How to Nurture Your Child’s Inner Musician

 You’ve heard that music is important for kids.

You’ve seen how your baby, toddler, or preschooler gravitates toward music and you want to nurture that spark.

You’ve even heard that music makes kids smarter.

But what does music education look like for a very young child?

Today we’ll share 3 simple ways that you can nurture your child’s inner musician without any formal training or preparation.

We are Kathryn and Elizabeth, two classically trained musician moms and the co-founders of Clap for Classics! We are here to empower you with simple tools to bring music education into your child’s life easily on a daily basis. We hope you’ll consider joining us in our Clap for Classics! All Access  membership - where we do all of the teaching for you - but here are 3 simple tips that are totally doable whether you’re just starting this music education journey on your own, or a happy Clap for Classics! member already.

Tip #1: Focus on rhythm - mostly steady beat

When we’re talking about rhythm with young children, we’re generally talking about one simple concept: steady beat. Babies and kids love feeling the beat of music with their bodies. Even babies who are younger than 1 year old often bounce to the beat of a song. Keeping a steady beat is a vital musical skill, and as simple as it sounds, it can take quite some time to develop, so it’s worth your continuous effort.

Here’s what you can do:

Every time you listen to music, listen for the steady beat and feel it together with your child. Clap your hands, tap your feet, tap your baby on the back or bounce her on your lap, dance together and sway or step to the beat of the music. Use simple instruments - tap sticks or spoons together, or bang on a drum. Your child won’t know that you’re doing a rhythmic exercise. To them, it’ll just feel like fun! (Pssst...we include so many examples of this fun-filled steady beat-keeping in the All Access membership!  Have you checked out our podcast yet? We discuss and practice steady beat in the very first episode!)

Check out our Steady Beat Classical Playlist on Spotify for some great listening ideas!

Keeping the beat is also great to do when you’re singing together with your child, which leads me to Tip #2...

Tip #2: Sing simple songs - with repetition and rhymes

Kids love songs that have a lot of repetition and rhymes. When you sing songs that have repetition and rhymes, your child will listen! Singing is the easiest, most natural way to make music as a human being. Please don’t worry if you feel like you’re not a great singer. Your child truly won’t know the difference, they will just enjoy this special time with their caregiver!

Here’s what you can do:

• Start with songs that you know -- what do you remember from your own childhood? (Think Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Wheels on the Bus).
• When you first sing, make sure to sing slowly and clearly so that your child can really understand and catch on.
• Sing the same songs over and over again - sing while you’re cleaning, sing while you’re playing, sing while you’re driving...you get the idea!
•  If you’re looking for some new song ideas, we recommend joining us in the Clap for Classics! All Access membership, where we’ve compiled more than 150 of the very best songs for kids - nursery rhymes, folks songs, and originals, all presented in fun, engaging ways, organized by theme, and a constantly growing library! (Feel free to peruse our YouTube channel or this blog to get a feel for our content and teaching style)
• Don’t worry if your child isn’t singing along right away. They’re learning while they’re listening, and they will sing when they’re ready. One fun way to encourage your child to sing is to leave off the last word of each phrase in a song that they’ve heard many times - give them some time to process, and see if they will fill it in!

Tip #3: Movement to music

Movement helps kids focus.

Movement helps kids to internalize and feel musical concepts.

Movement helps kids get the wiggles out!

Movement and music go hand in hand in the early childhood music education world!

Here’s what you can do:

Add actions to just about any song, and your child will instantly be more engaged with the music. Some songs, (like Itsy Bitsy Spider) have obvious actions to accompany them. But you can also get creative with your own actions and movements while you sing. If your kiddo is old enough, get them in on the fun, and create some appropriate (or super crazy) actions together! Check out one of our favorite original movement-based songs: “Rain Comin’ Down”.

Movement is also great when you’re listening to music -- whether vocal or instrumental.  You may know we’re big fans of classical music around here, and we are always adding some type of fun actions to our favorite classical pieces - here’s a fun one featuring music by Brahms and our friend Forte the Lion. 

Here’s a simple, no-prep music/movement activity for you. As you listen to a piece of music, ask your child:

“What does this music make your body want to do?”

And then see what happens as you listen and move your bodies together! Afterwards, have a conversation about how their movements related to the music that you were listening to. You might find yourself casually discussing tempo (fast vs. slow) articulation (smooth vs. bouncy), or pitch (high vs. low). Wow! That is some serious music education happening in your home! Of course, you can leave it to us to introduce you and your child to these foundational music concepts in creative and age appropriate ways - this stuff really thrills us - inside the All Access membership!

Ok, time to review the 3 tips for nurturing your child’s inner musician:

1. Focus on rhythm - mostly steady beat
2. Sing simple songs - with repetition and rhymes
3. Focus on movement to music

You can do this! Whether you are a seasoned musician, or a person who doesn’t consider yourself to be musical at all, these three tips are so doable! They are bound to bring lots of joy, bonding, and learning into your home. 

We’d love to have you join us in our Clap for Classics! All Access membership, where we take the lead on your child’s musical education for you!

Inside the membership, you can enjoy hours of engaging music instruction for kids, designed to be watched together with a grownup on your own schedule at the pace that feels right to you.

Choose from a library of themed courses such as “Carnival of the Animals” “Peter and the Wolf” “Fun on the Farm!” and “Blast Off!”

Utilize extra parent resources and printables to enhance the experience. You will soon find that your home is infused with music and the joy that accompanies it.

Get more details and join here: www.clapforclassics.com/join