Womb Music

He would never normally sit like that through a whole performance. He’d get bored. I’m convinced it’s something to do with having heard it when he was in the womb.
Kathryn Singleton, Opera Singer

Unborn babies can hear clearly at about 20 weeks of pregnancy and research suggests that they will remember the music you have played up to the age of twelve months.

Dr Alexandra Lamont is a Lecturer in the Psychology of Music at Keele University, says: “It used to be assumed that it was really noisy in the womb but actually it’s quite quiet. “So the baby should be able to hear your stereo at a reasonable volume. You don’t need to apply headphones to your bump!

So what to play to them?
Dr Lamont says: “Any kind of music that you like, although bass frequencies will travel through fluid better and be more audible to your unborn baby.”

And how does it make them feel?
Opera singer Kathryn Singleton participated in the BBC1 project, A Child Of Our Time. The BBC played both opera and the soundtrack for Pulp Fiction to Kathryn’s unborn baby, Matthew. She says: “With the opera, his heartbeat changed with the moods of the piece, then with the really fast Pulp Fiction song he just went absolutely nuts.”

Hip-hop artist Blade believes music played to his son J in his mother’s womb had an effect months later. He said: “Before J was even born, I used to play him Eric B. & Rakim in the womb. He was about four months old crying his eyes out and I put on Eric B. & Rakim, and he started smiling.”
It used to be assumed that it was really noisy in the womb but actually it’s quite quiet.
Dr Alexandra Lamont, Music Psychology Lecturer

Dr. Lamont has found that if you play the same piece of music every day for the last three months of pregnancy, and play it back to your one year old, he or she will recognise it.
Kathryn Singleton thinks the effects might last even longer than 12 months:

“I was five months pregnant with my first child while I was performing Aida, so he would have heard it all the time whilst in the womb. Then, I did Aida again when he was five years old. He came to a performance and sat totally still for three hours, without moving a muscle. He would never normally sit like that through the whole performance. He’d get bored. I’m convinced it’s something to do with having heard it when he was in the womb.”

TOP TIPS

* Try different kinds of music to see how your baby responds. Chart pop, jazz, R’n’B, reggae, anything you enjoy.
* Music that soothes you may not soothe your baby. You may find your new-born baby calms down to music with a distinct rhythm.
* If you’re enjoying music, your unborn child will pick up on this emotion. So, relax.

Here is a nice introduction to improvising romantic-sounding music and songs on the piano. The first half of the video is more pertinent to beginning pianists. Practice moving through the C, Fm and G chords while improvising notes with the right hand. This chord progression is at the “heart” of many romantic ballads and songs.

Here are representations of the C, Fm and G chords that he uses in the video.

G

Keep practicing and don’t forget to leave a comment by clicking on the comment link or entering them in the form below!

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Music lessons for toddlers
It only works if the parent, child and teacher work in a triangle.
Alison Apley, Suzuki teacher and teacher trainer

In every culture, all over the world, music is a crucial part of early learning, and a source of fun and creativity. Appreciating music is a lifelong pleasure and music can also teach coordination, cooperation and concentration. It is also part of the National Curriculum. But there is a world of difference between a music-based playgroup and learning an instrument. What should you choose?

No child is ever dragged into one of our classes, in fact they run into our class.
Pat Wislocki, British Coordinator of Colourstrings

Music as Play
From the outset children should be actively engaged in music-making: singing, playing and moving to music. All playgroups should use music but there are some which use music as a basis for their activities. They may follow a particular teaching method or approach. If they do it is well worth enquiring a little further. All have their fans and their critics. It is best to ask advice from your local authority, school or other parents. You may find it helpful to contact the Pre-School Music Association. If you can go to see classes for yourself, take your child to give them a chance to try it out.

If they offer a balanced diet of singing, movement, percussion, play and listening to music then it is probably worthwhile. But the teachers can make a big difference. Are the lessons lively and varied? Do the teachers seem committed?

Pat Wislocki, is British coordinator for Colourstrings, a method with a history of teaching children as young as eighteen months.
“We’re playing lots of clapping and marching games and singing. You start with little two-note songs so the child can learn to sing in tune.” Colourstrings originates from Hungary and follows the Kodaly philosophy of learning through play and song from very early on.

Elizabeth Chambers has two children doing Colourstrings. She says: “It really captures them. It’s right where they are, with enjoyment and games.”

DaCapo is another method that aims to make music fun. It emphasises the importance of song and training the musical ear with games and exercises, not just before beginning an instrument but right through to the teenage years.

Jane Cutler is one of its founders. She says of conventional teaching: “Children starting an instrument have no idea of the difference between two notes. They can’t hold a pulse, yet you’re giving them a cello to play. It’s a joke, it’s impossible.”

Learning an Instrument
The Suzuki Method teaches children as young as two and a half to play complicated pieces, usually on violin, by copying. Alison Apley, Suzuki teacher and teacher trainer, says: “It only works if the parent, child and teacher work in a triangle.”

Although it is effective, Suzuki is also controversial. Sheila Nelson, a well-known specialist in string education and teacher of violinist Nicola Loud, who became Young Musician of the Year in 1990, says: “It’s fine if you want children to play organised music at a young age but if they want to be real musicians, Suzuki isn’t on, mainly because there’s nothing creative, no singing, just copying straight onto the instrument. They have difficulty reading music, particularly rhythms. It’s too much cart before the horse.”

But Steve Lawrence, parent of two Suzuki children, says:
“It’s very child-centred and because they are in a performance situation once a week, making mistakes doesn’t matter to them, they just carry on.”

In the end the choice is yours, the important thing is to find out about the kind of class you are considering for your child.
TOP TIPS

* Try it and make sure your child is happy in the class
*
Ask other parents about their experiences of early learning groups
* Consider whether you can make the time commitment

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Levon Oganezov – Walking Grand Piano