Why High-Pitched Kid Songs Belong on Your Playlist

Did you know that babies can’t focus on or imitate sounds in a low pitch? It’s OK to sing your favorite low-pitched song to your little one, but mixing in high-pitched kid songs in a head voice is critical to boosting young children’s natural development.

Head Voice vs Chest Voice…what’s the difference?

Most Top 40 songs (and even most kid songs!) are sung in a chestvoice. It’s the lower register that grownups typically use when they speak or sing, and the vibrations are coming from the chest cavity.

When you use a head voice, the register is higher, the sound is lighter, and it feels like the tone is resonating in your head.

It’s no coincidence that grownups tend to speak to babies in higher pitched sounds (can’t you just hear yourself saying “Good morning!” in a high-pitched voice?); the response (a smile, a sound, etc.) is stronger, right?

It’s the same way with singing. Here are the two main reasons why it’s important to sing to little ones in a head voice.

Babies focus better on a head voice.

Babies can hear sounds in any pitch, but hearing is a physical sense. Listening and focusing on sounds is a learned cognitive skill. Higher pitched sounds, specifically sung in a head voice, are associated with positive emotions. So, naturally, babies are drawn to those “happy” moments.

The ability for baby to attend to what you’re singing plays a role in how the sound is processed, the movements your mouth makes, and the beginning stages of learning vocabulary.

Babies can imitate a head voice.

Babies begin to imitate sounds as early as one month, and because their vocal cords or shorter, that imitation is in a higher pitch. Imagine the cognitive reward of their pitch matching yours!

A baby mimics mom as she sings a high-pitched kid song in a Kindermusik class.

And why singing? Research tells us babies prefer singing to speech, and try to sing along perhaps faster than they try to speak.

Why are “kid songs” important?

There’s nothing wrong with the hits, R&B, oldies…exposure to different music is key!

However, a few research-backed kid songs (poke around the free Kindermusik app to see what we mean), have intentional pitch, vocabulary, repetition, and pacing that help nurture rhythm, social-emotional skills, language and speech development (hello, head voice!), and so much more.

So, the next time you’re in the car, the classroom, the kitchen, prepping for nap—wherever you find 1:1 time with baby—try singing in a head voice. You don’t need perfect pitch, just higher pitch to encourage active listening and imitation, all while fueling your special bond.

-Reposted from Kindermusik International

The Power of Singing to Kids

Father and daughter singing together into wooden spoons.

On one of our puppy’s first car rides, he began to whimper and tremble in distress.

“Try singing to him,” suggested my 7-year-old. And so I began to hum “Baby Mine,” a lullaby I have sung to my children every night since they were born. It’s what I sing when they wake up to nighttime thunder at 3am. It’s what I sing when they are sick and need some extra soothing. Sometimes I even catch myself humming it to myself before I give a presentation.

And as my son predicted, my puppy settled down by the second verse.

It’s not that particular song that’s special — it’s simply that act of singing. As Dr. Anita Collins, author of “The Music Advantage: How Music Helps Your Child Develop Learn and Thrive,” told me, “Song is our very first language, and it is an incredible mechanism to connect with babies and other human beings.”

Here are three reasons we should sing to our kids.

1. Sing to build connection.

Don’t worry if you can carry a tune, Collins said. “Your baby doesn’t care. They are picking up that you are a safe person, that you are a person they are connected to. You are your baby’s favorite rockstar.”

There’s a reason we instinctively use sing-song sounds with young children. Before they learn speech, they learn sounds — and melody is highly appealing to young children. Think about how kids light up when we do song-based finger plays with them, such as “Five Little Monkeys” or “Where is Thumbkin.” Preschool and children’s librarians know that an engaging opening song can grab kids’ attention and quickly build a sense of togetherness. Schools and faith traditions use songs to foster community. And a family dance party or karaoke night is a great way to get the wiggles out and make memories.

2. Sing to support brain development.

Nina Kraus is a neurologist who has spent years studying the effects of music on the brain. When it comes to helping kids develop the skills they need to learn, “music is the jackpot,” she told me. According to her research, music builds attention, working memory, and language development. It’s also highly motivating and emotionally satisfying, which is also key to learning.

And before kids ever take a music class, simply singing to them, rocking them, and bouncing them really pays off. Rhythm is directly linked with learning how to read. In fact, school-age children who struggle with keeping a beat are more likely to have reading challenges.

“Strengthening one’s rhythm skills, which is something that music does inherently, creates a biological foundation that helps with language and literacy,” Kraus said. When we sing to our kids, their brain is exposed to sounds, rhythms, and rhymes that are the building blocks of reading.

3. Sing to teach routines and skills.

If I asked you to recite the alphabet, chances are you would sing it to me. If you can recite all fifty states, you might have had an elementary school teacher who taught you a song about it. And there’s a reason every “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood” episode contains a strategy song. Songs are memorable! Kids are still developing their executive function skills — including working memory — so putting a routine to music makes it easier for them to remember.

Singing to and making music with our kids is a winner. It builds connections, enhances feelings of safety, promotes brain development, and teaches skills. So don’t worry about the quality of your vocals. You really are your child’s favorite rockstar.

-Reposted from PBS; written by Deborah Farmer Kris

Let’s SING!

You may have noticed our new “Let’s Sing!” initiative in our studio. We have always encouraged you and your little ones to sing along with us during our classes, but sometimes it’s easy to forget to participate in this most fundamental way.

We get it. Not everyone feels confident singing. Sometimes it’s easier to let the educator take the lead, and enjoy class in a more passive way. Maybe you’re intimidated by the other strong voices in your class. Whatever barriers might exist that make you feel less inclined to sing, we want to remind you of the reasons why singing along is so beneficial!

  • Your voice is your child’s FAVORITE voice. No one sounds quite like mom, dad, grandma, or nanny. A child’s primary caregiver is their source of comfort and security, and a huge part of that is familiarity with your voice. Not your child’s primary caregiver? Singing to them is an extremely effective way to build the same level of bonding and attachment that they have with their primary caregiver, making the time that you care for them that much more effective and easy.
  • As mentioned before, ATTACHMENT with a child or infant is super-charged when you add singing. Lullabies and playful songs promote eye contact, intentional touch, and build connection. And as we know from Conscious Discipline research, “connection builds cooperation”. Don’t miss out on this easy way to connect with your child.
  • Teach your child by EXAMPLE. Want your child to gain the language development benefits that come from singing along? Show them how. Want your child’s brain to light up in all developmental areas? Encourage them to sing by singing yourself! Want your child to develop the pro-social group behaviors that come from collective singing? Lead the way. They won’t learn how to exercise their voices if you aren’t using yours.
  • It’s FUN. As delightful as our Kindermusik classes are designed to be, you can make it that much more of a special experience by adding your voice to ours. A whole choir of families engaged in musical play and learning is such a beautiful sound!

No matter your vocal ability, Kindermusik is a safe place to use your first and most basic instrument. Your voice is a huge part of who you are. And you are welcome here, just as you are. Whether you have classical vocal training or none at all. Whether you’ve got vocal confidence or none at all. Where else can you let your inner child out to play and be completely safe? Kindermusik isn’t just a safe environment for your child, it’s a safe place for YOU. We invite you to throw those inhibitions out the door, tuck those cell phones back in your bags, and be fully present, both physically and vocally, with your child when in our studio.

Let’s SING!

Sing!

I’ve been thinking. Singing TOGETHER in Kindermusik class is such a gift. Not only for the children but for the grown-ups, too. Did you know that communal singing has long been on the decline in the United States? That fact kind of makes me want to put my head in my hands and cry. But then I realize I get to sing every day. A lot. And, I get to help families do the same. That makes my heart just sing!

The conversation.com shares, 
“Shows like American Idol have promoted the notion that singing is a rare ability reserved for the talented few, and that those without such talent entertain us only by being ridiculed and weeded out. 

This “talent mindset” of music runs counter to what psychologist Carol Dweck calls the “growth mindset” that is considered critical for learning: Students who view their success as a result of hard work will persevere through challenges, while students who believe their success lies with some innate ability – like “talent” – are more likely to give up.

My own research found that if children have a negative view of themselves as singers, they are much less likely to participate in music of any kind.

These self-perceptions of a lack of musical talent can then become a self-fulfilling prophecy. Research shows that adults who dropped out of music as children may lose their singing skills through lack of use and opportunity.

Kids who love music but do not think of themselves as musical could miss out on many of the social and cognitive benefits of music participation, on the experience of feeling connected to others through song.” 

What is a music teacher to do? Sing! What is a parent to do? The same.

Sing in Kindermusik class, in the car, at home, at bed time, at meal time, at play time. How about just about ALL the time?

Karen Loew in The Atlantic says,
“In these divided times as much as ever, we need to do some singing and feeling together, united as both citizens and amateurs.”

I wholeheartedly agree. Let it begin with Kindermusik!