Music

I Got Rhythm

Music is sound that expresses ideas of emotions through rhythm, melody, and harmony.

Activity

Dad wants to give his son an opportunity to listen and play music with him. He goes to the garage and gets his small drums and two wooden drumsticks from when he was young. Dad says, “Mark, come sit with me on the floor and let’s play these drums I got from the garage.” Dad hands the sticks to Mark and then turns on the piano concerto “Andante” by Mozart and begins to beat on the drums slowly with his hands. Dad turns to Mark and says, “Mark, hit your drums like this, fast and then slowly like the music.”

Insight

Dad encourages Mark to bang out a rhythm and to imitate with his sticks what Dad is doing with his hands. As Mark continues to bang on the drums, he is also learning to keep a steady beat and coordinate his movements with the sticks in both hands.

Musical experiences for two year olds involve listening to, learning about, and making music.

Music calms your little one during rest time. It also promotes listening skills. Through music your child will learn about patterns, and through singing your child will learn about language and rhymes. When your child is between the ages of one and three, he will look for opportunities to get rocking, rolling, clapping, and moving to a beat.

It is important for you to have resources available whereby you can enhance your child’s musical opportunities. Part of supporting your child in music is giving opportunities for him to not only listen to music, but also to become actively engaged in it by playing an instrument along with the music, making his own music, dancing with music, and play acting with music.