Music Notebook #4 - Let's sing for summer - Carrefour francophone de Sudbury

Let's sing for summer

In this summer Music Notebook, we look at the place that music occupies in our lives and in the lives of our little ones. We also present a few ideas for activities to share musical moments as a family. Why not take advantage of the vacations to try out a few!

Music for everyday life

Both accessible and popular, music punctuates our everyday lives in many ways: from the tunes we sing at the top of our lungs in the shower or hum while doing chores around the house, to the songs on the radio during car journeys, to the music that accompanies long shifts at work. Some musical passages are so catchy that they inspire us to tap our feet, nod our heads, clap our hands, snap our fingers or launch into an imaginary air guitar or drum performance. There are also tunes that bring back memories or perfectly reflect the emotions we feel. And that’s not counting the pleasure of attending a concert, playing a musical instrument or singing in chorus.

Music is present in the lives of adults and children alike, from a very early age. Let’s take a look at the place it naturally occupies in the daily lives of the very young.

The musical instinct of toddlers

Without even realizing it, we expose toddlers to all kinds of experiences that come under the heading of L’Éveil musical. Singing lullabies or activating a musical mobile to help them fall asleep, listening to music in their presence, imitating animal noises, inventing rhymes to convince them to open their mouths to eat, offering them musical instruments or toys that produce sounds.

For their part, toddlers instinctively explore their world in ways that reveal its musical potential: listening to the sounds around them, making noises, laughing, crying, syllables (and eventually words), exploring the noises they can make on contact with their environment (shaking a rattle, tapping on different surfaces, throwing objects of all kinds on the floor to discover the nuances of sound each produces).

Now let’s explore some tips and tricks for enjoying musical moments with the whole family.

Some activities to explore L'Éveil musical as a family

There are many ways to expose toddlers to music and help them develop their musical sense. Think of L’Éveil musical as a game. Approach the activity in a fun way, without overemphasizing the rules and the notion of success or failure. Here are three ideas for activities to explore music as a family. Don’t worry if you mess up or dance badly, the most important thing is to share a fun moment together.

Move to the beat of the music: Dancing is a great way to bring music to life. Create a playlist of rhythmic songs, then take a moment to dance as a family, to let your crazy loose. You can even spice up your dance moment by playing “statue”. To do this, cut the music from time to time. When the music stops, everyone must freeze in place. When the music resumes, you can move again.
Explore musical instruments: Expose your child to musical instruments and let them experiment freely. Some small instruments are inexpensive to buy, or you can even make your own. At a very young age, you can start with simple, manipulative instruments: rhythm eggs, maracas, bells, drums, tambourines or even rain sticks. As your child’s motor skills develop, let him explore the xylophone, piano, kalimba or even stringed instruments like the guitar or ukulele. You can even let him try out small wind instruments like the harmonica, flute, gazou or even a whistle.
Listen: In our busy lives, we don’t always manage to listen fully to our environment. Go outside with your family, to a park or forest, and take a moment to simply listen. Help your child to become aware of all sound stimuli by asking him what he hears. Ask where the sounds come from, what produces them? Help your child qualify the sounds he hears: are they soft or loud, low or high-pitched, pleasant or unpleasant, rhythmic or irregular? You can even close your eyes for a minute or two to increase the intensity of your listening. Invite your child to imitate the sounds he hears. Beware of over-stimulation: Avoid letting music play continuously in the home. This creates auditory fatigue in toddlers. Encourage moments of quality listening, rather than long listening sessions. If your child’s ears are overtaxed, they will enjoy the music less, and may even become irritable.