How to raise a child who loves music

Want to raise a child who loves and appreciates music? It's easier than learning to play "Chopsticks." You don't have to be a virtuoso. All you need to do is create a music-rich environment. Here are some tips on orchestrating the beginnings of a lifelong love of music:

• Sing songs both to and with your child. Whether you're doing a solo or chiming in with the radio or CD player, you're setting the stage. And don't worry about performing an aria or the full score from the Lion King — just one song, like "Hakuna Matata" (making up lyrics as you go along, if need be), is music to your child's ears. Don't worry if you're a tad off key. "Singing in tune is not a requirement," says Wendy Sims, professor and director of music education at the University of Missouri-Columbia. "What's important is that you interact with your child musically, which shows your youngster that you value music." Also, if you feel insecure about your voice, it's best to avoid negative statements such as "I can't carry a tune." You're trying to develop a positive attitude toward music, and children aren't the harsh music critics that many adults are. They'll love singing with you no matter how you sound.
• Strike up the band. Click on the radio, pop in a tape, insert a CD. With a flip of a switch or the push of button, you can make music an integral part of your child's everyday life, and thus help him develop an interest in music. "Just as you'd get a child excited about reading by reading to him, you get a child excited about music by listening to music, dancing to music, doing just about anything musical," says Pamela Shaw, director of the Oklahoma City University Performing Arts Academy.
• Play an assortment of music. Young children are receptive to all kinds of music: jazz, classical, pop, African, Latin, and so on. By playing a variety of artists, composers, and styles, you create a stimulating musical environment — a home filled with the sounds of different instruments, languages, and rhythms. Also, the sooner you introduce a child to the different styles of music, the better. "As children get older, sometime around 8 or 9, they're likely to pick a favorite type of music and only want to listen to that particular style for quite some time," says Patricia Shehan Campbell, author ofSongs in Their Heads: Music and Its Meaning in Children's Lives and professor of music at the University of Washington in Seattle. "So before children decide on their favorite style, you want them to be aware of the incredible array available." Keep in mind that although all different kinds of children's music are available — everything from the classical CD Beethoven Lives Upstairs to African, Caribbean, and Zydeco — it doesn't have to be music specifically for kids.
• Play "Finish That Tune." Sing, hum, or whistle the first few notes of a song that your child knows — for example, "This land is my land..." — and then stop. Chances are that your child (or anyone else in the room) will finish the line. It's also a fun and effective way to wake up a child in the morning. Poke your head into your child's bedroom, and sing a few notes of a song — for example, "Tomorrow" from the musical Annie: "The sun'll come out..." and stop. After a few tries, you might hear your increasingly alert child sing out "tomorrow."
• Attend concerts. Many symphonies perform children's concerts, like Peter and the Wolf, at which the different instruments are highlighted. And communities often present concerts in the park — a wonderful setting for children because they can listen and move to music in a setting they already associate with having fun.
• Check out musically minded books. Reading stories like Mozart Tonight by Julie Downing or Gabriella's Song by Candance Fleming is another easy way to introduce your child to music.
• Enroll in children's music programs. Kindermusik, a popular, national music program, is geared for children up to age 7. The classes are designed around developmental stages, and the children learn about music through activities such as singing, moving to music, and playing games and simple instruments. The program also offers parents an opportunity to participate with their child.
• Dance to the music. Kids love to dance, so crank up the tunes and twist and shout.
• Perform. If your child is learning to play the piano or another instrument — even the pots and pans — why not put on a show? See our articles on playing musical instruments. Make it casual, but special. For your budding Liberace, you might place a candelabra on the piano, or maybe you'd like to jam along with your little drummer boy. You could even videotape the show as a gift for Grandma and Grandpa.