Music in the Womb

It was Christo’s first time in class. At eight weeks old, his mother decided it was time to get back to life as usual, which included Making Music Praying Twice class that his older brother had been attending for over a year. His mom was amazed that every time I started to sing, Christo turned to me with purposeful attention. After weeks of this, we discussed it after class and his mom shared that this was a unique response. “He must know your voice from the womb!”

Continually, I find that younger siblings who started “attending” classes before birth, show amazing sensitivity to class and maintain extremely high music aptitudes. This is true of my youngest child. I taught several classes a week through my pregnancy until about 2 weeks before she was born. None of the other children had this advantage. The powerful depth of her tonal development is not a coincidence.

The Power of Music

I’ve seen the power of music to inspire faith and help children to grow. But God gave us this gift for more than this. When we explore the widespread use of music to help people heal, grow, and overcome, it is clear that the Holy Spirit works through music and that music is meant to be an integral part of our human experience.

The American Music Therapy Association can attest to the thousands of professionals who regularly use music to support the development of the disabled and delayed, treat those suffering from mental illness, and promote healing and pain management for those battling disease. Clinical studies show increased melatonin levels in Alzheimer’s patients who partake in

Generations

Grandma at Beach.jpg Last month, my children had an extended stay with Grandma and Grandpa, while John and I attended the National Association of Catholic Family Life Ministers Convention. Four children, ages 10 – 2 could have felt lonely or insecure without mom and dad for five whole days, but as luck would have it, my parents were able to take the kids to a friend’s beach house for a few days. This happy diversion kept everyone’s mind busy and distracted.

Now it takes a couple hours to drive to this beach house. Before the days of DVD players, my mother had us sing in the car to pass the time and avoid sibling battles. So I shouldn’t have been surprised when my seven-year-old greeted me with

Video Games and Growing Brains

In our house, we do not own a video gaming system. We do have a DS and the kids have a few games for it. My sister, who is single, has a pretty elaborate set-up and includes games for her nieces and nephews in the mix. So they are allowed to play at her house. The newest game is Lego Rock Band.

Speaking as a mom, this game is fun. The lyrics are pre-screened for family-friendliness and you can control which songs the children use. This game is played socially, with a group and even as a family. Video games are supposed to be “bad” for you, but honestly, there are some benefits. Games can encourage practice of skills like reading, memory and problem-solving. One particular study found that surgeons who play a significant amount of video games weekly have more successful outcomes when performing laparoscopic surgeries. So a certain kind of hand-eye coordination is improving in this process.

However, multiple studies over the past several years confirm

The Rocket’s Red Glare

My family has been able to attend a wonderful fireworks display each July for the last several years. Sitting comfortably on well-manicured, insect-free lawns, we watch an impressive, semi-private show complete with accompanying music. This is an event, along with ball games and the Olympics that makes me painfully aware of my children’s incompetence in singing our National Anthem. I need to make a conscious effort this summer to remedy this.

The lyrics aren’t the easiest to remember and understand for little ones. They are both poetic and narrative and filled with imagery of war’s realities and ideals. We sit peacefully in beaches, parks, parties and events watching an exciting display of color and light, while Francis Scott Key, author of The Star Spangled Banner, sat about 200 years ago witnessing

Sing into Summer

As schoolwork is finishing up for the year, and children begin sleeping in and shedding shoes, moms are left figuring out how to keep children occupied and productive. While camps, outdoor games, sprinklers and swimming pools get bodies moving, and summer reading keeps the mind engaged, how about some extra family music time for the body, mind and soul?

Echo Patterns

In one of my teaching venues, I’m able to work with children in a preschool environment. This differs from our usual mixed-age, family classes. About half of the children in this preschool class have been in my Making Music Praying Twice program since they started as babies on their mommies’ laps. I do enjoy seeing the fruits in the children, but it is also fun to move on in some age specific activities with these 3 to 5 year-olds.

One specific activity is growth in executing echo patterns. These patterns are

The Blessings of Feedback

This is a busy time for our family and business, because our weekends are spent at Catholic Homeschool Conventions. So the kids are having lots of “sleep-overs” at grandma’s (God bless her) and John and I are getting some weekends away together. As we teach more families about the value of faith-inclusive early childhood music education, we are encouraged by meeting these families of faith who work so hard to be true to what they believe is best for their children.

Prayer Time

Today, at the end of class we were singing the Chaplet of Divine Mercy. For most of prayer time, I try not to focus on the kids, but block them out a little, focus on the crucifix on the wall and really think about what I’m singing. For a few minutes, I’m someplace else and there is a strange sense of clarity and purpose and a sense of confirmation in what I do.

Then I remember that I’m teaching a class. So I discretely peek around the room and check out the children. I notice something really interesting. For the most part, the energy in the room is still. The parents are praying. The children are either singing along and looking at the crucifix, or walking quietly around the room studying the praying adults.

I especially notice Mia, a delightful, bright-eyed, 2 year old who has been

Remember

One of the challenges we face in modern society is preserving the meaning of holidays for our children. This is true of Christmas and Easter, but even the National Holidays like President’s Day, Labor Day, and Memorial Day have lost their soul for many Americans. These have become bonus vacation days, rather than a day to reflect, pray and remember. In addition to parades and picnics, it is up to us to impart to our children the import of the sacrifice so many brave men and women have made in the name of freedom and justice.

As Catholics, we also remember that those who have passed continue in a relationship with us in the Communion of Saints. One day last week, I took a walk with my Augustyne. At 5-years-old, he assured me that he would keep up and not compromise my exercise, which isn’t hard since he is in much better shape than I! I took him my usual route, through one of our town’s older cemeteries. Once he learned how to spot the grave of a veteran, he pointed out every flag on the grounds, searching for soldiers and hoping that they died peacefully at home long after the war was over. When we turned back to our street, he said, “I didn’t know that