I woke up this fine Tuesday morning, after a nice Labor Day weekend with my family thinking about all the emails and messages I need to reply to. I’m so excited that many parents are investigating a musical experience for their child and themselves. It’s great. However, in reading these emails I am noticing a lot of the following.

“My son loves music.”

“My daughter loves to sing.”

“My child is always dancing.”

or on the flipside:

“I want to try to see if my newborn likes it.”

“I’m not sure my toddler will like music.”

I am not surprised at all to hear that a child loves music and that they like to sing and dance. It’s play, and it’s a child’s work to play.

However, I am surprised to hear that parents of small children want to try music to see if their child likes it.

Who doesn’t like music?

That is the question I asked myself this morning.

Did you know a study by Nielsen Music in 2017 reported that the average American listens to music 32 hours a week? That’s on AVERAGE. That’s a LOT of hours. Music is all around us. It’s in the background in the movies and shows we watch. It’s on in the background while we are doing work. It’s playing in the car. It’s playing in the grocery store. It’s everywhere.

Why?

Honestly, as a music therapist, I could go on all day on the healing elements of music. But I’ll give you a little list today that might help explain WHY your child loves music. Why YOU love music. Why music is everywhere.

First, music can improve cognitive function. Music ignites all areas of the brain. It lights it up, helps those connections, well connect. When parents say their child loves music I always think “of course he does”, because his brain is excited and it’s connecting through music in a way no other thing on earth could ever do. Music is rhythm and almost every function of daily living requires some rhythm. Walking, talking, writing, typing, running, throwing, kicking. All of it.

Another reason we love music is that it relaxes us. It’s scientifically proven that music reduces stress. By listening to music, the nervous system calms and recovers quickly from the many stressors in life. This is why in our classes, we work on the learned skill of relaxation while listening to music. We are teaching children early on to help their body calm and recover.

Have you ever tried to memorize something, and it just wasn’t sticking? But then, when you put the information into a song, or a rhyme, voila, you remembered? That’s because music has been proven to improve memory. Could it have something to do with the fact that our hearts have beats so we have an innate NEED for music and rhythm in our bodies and brains? I think so.

Music is also a great tool for managing pain, boosting mood, reducing depression and improving sleep. Who doesn’t like that?

I’m excited to reply to these parents who are in tune with the fact their children love music. However, in the future, I would love to get messages that read something like this:

“I know that music is one of the most important aspects of life. I’m ready to learn the many ways music benefits my baby, and what I can do at home when we aren’t in class”.

To everyone out there, I assure you, your baby will love it. After 15 years of teaching Kindermusik, I haven’t met a baby yet that hasn’t liked music.

Happy singing!

Holly Lesnick is a Licensed Kindermusik Educator and Studio owner at Grow and Sing Studios, a Bachelor of Music Therapy, mom of 2 and in September will celebrate 20 years of marriage with her husband Will. 

There are so many healthy benefits of music. Here are 7 reasons that may inspire you. Let your child’s healthy music life begin at #Kindermusik. growandsing.com

Music is such a beautiful language!! growandsing.com

 Are you a planner? We are too! Classes all the way from now through May 2019 are now posted on our website. View our schedule (which we are always adding to based on requests/need) at http://www.growandsing.com/schedule. Looking forward to seeing you in class!
Please note that Kindermusik Playdate classes and Group Guitar classes are still pending and will be posted soon.

Is this your week? The one where you decide to UNPLUG for 45 minutes to be present and IN THE MOMENT with your child? It will be the most meaningful moment in your week. We are waiting to hear from you – 407.970.2774. Happy Monday!
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This week we’ll be weaving in lots of Irish music, dances, instrument plays and story times. If you are new, please come join us for a free preview class!

Welcome to Grow and Sing Studios. Celebrating 12 years of connections through the magic of music. Providing exciting, loving classes filled with possibilities, connections and lifetime memories.

What is Kindermusik?
Kindermusik is music-making with a purpose. Early introduction to music and movement impacts your child’s brain and body development in a way few other learning methods can. We should know. Kindermusik has been transforming the lives of children, parents, and teachers around the world since 1978. Science has shown that children of any age learn more when the learning is playful and fun. Kindermusik kids laugh, smile, stomp, play, kick, clap, jump, sing, and dance. But having fun is just the beginning. Steeped in educational theory, our program engages the potential found in every child. Through our dynamic classes and research-based curriculum, we excel at setting a strong foundation for a lifetime of learning. Our purpose is simple. We’re here to develop young minds and change the world. One child at a time. Let it begin with Kindermusik®.

A RESERVATION IS REQUIRED TO ATTEND A FREE PREVIEW CLASS. This is so we never overfill our classes, and so the educator for your chosen class knows you are coming and can plan accordingly! Please contact us by email or calling 407.970.2774 for further assistance by letting us know your child’s age, and location preference(s) fromwww.growandsing.com/locations. We look forward to meeting you.

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