It’s a common action of a mother to pick up a baby and begin swaying her hips to soothe the child. The motion seems to tie into listening to music and moving with it. Often young babies and toddlers react to music. One can see this in the market of music for children and soothing babies. Another fun connection is live music classes designed for mothers and their young children.
My daughter and I tried our first music class together, a program called Music Together, when she was about six to eight months old. The program encouraged mixed ages of children, gave the parents a song book and a cassette tape or CD of the music they taught, and loved parent involvement. The children experimented with music instruments, danced and sang for about an hour each week. We loved the classes and had fun with the other families involved.
Later (at three years old or so) we were introduced to another music program called Kindermusik. Kindermusik is oriented more at having just the child explore music and instruments. Their programs taught various age appropriate instruments to the children and parents were only invited to join in some classes. Regardless of the approach for these music programs, the children loved being involved with the music making.
I’m convinced some of these young experiences have helped influence my daughter’s music preferences now at the age of eight. She’s ready for her own iPod playlists!
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