Gimme A Beat

It is truly amazing how much my son loves music. I mean, the boy LOVES music. He dances, twirls, bops up and down and as of late, he also sings.

I started him in music classes when he was just 5 months old--in a special music class for children 0 to 4 years old. Through the use of songs, basic percussion instruments and tonal and rhythm patterns he has laid the foundation for music appreciation with the kind of building blocks that will hopefully last a lifetime. Initially when I noticed that he was quite jittery around loud noises as a young infant, I decided to expose him to all kinds of sounds, especially pleasant ones, so that he would have positive experiences with loudness. It seems to have worked.

The boy dances every time he hears a tune he likes. For example, I went to this 220v shop to check out prices for stocking our home in Senegal with the basics (we use 110volts here but 220v in Senegal so we need new appliances). The shop is run by Indian immigrants and as soon as Gusi and I walked in we could hear the Bollywood tunes throughout the store. As if on cue, Gusi wiggled out of my arms and started dancing in the middle of the store piled high with luggage, hair dryers, refrigerators and alarm clocks. I stood in amazement. He had never heard Bollywood music before, but it had a beat and he obviously liked it.

Gusi also likes the classics. When I was in choir way back in elementary school in New Orleans, we learned several of the songs from The Sound of Music as part of our repertoire and magically I still remember the lyrics. Today when he woke up from his nap, we sat out on the porch swing watching the rain singing Do-Re-Mi and as I finished I was given the Gusi-equivalent of a compliment as he signed *more*. I must have sung that song six times before I wised up and told him to sing with me. He babbled to a tune for a bit and then decided it was time for lunch as he signed *eat please*. I sang My Favorite Things as he ate his lunch which actually helped him eat more I think. Do we digest more easily with music? It's worth looking into.

Another observation so far has been his knowledge of how music creates associations. For example, when we drive by the street that takes us to his music class he starts clapping and laughing. He knows that he will be with his teacher and other students for 45 minutes of fun. He practically jumps out of his car seat when we pull into the driveway. He also knows that lullabies mean quiet time or nap time. Every time he hears certain lullabies he immediately gets down on the floor and hums out the song--just as we do in music class. Music as a Pavlovian condition?

If it's samba he dances, if it's a lullaby he curls up, if it's calypso he looks for his shakers. It's just incredible how beneficial these classes have been. I really feel it has set the right tone for our world travels since he seems to be comfortable with all kinds of music. Perhaps he'll be enrolled in African drumming class when we get to Senegal. Why not?