girl playing drum

Quick - what song, when you hear it on the radio or in the grocery store or on a TV show, never fails to make you want to get up and move - and sing along? I'm an 80s girl myself, so if Duran Duran is playing anywhere, I'm likely to at the very least tap my toe - and at the most, sing loud and bop around in the front seat of my car. (Yes, I'm THAT person in the car in front of you on your morning commute.)

Turns out, there's lots of scientific evidence about why human beings respond the way they do to music - and what a powerful impact music and movement can have on the delicate and fascinating development of a baby's and young child's range of skills, from cognitive to social to physical to language and literacy.

For example, researchers at McMaster University discovered that interactive music training benefits babies even before they can walk or talk.

  • Sensitivity to pitch structure in music (preferred to listen to music in key)
  • Larger and earlier brain responses to musical tones
  • Better communication skills (pointing at objects, waving, etc.)
  • Smiling more
  • Easier to soothe
  • Showing less distress with unfamiliar things/situations

That's a great reason to share your favorite music with your children - who doesn't want children to smile more and be easier to soothe?

- Laura Raphael, Children's Services Coordinator, Tulsa City-County Library

Research: One music class involved interactive music-making and learning lullabies, rhymes and songs with actions, played percussion instrument, taking turns and singing specific songs. Second music class, infants played at various toy stations while songs played in the background.

David Gerry, Andrea Unrau, Laurel J. Trainor. Active music classes in infancy enhance musical, communicative and social development. Developmental Science, 2012: 15(3): 398