Introducing music to children, especially unborn and newborn
children, has been a hotly debated cultural subject. Some experts assert that exposure to music
aids in the development of the neurological system, while others argue that
even at low volumes, uninterrupted music does not allow the body to fully be at
rest.
For me, not enough data has emerged that concludes that negative effects outweigh positive effects, especially when music is presented in a responsible way. The fact that newborn babies respond positively to voice suggests that loudly amplified music played back through headphones placed on a mother's abdomen is unnecessary; however, the practice continues. I suppose it is all about volume control, and balancing music intended for baby with other considerations of the baby's surroundings (i.e., using headphones lets baby experience music, while mom sleeps).
Even hospitals are beginning to use music therapeutically, especially in circumstances where baby and mother are separated for treatment. Here's an article:
Semiautoethnographically, I decided to compare how I've introduced music as an element of my children's lives with others' endeavors of sharing music with their children.
Being a frequenter of baby goods retail stores, I noticed that what used to be a couple of novelty CDs of music for children has emerged into an entire cottage industry of creating and distributing music for children. I therefore created a survey to collect data on how parents share music with their infants.
Survey facts:
1. Almost no one (at least of those parents I surveyed) bought or shared music specifically created for the baby retail market.
2. Nearly all parents surveyed reported that they shared music with their unborn children; however, only two responders reported using headphones on mother's abdomen.
3. The reasons for sharing music varied widely from establishing a sense of rhythm to specifically encouraging musicianship. The most reported single reason was to calm baby.
Samples of retail baby music:
I shared music by playing the piano around my wife before and after my children were born. Here's my son, Jack, at 11 months:
I like to think that my inclusion of music in his life has sparked his own creativity:
I also shared other music with my children, but music like this:
And this:
Which brings me to another realm of music and children: musical toys. They range from good to bad to insanely terrible. What is so bad about the "bad" toys is the quality of music coming out of them.
