One day at a children's trade show, a little girl of eight or nine years stopped by my exhibit to listen to the music.
She shyly told me her mom had given her an allowance to spend on whatever she wanted at the event, and had stopped at my exhibit because she liked the music that was playing.
She asked how much the lullaby CD was because she thought her new baby brother would like it, and she wanted to buy it for him.
I asked her how much she wanted to spend on her gift, and she said, "I only have three dollars.
" Touched by her thoughtfulness, I said, "why that's just how much the CD is!" I didn't make much of a profit on the sale, but her smile said it all.
Her simple wish to bring the gift of music to her new brother's life reminded me why I love making children's music.
Music surrounds us.
It is in our homes, the workplace, everywhere we go.
The movie and television industry use the power of music to make us feel, commercials use it to encourage us to buy their products.
As adults we take music for granted, yet it is hard to imagine our lives without it.
We often tune out the music world, pushing it to the background of our busy lives and are unaware of our children tuning in to the magic of the musical notes they hear.
I often see parents rushing from place-to-place, totally oblivious to their little ones craning their neck to listen to the musical notes tickle their little ears with beautiful, fun sounds.
Many parents do not truly recognize how music affects and influences their children, and can actually aid in their development and growth from the very start.
My young friend's simple desire to share the wonders of music with her new brother would in the end benefit his growth and development, and provide her with a means of communication.
Why is it important to expose your child to music from the very beginning? Music can benefit a child from the moment of birth, and can strengthen the bond between parent and child.
Studies are finding that babies exposed to music while still in the womb, remember the soft sounds after birth when they need comforting.
Lullabies crooned to infants are a centuries-old tradition of soothing babies and lull them to sleep.
The music not only calms a crying baby, but the lyrics sung impart the first lessons in language development.
It provides infants the feeling of comfort, love and a sense of well being through the magic of sound, replacing the mother's heartbeat heard in the womb.
It has the power of stimulating a baby's motor functions, causing them to respond by kicking and cooing to the sounds they hear.
When children hear or make music, they learn how to share ideas and emotions.
It encourages them to concentrate and listen closely, which in turn sharpens their communication skills.
Singing with your child continues their memory and vocabulary development and as your child grows, even silly songs have their place in their development, teaching a multitude of skills.
The constant repetition and rhyme in many silly songs can help your child learn numbers, letters, words and concepts.
It can be a powerful method of setting your child's mood and behavior.
Music often introduces children to the arts and creative expression, teaching improvisation.
Rhythmic songs that lead children in clapping, jumping and other physical activities promote small and large motion and refine their physical development.
When children sing, dance or play music together, they are practicing how to give-and-take, enriching their social skills, cooperation and teamwork...
all things they will use later in life.
Plato once stated, "Music is a more potent instrument than any other for education, and children should be taught music before anything else.
" Studies are now suggesting that exposing our children to music at a very early age may in fact aid their intellectual development.
The medical profession is finding that music can aid in illness or surgical recovery.
A study published in the Journal of Music by Jayne Standley, Ph.
D.
, chair of the music therapy program at Florida State University, found that premature babies exposed to music were calmer.
Unlike preemies that did not listen to music, those exposed to the soft sounds used oxygen more efficiently, gained weight faster, and did not require a long hospital stay.
Can music really make your child smarter? Whether or not music can actually make your child intellectually smarter is still debated by researchers, but there is little doubt that music is a powerful catalyst for healing, learning, creativity and development.
We have only just begun to understand the positive influence it has in aiding our children's growth and education.
To your child making music is simply fun.
It produces a kind of pleasure that both adults and children cannot do without.
It gives us our soul, allows us to share our emotions and provides us the wings to fly.
Music has the power to stimulate, motivate, and captivate a child giving life to imagination and creativity.
From lullabies to looney tunes, Bach to Barney, the magic of music and song all have a hand in teaching children.
So play and share music with your child and do so often! The benefits are a powerful tool for parents to help their child grow through the positive effects of music.
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