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MUSIC & MOVEMENT: ONE STEP AT A TIME An interview with Judy & Sanford Jones, Co-Directors of Youth Opera International By Carrie Hirsch | Photos submitted
PARENTHOOD IQ: How can parents introduce children to listening to music and singing? SANFORD: Repeating nursery rhymes
is effective, because singing starts with spoken language. "Hickory Dickory Dock, the mouse ran up the clock" - when you rest the child on your knee, bouncing in time with the music - that begins part of the physical understanding of rhythm. Singing is sustained speech - when you extend the spoken sound, it becomes singing. A child who is becoming fluent with rhythmic activity and speech will be better able to sing in rhythm and on pitch. Folk songs such as "Row, Row, Row Your Boat" have
12 ParenthoodIQ.com • WINTER 2019-20
a predictable rhythm and a limited pitch range. In "Oats, Peas, Beans and Barley Grow," the form is very clear and the rhythmic and melodic patterns are easily remembered.
PARENTHOOD IQ: Why is movement important and how can parents provide movement experiences?
JUDY: Research over the decades has
shown that purposeful movement is a direct catalyst for clear thinking and emotional well-being. Rudolf Laban, a theorist and artist of note in European modern dance, wrote, “Gross and fine motor skills are
