‘If Music be the Food of Love, Play On!’ (Shakespeare)
Music is not just the food of love, as Shakespeare argued. It has so many benefits, you don’t need to think hard to come up with a list of reasons why music is good for you. It evokes all kinds of feelings in us, from joy to happiness to nostalgia and sadness. It can cheer us up when we feel down, or make us feel like part of a community: perhaps you enjoyed watching the military bands play at the Trooping of the Colour? Or perhaps you prefer going to see your favourite band live? Or maybe you belong to a choir, and love learning new songs and singing with others?
But these feelings are not limited to adults. Children of all ages can enjoy music and can benefit from it.
From Cradle to Grave
It’s never too early to start introducing your little one to the amazing world of music, and that starts before they are even born. Unborn babies begin to be able to hear at about 16–18 weeks into pregnancy, and from about six months onwards, an unborn baby can recognise ‘her mother’s voice, her native language, word patterns and rhymes’. It has also been shown that, for people with Alzheimer’s, familiar music such as hymns they learned as children are one of the last things they remember.
Introducing Your Child to Music
Music classes are an excellent way to get young children to begin to appreciate music. These classes are also a chance for parents and carers to socialise and meet new people. But if there are no classes near you, what can you do? Here are some ideas.
You could play classical music to your children as part of your bedtime routine – it has been shown to have a beneficial, calming effect. Or what about listening to, and singing, nursery rhymes together? Singing has been shown to build new brain connections, and children enjoy singing familiar songs: singing can make them feel calmer, happier and less agitated.
Music also helps your child’s development in many other ways. Singing action songs with your toddler or young child, such as ‘Heads, shoulders, knees and toes’ or ‘The wheels on the bus’, will improve their listening skills and physical co-ordination.
When we listen to music or sing, our bodies release feel-good chemicals called endorphins. Lullabies have been scientifically proven to help babies fall asleep by ‘turning off’ certain parts of their brain.
Why not build music into your everyday routine with your child? You could choose a fast, fun tidying-up song (beloved in many playgroups!), a calming bedtime lullaby and a nappy-change song, for example. Your child will grow to anticipate these songs and will enjoy singing along to them.
Making Music
Here are some ideas for making musical instruments at home.
- Use two pan lids as cymbals.
- Find a wooden spoon and a saucepan or plastic box for an instant drum.
- To make a shaker: find a small empty drinks bottle. Wash it and dry it well, then fill it with sand, dried lentils or peas, depending on what kind of sound you want to make.
- To make a drum: you will need an empty, clean tin, a deflated balloon and an elastic band. Cut the balloon in half to make a rubber circle. Now rinse the balloon in water to make it sticky, and stretch it over the top of the tin. Fasten it in place with the elastic band. Use a wooden spoon or chopstick as a drumstick.
Best of all, these instruments are all made using recycled materials, which links to our blog post on recycling, reducing and reusing to save our planet.
We hope these ideas have inspired you to make time for music in your life, however you choose to do this.