The sound of music
Even if your child’s singing is out of tune and grates on your nerves, you should encourage it
Here’s a scenario familiar to most parents: you’re busying yourself in the kitchen trying to prepare dinner as your child manically taps on all the pots and pans within reach. It’s an extremely annoying sound, and it’s easy to get angry as you pull their arms away and beg them to stop making such an awful racket.
But as the wee ones search for that certain ‘beat’ that they play over and over again with such annoying vivacity, it is easy to forget that it is just their way of expressing feelings and emotions. They’ll soon be able to imitate musical phrases and before you know it you’ll be the proud parent watching them shine on stage as they star in the school musical.
The point is that randomly hitting those pots and pans is simply the start of a life long association with music and rhythm. Just take a moment and imagine what your child’s life would be like without ever having heard ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ as they nod off in the evening or the ‘ABC song’ as they struggle to learn the alphabet. It’s all part of ‘training their ear’ to recognise new sounds.
In recent years, the international marketplace has been flooded with all sorts of innovative toys, DVDs and a wide range of baby equipment that play popular nursery rhymes and even classical music. It’s certainly no coincidence that kids respond positively to certain tunes as a number of recent studies prove that children have a natural love for music – working as a powerful stimulant, it can completely alter a child’s mood and can create new bonds and memories with the parent. It also comes as no surprise that young children tend to skip rather than walk, dance rather than sit still, or sing when they’re trying to drown out your instructions. Try not to get annoyed by it, research actually shows that kids who are musical are using their brains wisely!
Ever heard of the Mozart effect? The theory explains that listening to Mozart’s music can enhance a child’s intellect. The term was first coined by French researcher Alfred Tomatis who used Mozart’s music in his work attempting to cure a variety of disorders. A book then published by Don Campbell on the Mozart effect back in 1997, discussed the theory that listening to Mozart may temporarily increase one’s IQ and produces many other beneficial effects on mental function.
But it certainly isn’t only Mozart that can get your child ticking – any catchy or inspiring tune will do. Children who grow up hearing music, listening to songs and moving to the beat are enjoying what experts call a ‘rich sensory environment’. With a positive effect on brain development, researchers believe that listening and singing along to music allows them to forge more pathways between brain cells (neural connections). Research has shown that children who are actively involved with music do better in reading and maths when they start school, have better coordination and focus and, interestingly, have higher self esteem.
What’s really worth noting is that the powerful sound of music has even been proven to have beneficial effects on a baby’s health and brain development when it is still in the womb. As hundreds and thousands of nerve cells sprout miraculously in an unborn baby’s brain, they learn to react to external stimuli. Once a child is born, a baby may turn in the direction of a voice or a sound, instantly looking for the source.
As increasing attention is given to the role of music in society and the way it influences children, you can give it a try and see whether it works well for you and the wee ones you love the most. Chances are, you already do more in this department than you’re actually aware of. Next time you play a favourite lullaby to put your child to sleep or sing a little rhyme to calm them down, give yourself a pat on the back because it’s the smallest bonding activities that make the biggest difference.
Creative ideas to explore
Sing with your child You may not be Celine Dion, but your child won’t really mind if you can’t carry a tune perfectly and you’ll have loads of fun together
Make music/toys with things around the house You don’t need to spend lots of cash on the latest gimmick, just fill up two small water battles with some dry beans and voila, you’ve got your very own maracas!
Introduce your child to different types of music Whether it’s classical, rock or 70s disco music, it will all be a new learning experience
Play an instrument with your child If you play the guitar or piano, sit your child next to you while you play a few notes or explore a part of the instrument together
Music as performance Kids love to put on a show so just play a CD and encourage your children to dance, sing and enjoy themselves. Practice ‘copy dancing’ where you invite your child to imitate your movements and then let them lead as you follow
Practice ‘patterns’ with your child Using an instrument or your hands, play or clap short rhythmic patterns and get your child to echo what you just did
Want to try out a mother and child sound experience?
Kindermusik by Kathy
Kindermusik International is a programme taught all over the globe and has become the world’s leading movement and music class for children. More than 5,000 licensed educators use the Kindermusik curricula in 66 countries. Helping to develop the whole child through music and rhythm, classes in Nicosia run for children between 0 and 7 years. Children up to three years of age must be accompanied by a parent.
Kathy Xenophontos has been teaching music for the past ten years and is the first to introduce Kindermusik classes in Cyprus. “As a child listens to music from birth, they engage their whole body in a learning process. It helps nurture skills in the whole child – cognitive, physical, social, emotional and language,” she says.
Classes are divided according to age, each with different activities and priorities. The very young ones engage in a lot of movement, singing and even massage, while parents are encouraged to continue the activities at home. Every Kindermusik semester comes with a set of home materials which include a book, CD, age appropriate instrument and activity book or journal.
Older kids take part in pretend play as well as learning to play music. While parents learn more about the unique developmental process, the shared learning experience creates a unique bond as the child associates learning with fun and musical play.
Kindermusik classes currently take place in the afternoons in Nicosia only and Kathy tries to get groups together in areas that are most convenient for the parents. Tel: 99-840844 www.kindermusikbykathy.com /[email protected]
HeleniQ and Agni
Share a whole new kind of bonding experience with your child with lots of live sound, rhythm and movement as HeleniQ and Agni give a series of workshops now being organised in Nicosia. Taking place twice monthly until June, you can choose how many workshops you wish to attend, with different price schemes for different packages.
Using African drums, didgeridoos and Tibetan singing bowls, it will be a new experience for both mother and child. “These instruments give off specific vibrations and energies,” says Agni. “They bring children back to the feel of the womb and the reassuring sound of the mother’s heartbeat. We aim to recreate the deep connection.”
Agni is a classically trained musician and performer, with many years of experience working with children and music. She is currently training in sound therapy. Many of you will know HeleniQ from some of the fantastic drum performances she has given around the island. As a clinical psychologist, she uses psychotherapy, drumming and sound therapy to open the heart and elevate consciousness.
While exposing children to music stimulates their overall intelligence and emotional development, surrounding them with unique invigorating beats also nurtures their self esteem, while encouraging creativity, self confidence and curiosity. The current workshops are also offered to pregnant mothers. “All this is quite a new concept in Cyprus but we’ve given a few workshops so far and every one is keen on taking it a step further,” says Agni.
Workshops take place twice monthly. 18 Dositheou St, near Hilton Hotel, Nicosia. Wednesday afternoons 4-5pm (pregnant mothers, and those with babies up to 4 years). 5.15-6.15pm (mothers will children 3-8 years). €55 for four workshops, €95 for eight workshops, €18 for a single workshop. Tel: 96-490421
