From “Songs in their heads” by Patricia Sheehan Campbell

“The musical education of a child should begin nine months before the birth of his mother”

Zoltán Kodály

BABY TALK

•Higher pitch

•Elongated vowels

•Shorter phrases

In “THE SINGING NEANDERTHALS” - Steven Mithen suggests that we speak to pets in a similar manner . He quotes the research of Dennis Burnham from the University of Western Sydney who explored the way we talk to infants (IDS), pets (PDS and adults ADS and found the following:

PITCH – IDS and PDS same –both higher than ADS

AFFECT – IDS higher than PDS but both higher then ADS

VOWELS – IDS exaggerated but in PDS and ADS the same

“Children probably pick up the pitch range from the voices they hear around them. The noise of the mother’s voice comes through very loudly during pregnancy” Diana Deutsch (taken from The Biology of ... Perfect pitch . Discover Science,

Technology and The Future )

RACHEL ARNTSON – ROCK ‘N’ ROLL and SPEECH THERAPY suggests that :

Singing in “chains of three” is a very effective way to encourage speech eg.

ROLL ROLL ROLL ...... ROLL THE BALL (beginning of Rock around the clock)

What criteria should be used when choosing songs for young children?

SIMPLE RHYTHMSas children use spontaneously

SIMPLE WORDSWhich are easy to remember – perhaps use repetition

Opportunities for movement –Music and movement are very closely linked

Have no difficult melodic turns

Have repetition in the melody – not a different melodic motive for every phrase

ONE SYLLABLE ONE SOUND!

BE IN A LIMITED RANGE FOR YOUNG VOICES (a sixth on average for a 3 – 4 year old D – B)

Where should I pitch the song for young children – in a higher voice or a lower voice – does it matter?

Head Voice is physiologically safe – there is no strain on vocal organsSound is musical – a beautiful clear, unforced sound

“The child voice is a delicate instrument. It ought not to be played upon by every blacksmith”From

The Child Voice in Singing by Francis E Howard

What are the benefits?

•PITCH•PULSE•RHYTHM•PHRASING•DYNAMICS•TEMPO•TIMBRE

Development of musical skills through experience initially:

•Memory•Listening Skills•Positive behaviour•Speech and Language•Cooperation•Coordination•Self esteem•Emotionally uplifting•Sense of belonging •Health benefits – singing is a physical workout!

Holistic development of children through singing. Benefits include:

Music instructor Elizabeth Olson as part of her master’s thesis suggest that it’s not only students’ test scores that can benefit from extra time spent in the music classroom: students’ behaviour and self-esteem can improve as well with as little as 30 additional minutes of Kodály music instruction a week.......

MUSIC PREPARES BRAINS FOR LEARNING: The University of California did a study which found that 2nd graders who were given singing lessons scored 27% higher on a test of fractions and proportional math than their peers who were not given musical instruction

Scientists at the University of Frankfurt in Germany tested the blood

of people who sang in a professional choir in the city before and after

a 60 minute rehearsal of Mozart Requiem.

They found that concentrations of immunoglobin A – proteins in the

immune system which function as antibodies – and hydrocortisone,

an anti-stress hormone, increased significantly during the rehearsal.

A week later, when they asked members of the choir to listen to a

recording of the Requiem without singing, they found the composition

of their blood did not change.

(US Journal of Behavioural Medicine)

Dr Lorna Heyge states:“While educational leaders turn to early childhood music because it promotes brain development, children will stay with music because of the joy and stimulation experienced in actual music making. Music learning requires total involvement – that is why it appeals so much to young children”

Every child deserves the right to experience the joy of good quality singing.

“only the best is good enough for children” ....Kodály

Every child should waken up with Songs in their Heads