a song.
At Home: Read The Musicians of Bremen or other books about instruments and point out the differences between a “small” violin and a “big” cello. Teach the proper names of instruments you have in your home and point them out in books and on flashcards. - Music is Everywhere:
Around KC: The KidScape Exhibit at the Johnson County Museum includes a small stage with instruments and costumes for children. The kids put on a show while parents cheer! For an outdoor experience, visit the World Chime Garden at the Deanna Rose Farmstead and listen to the windpipes play a song for you.
At Home: Practice new beats by clapping, tapping, stomping and exploring sounds with objects found in nature and around the house. We love the Stomp DVD with the most creative percussion you’ll ever experience. It has inspired a lot of sound exploration in our home. Our favorite experiment is dancing on giant sheets of bubble wrap! The kids have a blast popping the giant bubbles while they dance to their favorite CD… okay, I confess, Mom and Dad have a blast too! The key is teaching children that music and sound can come from anything. - Music Workshops:
Around KC: The libraries offer great free workshops including Music with Mar and Mr. Michael’s Kidz in Motion. Programs like Kindermusik offer kids and adults the opportunity to
engage in music activities, dance, sing and have fun together. Children learn rhythm and beat and
basic exercises along with music.
At Home: Take what you learn and apply it at home. Do jumping jacks and exercises to your favorite CDs. Practice rhythm and beat with homemade drums. The Wee Sing series provides simple songs and tunes for the musical novice and children love them. - Musical Variety:
Around KC: It is important that children are exposed to a variety of music styles, from classical to jazz to music from around the world. We attend Celebration at the Station every year on Memorial Day for a free performance by the Kansas City Symphony. This Christmas, listen to performances of Christmas music from around the world on the Grand Harp at local libraries. The Kanyon De Shay dancers perform Native American dance and music at the libraries. In August, we attend the Ethnic Enrichment Festival at Swope Park and enjoy music and dance from around the world.
At Home: Introducing music from around the world is as simple as cruising the library’s collection. You can find music in every genre from every nation. For a fun approach to the complexities of classical music, we enjoy Disney’s Heigh-Ho! Mozart! and Bibbidi Bobbidi Bach where traditional Disney songs are performed with orchestral arrangements in a classical style. For other great CDs, check out Broadway Soundtracks, The Mozart Effect CDs, Pavarotti’s Opera Made Easy for Kids, and CDs from Classic Kids.
Remember you don’t need a season pass to the opera to raise music loving children. Expose your children to music exploration in a variety of ways from the über serious home viewing of The Magic Flute, to the crazy and fun Bubble Wrap dance while listening to Mr. Stinky Feet’s Bop, Bop, Dinosaur! The key is to have fun and create an environment where your children aren’t intimidated by new or “grown up” music.
Kristina Light loves taking her daughters on musical journeys around Kansas City and at home.