For the most part, we just make music a casual part of how we live. He has had the benefit of playing with his toys while string quartets rehearse in our living room and he goes to Kindermusik class every week. Even with all of that, most of his musical education at home is very casual at this age.

We sing the Barney clean up song when picking up around the house. We also have lots of musical instruments (real ones and quality toys) all around for him to experiment on. 

Today, a friend came over and the boys had a sword fight with our boomwhackers. These are plastic tubes that are tuned to different pitches. They didn’t realize they were playing an interval of a major 2nd when they hit them together, but I believe these small experiences have helped my son grow musically. 

One thing I do is tap the rhythm on his back when we hear music, even from TV.  Sometimes I will tap the rhythm of the song and sometimes I’ll tap the underlying beat.  It really internalizes the beat for him and will hopefully develop a more natural sense of timing. I struggled with keeping time in my younger years, so I want to make sure he has a solid foundation.

Most of the music making is impromtu, but we do have one regular routine at bed time. We will all pile into bed for family devotion time. We start singing Gloria Patri followed by a Bible story. After that we say our prayers and end with the doxology. He almost always falls asleep after the Doxology.  It’s a great routine for us and it teaches him music of the church. At some point we will add other music from the liturgy. 

If you don’t have kids, you can still incorporate things for yourself.  Try to tap out the beat and the rhythm while you are listening to music.

Keep your instruments in plain sight. You are more likely to sit down and do something with them if they are easily accessible.

If there is a song at your place of worship that you are stuggling with, bring it home and learn it a little at a time. Sing it as you do things around the house. Maybe even memorize it.

There are lots of things you can do to make music part of your daily life. Just remember it is about growth and experience. Little things do mean a lot when it comes to music.

Deborah

Boy have things changed.  Now kids play ball with purchased uniforms and coaches, do their crafts in classes, and play with video games. Of course there’s some free play out there, but when I talk to parents they tell me about this activity and that activity. I got overwhelmed just looking at the summer events from the St. Louis County Library.

Don’t get me wrong. I think these opportunities are wonderful. I do a lot for myself and my son. My fear is that people have developed a mindset where this is the only way.

It’s the same with music. When a parent thinks about giving their kids some musical experience, they sign-up for lessons and rent/buy an instrument or they sign them up for a kids choir. Maybe they go to some kids concerts. This is very important to do, but don’t get caught in the trap that this is all music is about.

Simple Steps
Keep music activities part of you schedule, but keep some out too. You and your family can grow musically by making music a fluid part of life.  Here are some ideas…

• Start tapping. When you are listening to music tap out the rhythm or the beat. This is something I do often on my son’s back or belly. It helps develop an internal sense of rhythm and makes us both more aware of what is going on in the music. Try it on yourself using different parts of your body to tap with and tap on.
• Move from listening to singing. You hear songs every day. When you find something that interests you take the steps to learn to sing it.  Move from humming to learning the words. You can do this with any song even commercial jingles and songs from Sesame Street. Don’t worry about how you sound, just have fun learning.
• Make up new words to songs. This is great to do in the car and can end up in some wonderful silliness.
• Buy some rhythm instruments. Use them alone or to play along while singing or listening to music.
• Make some instruments. Take household items and make instruments. There is a lot that can be learned by stretching a rubber band around a shoe box and observing how the pitch and tone changes. There are lots of books and websites with ideas on homemade instruments for every skill level.
• Make up new music. This doesn’t have to be difficult. Just pick some words and start singing about them. They will probably be simple and repeatitive at first. That’s alright. If you keep doing it you will start to notice improvement.

Resist the temptation to critque yourself to the point of giving up. Don’t hold yourself to the same standards as a professional musician. Have some fun and look for how you are improving. Once you build a little confidence you can stretch yourself more.

Deborah