FAMILY blog
A Summer of Music
“T winkle, twinkle, little star…” We’re all familiar
with that tune, right?
From our first lullabies such as this, to our first dabble
with percussion (baby rattles), we have been exposed
to the wonder of music from day one. Music is one of
the earliest ways in which we learn to understand and
make sense of the world around us. Think about it:
One of our first inductions into our speaking society is
when we learn to sing our ABC’s. It’s the rhythm and
rhyme that ultimately helps us memorize and better
comprehend language.

Keeping up with music exposure throughout early
childhood is beneficial in a multitude of ways—from
language development to increased IQ—the benefits
are endless.

I’ve always been a strong advocate for music
appreciation. I started playing piano at the young age of six and
ultimately became Beethoven’s #1 fan girl. My personal
favorite is “Moonlight Sonata”—I believe I played
that piece on the piano every day for 10 years. (Sorry,
family!) But, my love for music flourished early on.

You could say, at times, I was a little scatterbrained
as a child, but piano kept me grounded, focused and
it was a great outlet for creative expression. I am
truly thankful that I was always surrounded by music
and my parents fully encouraged it. In fact, they
encouraged all of my sisters and me to try out some
type of instrument. Let’s just say music lessons didn’t
really end up sticking with all of my siblings, but
there’s still, to this day, a unanimous agreement that it
was beneficial to all of us.

So yes, I know, playing an instrument isn’t for
6 June 2017 washingtonFAMILY.com
everyone. But, music appreciation doesn’t have to
mean it’s time to sign your child up for piano lessons,
tomorrow. It can simply mean exposure.

In this issue, we talked to local director and music
conductor, Piotr Gajewski about the importance of
music appreciation and education for young children.

It struck a chord with me when he advised for parents
to start playing all kinds of music to children at a
young age to help them “naturally cultivate an interest
in music.” This is something that’s easy to accomplish.

And because summer is officially just a few weeks
away, it’s the perfect time to dive into that extra music
exposure for you and your child.

Go to a few family concerts, enjoy free live music in the
park, check out a local children’s musical or even listen
to the Moana music soundtrack together for the 100th
time. (JK! Listen to “Let It Go” instead.)
Just know you really can’t go wrong with surrounding
your child with music. You never know, you might
soon discover you have the next Beethoven on your
hands! Or, at least, you’ll find that your child becomes
a bit more musically inclined. A win-win.

Britni Petersen
Editor Washington FAMILY Magazine
bpetersen@thefamilymagazine.com