In relation to music, “Conversation Time” provides us with many opportunities for movement and vocal exploration.  Very often, a child uses his/her singing voice when imitating what the bird sounds like or how the cat sounds.  For others, it reinforces the difference between their singing and speaking voice. Regarding movement, even the roughest, toughest children, are capable of moving expressively, but it is often easier for them when they imagine themselves as someone or something else, such as a robin hopping across the lawn in search of a worm, or a cat stretching after a long nap.

 Finally, in today’s world, spoken language is not valued like it once was.  Email and texts take the place of phone calls and face-to-face communication.  MP3 players have replaced family sing-alongs on road trips.  While this may lead to more effective communication and fewer tantrums in the car, the down-side is that the greatest source of energy for the brain is the sound of the live, spoken (or sung) voice.

We all want the best for our children, and isn’t it amazing to think that one of the most effective things we can do is to feed their brain by engaging them in conversation?!?It has been a pleasure to work with your children this year in our music classes and see their development as they enjoy the music and improve their skills as young musicians!