Your Child Is Already Making Music
- 9 hours ago
- 2 min read
Have you ever watched your toddler bang a drum, shake a shaker or play the same note on a xylophone again and again and thought: “They're just making noise!”?
According to early childhood music researcher Susan Young, there is often much more happening than we realise.
Young's observations show that young children naturally repeat, organise and transform their musical ideas. They may repeat a rhythm, change the speed or volume, move between instruments, or combine their playing with singing and movement.
This means that instrumental play is not simply about making sounds. It is an opportunity for children to listen, explore, move, make choices and develop their own musical ideas.
And adults don't need to take over.
One of the most valuable things we can do is simply listen and join in. Copy your child's rhythm. Take turns. Move with them. Respond to their sounds.
Young's research found that children played for longer and in more varied ways when a familiar adult actively joined their musical play.
So next time your child picks up an instrument, try not to worry about whether they are playing it “correctly”.
Listen to their music. Follow their idea. Join their play.
You might be surprised by how much they are already communicating.
Music & Movement for babies and toddlers in Madrid
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📍 Arganzuela & Chamberí, Madrid
🎵 Music & Movement in English👶 2 months – 4 years
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Come and discover the music your child already has inside them.
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