(some excerpts from Music and Your Child: A Guide for Parents and Caregivers) For a child “play begins in delight and ends in wisdom.” Children are born experts at it, and this magical process is absolutely necessary for them to teach themselves what they need to know about their world. There are several important characteristics… Read more »
As a new faculty member at Iowa State University in the ‘80s, Sister Lorna Zemke was an important influence for me. Sister taught at Silver Lake College and was a pioneer in prenatal music development. I was fascinated by her program, which involved singing to babies in utero. She observed that newborns recognized their parents’… Read more »
In a previous entry, Dr. Ransom shared how she uses music to have beautiful days with her grandson. Now she’s back with some ideas for how you might decipher and support the musical sounds that your baby makes every day. What is vocal development for an infant? What does vocal development look like? We all… Read more »
Babies: so adored, so cherished, and so mysterious! Parents often stare at their newborns, wondering, “What is going on inside that little, tiny mind?” The curiosity is even more intense when that little baby is all curled up inside its mother’s womb, before birth. Did you know that the baby’s most developed sense, before birth,… Read more »
When I first started teaching Music Together nearly twenty years ago, I remember trying to explain to my grandmother what my new job was. She seemed to grasp the general concept of a parent-child class that encourages family music-making, where participants learn new songs, play with percussion instruments, and carry on the music at home. But… Read more »
When my daughter (a recent University of Pennsylvania graduate!) was born, one of my greatest pleasures in being a new mother was singing to her. I sang often: to amuse her, to distract her, to comfort her, and, frankly, to keep my own spirits up as I went about caring for this mysterious, wonderful, yet… Read more »
Recently, I gave a presentation at the Princeton Public Library to discuss how developmentally-appropriate music learning enhances learning in all domains. I was so pleased to talk with caregivers and teachers about the physical, intellectual, emotional, and social benefits that are gained through active music-making experiences. In particular, I spoke about Music Together’s early childhood… Read more »
As a board-certified music therapist, I have worked with many families affected by autism. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects one in 110 children. But to say that it affects just the children is a misnomer. ASD affects whole families, often impacting how these families can relate… Read more »
Bonding with their new children is a common concern among adoptive parents. Will he love us? Will he attach to us? Will he trust us to take care of him and keep him safe? Adoption professionals define bonding as “the process that a child goes through in developing lasting emotional ties with his or her… Read more »
My children, now 25 and 29, had music around them growing up. I sang and played guitar and their father played his favorite ’60s songs on the piano. We had a music area in their playroom and they played ukulele, drums, and shakers with us whenever. My son’s son, Jackson, now over a year old,… Read more »
