by bluephin

Created on: May 31, 2008   Last Updated: September 16, 2010

He was conceived with music all around him. His dad brings us along to choir and band practices everywhere while he's still in my womb. I remember how his little feet push against my tummy every time an upbeat music is within earshot.

Every since he was small, we know he's got music in his system. Even before he can stand up, he jives to good music with body movements. He is a dancer. And the funny thing is, he CAN move... he can move in time with the beat. His first dance step when he learned to stand up is a bit funny. I call it the "Old Man's Dance", because simply stands and bends and unbend his knees to the tune of the music. As he grows older, his "Old Man's Dance" improved. He could mimic simple dance steps (hand and feet movements) that he sees on TV. Although it's not exactly the same, it's still amazes us. Whenever he favors a certain dance tune, he remembers it and dances exactly the same step he always dances when he hears a particular music.

Are you familiar with the "Papaya Dance"? Look it up in the Internet and you'll know. It was popularized by a game show in the Philippines that we always watch. Every time he hears the "Papaya" music, he dances religiously. He even dances while sitting in the car as long as he hears the song.

Aside from dancing, he also fancies playing with his toy guitar and piano. He even plays his Daddy's keyboard. The sight of musical instruments just perks up his interest.
He lovingly calls his toy guitar "tang" and his fascination with it started with his liking to "The Wiggles". When he first had his guitar as birthday present, he doesn't know how to hold it. But we just let him be. He would put it on his lap and pluck the strings. After watching "The Wiggles", I was surprised when I saw him holding the guitar correctly as he strums the strings and grinds his teeth simultaneously.

Two stories that I couldn't forget (maybe because it left me in wonder and made me smile). I was cooking one day and he was hovering in the kitchen. I heard him open the drawer and pulled out a wooden spoon, held the spoon by the handle with the head in his chest. No sooner than I realized, he was pretending to play a guitar. He was strumming invisible strings while jamming his head off and crooning out words that only he could understand.

Story number two, I left the kids to their older brother's supervision. Cranky as they sometimes are, I started to hear complaining coming from their room. I was busy cooking so I pretended I heard nothing. A few minutes later, I heard guitar playing (it was their big brother) and a few seconds after that came the singing. The lyrics were unrecognizable (so were the actual words). It was my 2 year old singing with the beat. Gone was the complaining, this time replaced by music.

Music will always be part of our world. My husband's into music, but never did we push any of our kids to be INTO it as well. Interest in music is something that comes out naturally from within a person. Some develop their inclination to music earlier than others, while some just shrugs the thought of music. If this seems to be your child's interest, encourage them and guide them as they develop their interest into something that they will enjoy for the rest of their life.

While it lasts, music can be therapeutic for your child and yourself as well.

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