Pitch It High

The fathers (and the altos) in my classes would groan whenever I started a song in my upper register, but I had my reasons. For one, a young child's sense of hearing is not fully developed, making it difficult for her to hear low sounds produced by slower vibrations. For another, the ultimate goal of singing with your child is to inspire her to sing along. Children's voices are naturally higher than adults' and we want to sing at a pitch they can successfully hear and mimic. Let me reiterate; the "prettiness" of your singing matters less than your enthusiasm when it comes to singing for the benefit of your child!

Sing Out Loud, Sing Out Proud

You don't need a cd player, an IPod or a lead-free plastic rattle to make music for your child. All you need is your voice. It doesn't even matter if you think you have a terrible singing voice; your child will love it. Think about it. Your son or daughter could hear your voice, distorted as it may have sounded from inside your body, before he or she could even see your face. In fact, an infant's vision remains limited for several months after birth. Your child relies on her other senses, smell, taste, touch and hearing, to help identify that fuzzy face in front of her and the rest of the world around her.

Still not convinced you should subject your child to a tone-deaf serenade? Just listen to good ol' Bob from Sesame Street.



Sing, sing a song,
Sing out loud, sing out strong,
Sing of the good things, not bad,
Sing of the happy, not sad . . .

Sing, sing a song,
Make it simple, to last your whole life long,
Don't worry that it's not good enough,
For anyone else to hear,
Sing, sing a song . . .