ADVANTAGES OF EARLY LISTENING

"We may have delayed music learning much too long, that readiness is vastly misunderstood, and that new evidence now being gathered may radically modify our concepts of music learning in the young child. Within a decade it may be possible to report research findings that will change our approach to the study of musical learning behaviour as dramatically as those E. Thayer Gaston and his colleagues reported more that four decades ago. Lifelong music experience may begin as early as life itself”
.......Shetler, Donald J., Prenatal Music Experiences MEJ/March 1985.

LISTENING HELPS

"Studies have proven that music played to your unborn child helps to
• Facilitate intellectual development
• Engage the baby’s attention
• Communicate a mother’s and father’s love
• Develop learning, language and memory skills
• Stimulate latent musical abilities
................ Verny, Thomas, M.D., with John Kelly -The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, Dell, 1981.

THE FETUS CAN HEAR

"The fetus can see, hear, experience, taste and, on a primitive level, even learn in utero. Most importantly, he can feel – not with an adult’s sophistication, but feel nonetheless.”
.......Verny, Thomas, M.D., with John Kelly The Secret Life of the Unborn Child, Dell, 1981.

THE BENEFITS OF EARLY LISTENING

"Musical elements participate in the process of communicative development very early, in fact, recent research has suggested that they pave the way to linguistic capacities earlier than phonetic elements can do so.”
.......Hanuš Papoušek, “Musicality in infant research: biological and cultural origins of early musicality.” In Musical Beginnings: Origins and Development of Musical Competence. ed. Irène Deliege and John Sloboda Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1996

ORGANIZED AND ARTICULATE SPEECH.

“One of the findings ---- is the early development of highly organized and remarkably articulate speech of the those children who have been exposed to prenatal music stimulation”
….... Shetler, Donald J., “The Inquiry Into Prenatal Musical Experience” Music and Child Development, Ed F. Wilson and F. Roehmann, MMB Music Incorporated.

LISTENING

The importance of listening cannot be overstated. The first task of an infant who hears many sounds in the environment is to separate those that are meaningful and those that can be "overlooked". Repetition and consistent outcomes/rewards associated with each sound are vital to the early establishment of careful listening. The child who is born"knowing the parents' voices" has a head start.

Following birth, however, the early development of this skill is dependent on the parents' ability to observe and react to various sounds. Consider the parental response to the baby's first utterance of "mama" or "dada". The reward or outcome is often great emotional delight expressed by both parents. Sadly, this is often the first really solid evidence that a infant receives confirming that vocal efforts are "on the right track".

If the parent aids in this listening process early, by rewarding efforts observed, consider the benefit to the child who can at a very early age count on a parent to "approve" or confirm all efforts. They very soon regard the parent as the most important teacher they have [which of course is true].

One of the earliest responses of an infant is the "pop" of Pop Goes the Weasel. It is anticipated by infants at a very early age. The repetition of these simple songs with the actions can encourage the child and assist in confidence building in social situations. When the parent observes the anticipation in the child, there is strong communication reinforced by the repetition of the song and activity.