At
a recent sold-out concert at the elegant Benaroya Hall in downtown
Seattle, audience members were so enthusiastic over the music of
Beethoven that they danced on their chairs and in the aisles, and some
even wet their pants.
Luckily, many were wearing diapers at the
Seattle Symphony Tiny Tots concert, designed for an audience of infants
and toddlers, plus their parents.
Inspired in part by research that correlates early exposure to music
and movement with enhanced vocabulary and spatial skills later in life,
an increasing number of parents are taking their infants and toddlers
to concerts, musical events and fitness classes, where moving to music
is part of the curriculum.
While few studies clearly show a direct connection between music
exposure and improved academic performance later in life, "humans in
general, and children in particular, are inherently musical," says
Steven Demorest, Ph.D., University of Washington associate professor of
choral music education and chair of the music education division.
Interactive musical play between parents and their infant or toddler is
key to making sure very young children benefit from music exploration.
"For young children, exposure is best thought of not as passive
listening to a Mozart CD, but as active engagement in singing and
playing (banging on a pot) with their parents, siblings and peers,"
Demorest advises.
Indeed, at Tiny Tot concerts, the audience is encouraged to stomp, clap
and dance. The concert conductors, both educators and composers, are
twin sisters Lisa and Linda of Identical Harmony. They lead parents and
their children through the music, explaining key elements of the
featured composer's work through playful interaction with the audience
and encouraging parents to move their babies in time to the music.
One of the most popular infant music instructors in the Puget Sound
area is Ted Rosenberger, also a father of two kids, ages 10 and 2.
Rosenberger classes are usually full with waiting lists. For parents
who don't enjoy singing or who never learned an instrument, Rosenberger
says it is still valuable to share the joy of music with your children.
"Nothing is more profound than a parent singing a lullaby -- only they
can do this," he says. "I find that very few parents are hesitant about
their skill level at doing bounces and rhymes with the children. Humpty
Dumpty is a great example. Therefore, I include numerous rhymes and
bounces into our learned repertoire in the classes." He also encourages
parents to "dance, dance and dance some more, especially while the
youngsters are young enough to dance within arms."
Infants have their own unique approach to music, notes Hilary Field of
Mulberry Music. "Babies learn about musical instruments by tasting
them. In time, they will learn to shake, tap and play them," she says.
"Babies take cues from their parents and caregivers. If the adults are
enthusiastic and joyful in their facial expressions and body language,
their children will pick up those emotions."
Even fitness programs for infants and toddlers such as Gymboree and My
Gym are now including music as part of their curriculum. "We know that
music plays a powerful role in the development of strong and healthy
children," says Brian Flora, co-owner of My Gym Bellevue.
Rebecca Heib, owner of The Musik Nest and a music instructor, has a
strong following for the Kindermusik classes for infants through
children age 7 at her Gilman Village studio in Issaquah. Heib says that
taking a music class with an infant or toddler can connect parent to
child in powerful and unique ways.
"While all children are born with the potential to become musical, that
potential must be nurtured during the early childhood years if it is to
be realized in a lifelong disposition toward music," Heib says.
Kathleen F. Miller is a Sammamish-based freelance writer and mother of two.
Resources
Seattle Symphony - Tiny Tots and Soundbridge:
Tiny Tots concerts are designed help infants to age 5 children enjoy
and learn more about music and movement. A complete schedule is
available on the Seattle Symphony's Web site: www.seattlesymphony.org.
Each 40-minute concert takes place at downtown Seattle's Benaroya Hall,
and dance and sing-along activities are presented 30 minutes before
each concert. The concerts are popular and sell out. You can purchase
tickets online or by calling 206-215-4747.
The symphony also offers classes for ages 0-3 through its Soundbridge
Music Discovery Center. More information is available at www.seattlesymphony.org/soundbridge/about/ or by calling 206-336-6600.
Ted Rosenberger and Laurel Lisez's music classes for infants and toddlers:
Each September, Rosenberger starts with children birth through 7
months, and follows them for three years (with summers off). His
teaching colleague, Laurel Lisez, starts a similar set of classes in
January and sees "graduates" through age 5. Parents can inquire about
January or September class starts at 206-325-3770 or
. For more information about studying with Lisez, call 206-527-1641 or email
.
Ages & Stages 
