Hey everyone! Our home is full of music as you might imagine… and as a musician, you probably think that of course I would be an advocate for music education, and that’s true! I absolutely believe in music education because of the benefits I have received from my studies and my life in music… and how fun is singing and dancing with your kids?!

As a mom, I can see how music encourages babies to communicate, and is actually a way they can learn to communicate before they can speak (clapping, moving along to music, making those super adorable baby sounds while music is playing). Even just playing music in the house all the time is awesome!

At home, I play different music at different times of the day, with my little ones in mind, and when we’re driving we always listen to music and sing along, or just play some relaxing piano music. Here’s a little peek into our routine:

🎵 My daily music routine at home

1. Mornings. I play uplifting music, either children’s nursery rhymes or some uplifting classical or baroque music.
2. Winding down. When it’s time to sleep, I play calming and relaxing music up to an hour in advance to calm the entire house down after a busy day. My kids love violin music because they see Mummy play violin all the time, so it soothes them — I play my own lullaby album, Kissed by the Moon, that I recorded before my eldest was born. I also sing to and with my kids at bedtime as well.
3. Trying something new. Sometimes I play different and new types of music and ask if they like it or not, and my eldest likes to describe the music (at his age the descriptions aren’t very long, of course!). This teaches him the confidence to say what he thinks, and he starts to learn to describe things — sometimes he’ll call music that’s a little on the dark side “scary” or “dinosaur music,” which cracks me up! This is a really important process to start, and when I validate his answer he gains the confidence to go further next time, which helps with self-confidence in general.
4. Music class. I take my kids to music class regularly, and we always add it into playtime every day.

🌙 Some of my favourite music for bedtime

This is one of my favourite YouTube channels for relaxing nighttime music — and if your little ones like violin like mine do, here’s my lullaby album you can download for your household!

Aside from playing music at home, check out group music classes for your kids! Before the age of 4, I personally don’t think one-on-one lessons are very effective — but of course, it depends on the child! There are some great classes available: check your local library for sing-along classes, and local music schools. I took my kids to a local program in Calgary called Baby Rhyme Time, and there are follow-up programs after that as well. Check out what’s local for you! Take the time if you can — it’s great for bonding with your little one, and amazing for them. From what I have witnessed with my own children, and my experience as a musician and music teacher, I am certain that music education has HUGE benefits!

🧠 The benefits of music for babies and toddlers

1. Music is a way to communicate before little ones can speak.
2. It helps to build self-confidence.
3. Singing or playing instruments together — even just banging on percussion together — teaches the beginnings of teamwork.
4. In music, there is no one right answer, and this teaches children to think outside the box.
5. Music is often written with repeats — the same musical phrase might be repeated a number of times and in a particular order. This teaches children patterns, which helps with other subjects at school as well.
6. Learning and memorizing songs and pieces of music helps develop memory.
7. Emotional development — music displays a wide range of emotions and can help toddlers and children learn to identify their own, from as basic as happy or sad to excited or scared… or my son’s favourite, simply “I feel awesome!”

My two little peanuts at one of their favourite classes:

There are many, many more benefits as well that I haven’t listed. Do you incorporate music daily into your parenting routine? Do you attend music classes with your kids like I do? What works best for your family? Comment below!

xo
Sophie