Let’s make music
Let’s have fun.
It’s music time
for everyone.
from Let’s Make Music
written by Alexandra Penfold
illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Random House Children’s Books, 2024
Before I retired, we children’s librarians all had several trainings on language development and the process of learning to read. They were based on cutting-edge research analyzed by professionals at the American Library Association and brought to staff librarians across the US.
“What is the most important activity parents can do with their babies to help them learn to read?” That was my interview question for a new position at the Library .
Sing was my spontaneous but logical answer. I hadn’t thought of it before, but it made instant sense to me and I guess the administration, too. I got the job.
I was to be the liaison between the library and the community: parents, caregivers, and preschool teachers. I would share the research and demonstrate how children from birth to age 5 acquire language and the ability to read.
ALA dubbed their program “All Children Ready To Read.” Our library renamed it “Baby Brilliant.”
I’ve always loved the sound and music of language and loved sharing that with young parents, preschool teachers, and little kids.
Singing has words (real ones and nonsense, made up ones), playful or complicated rhymes, steady or complicated rhythms, and an endless variety of melody, all aspects of language children need to be familiar with before they can sound out words and attach meanings to them.
But music and especially singing is so much more than its various parts. It is inextricably linked to our emotions and moods.
An aspect of music I wondered about for a long time was the seeming contradiction between the melodies of most “break-up” songs and their lyrics. Broken-hearted lovers sing songs in up-beat major keys. Why?
Various sources I studied explained how the quick, happy-sounding tunes that convey sad lyrics help listeners feel less alone in their grief, more connected to others going through similar circumstances. Experiments have shown that the happy-sounding music overrides the sad story, so lots of times as we sing along, toe-tap, or head-bop we actually begin to feel better, less alone.
Some examples to remember or look up on Spotify or Pandora include Elvis’s “Return to Sender,” or Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up is Hard To Do,” or Gary Lewis and the Playboys singing “This Diamond Ring.”
Nostalgia and catharsis are two important feelings brought up by break-up songs. Our longing for the past and using music to help us relive some of our most difficult times can lead to a release emotions that have been building up.
Singing is even more effective than just listening. From the first note we sing, a chemical symphony begins within our brain.
OperaNorth, an organization from the UK, lists several reasons why singing is good for us.
My dad had a wonderful tenor voice. He liked all kinds of music, with words and without. I loved to listen to him sing.
Mom’s voice was strong, but not so much “on key.” She wanted to sing in tune, but must not have been able to hear music that way, so she couldn’t reproduce it. That didn’t matter to me, though.
She taught our Girl Scout troop lots of songs. There must be some trigger in some (or maybe even most) people that allows them to hear pitches in tune, in standard intervals, regardless the tones actually demonstrated. We girls always sang in tune, even though Mom couldn’t really teach us the “right” notes. I’m a little bit fascinated by this phenomenon but haven’t found a helpful explanation, yet.
Singing (mostly in tune) helps me perk myself up when I’m driving home from a long-ish trip. I crank up the volume and sing along. I know lots of oldies.
It must be the endorphins and serotonin and dopamine.
I just started reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Crown, 2025). According to Anne Patchett’s blurb on the back cover, “Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible.” I expect it to be emotional, internal, and thought-provoking. I hope I’m right. I’ll let you know.
Be curious! (and belt out your favorite song,
with reckless abandon, and friends)
Let’s have fun.
It’s music time
for everyone.
from Let’s Make Music
written by Alexandra Penfold
illustrated by Suzanne Kaufman
Random House Children’s Books, 2024
Before I retired, we children’s librarians all had several trainings on language development and the process of learning to read. They were based on cutting-edge research analyzed by professionals at the American Library Association and brought to staff librarians across the US.
“What is the most important activity parents can do with their babies to help them learn to read?” That was my interview question for a new position at the Library .
Sing was my spontaneous but logical answer. I hadn’t thought of it before, but it made instant sense to me and I guess the administration, too. I got the job.
I was to be the liaison between the library and the community: parents, caregivers, and preschool teachers. I would share the research and demonstrate how children from birth to age 5 acquire language and the ability to read.
ALA dubbed their program “All Children Ready To Read.” Our library renamed it “Baby Brilliant.”
I’ve always loved the sound and music of language and loved sharing that with young parents, preschool teachers, and little kids.
Singing has words (real ones and nonsense, made up ones), playful or complicated rhymes, steady or complicated rhythms, and an endless variety of melody, all aspects of language children need to be familiar with before they can sound out words and attach meanings to them.
But music and especially singing is so much more than its various parts. It is inextricably linked to our emotions and moods.
An aspect of music I wondered about for a long time was the seeming contradiction between the melodies of most “break-up” songs and their lyrics. Broken-hearted lovers sing songs in up-beat major keys. Why?
Various sources I studied explained how the quick, happy-sounding tunes that convey sad lyrics help listeners feel less alone in their grief, more connected to others going through similar circumstances. Experiments have shown that the happy-sounding music overrides the sad story, so lots of times as we sing along, toe-tap, or head-bop we actually begin to feel better, less alone.
Some examples to remember or look up on Spotify or Pandora include Elvis’s “Return to Sender,” or Neil Sedaka’s “Breaking Up is Hard To Do,” or Gary Lewis and the Playboys singing “This Diamond Ring.”
Nostalgia and catharsis are two important feelings brought up by break-up songs. Our longing for the past and using music to help us relive some of our most difficult times can lead to a release emotions that have been building up.
Singing is even more effective than just listening. From the first note we sing, a chemical symphony begins within our brain.
OperaNorth, an organization from the UK, lists several reasons why singing is good for us.
- Singing releases endorphins, serotonin, and dopamine, chemicals that boost our mood and make us feel good about ourselves.
- Singing requires us to breathe, helps us increase our lung capacity, and engage the muscles around our ribcage.
- Breathing properly and with more awareness is good for releasing anxiety and helps transition us to a state of rest and relaxation.
- Singing can help improve mental alertness, memory and concentration. Singers focus on multiple aspects of music at once, engaging many areas of the brain simultaneously.
- Music is a powerful tool used to spark memories during dementia care, often long after other forms of communication have become more difficult.
- Singing with other people helps build connections and feelings of togetherness.
- Singing in a group can boost our confidence and fire up our self-esteem.
- Good posture is a key factor in hitting the high notes. We naturally stand taller when we sing.
My dad had a wonderful tenor voice. He liked all kinds of music, with words and without. I loved to listen to him sing.
Mom’s voice was strong, but not so much “on key.” She wanted to sing in tune, but must not have been able to hear music that way, so she couldn’t reproduce it. That didn’t matter to me, though.
She taught our Girl Scout troop lots of songs. There must be some trigger in some (or maybe even most) people that allows them to hear pitches in tune, in standard intervals, regardless the tones actually demonstrated. We girls always sang in tune, even though Mom couldn’t really teach us the “right” notes. I’m a little bit fascinated by this phenomenon but haven’t found a helpful explanation, yet.
Singing (mostly in tune) helps me perk myself up when I’m driving home from a long-ish trip. I crank up the volume and sing along. I know lots of oldies.
It must be the endorphins and serotonin and dopamine.
I just started reading The Correspondent by Virginia Evans (Crown, 2025). According to Anne Patchett’s blurb on the back cover, “Virginia Evans shows how one woman changes at a point when change had seemed impossible.” I expect it to be emotional, internal, and thought-provoking. I hope I’m right. I’ll let you know.
Be curious! (and belt out your favorite song,
with reckless abandon, and friends)
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