Break out the Bongos!

March 2015 marks the 30th anniversary of Music in Our Schools month. While there will be celebrations and recognition in schools this month, what are we doing to foster an appreciation for music at home? Just like reading together encourages our children to love reading and the art of storytelling, sharing music encourages a love for the art.

We don't mean you have to take up an instrument together or hold "family jam sessions." Sometimes singing along with the radio is all you need. We don't always recognize this as therapeutic, but the fun associated with music is often beneficial to all members of the family. According to Jennifer Cerbasi, "Music therapy has proven to have some success among children with disabilities, as well. Children are drawn to the rhythm of the instruments and many find a way to communicate and open themselves up by singing or playing an instrument."So how do we incorporate music into our children's daily lives?

Five Ways to Share Music Fun with Kids

1. Talk with your child about how sound is made and make instruments that demonstrate the concept. Need some inspiration? Check out this comprehensive list of DIY instrument instructions.
2. Have a more tech savvy child? Put his/her iPad to use and create music using some of these apps for learning music.
3. Want to teach them some of the fundamentals of music? Start with symbols, notes, and sounds. Use these flash cards to help them internalize the meaning.
4. Incorporate your child's love of math and science with this music/math experiment or these multiplication songs.
5. Have an old-fashioned sing along/dance party with your child's favorite movie or album. The fact is, once you've danced and sang together, you'll all have fun and end up happy.