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 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 what keep us stable. Humans must move. If movement is inhibited, then aberrations of the personality present themselves.” Daily experience with freedom of movement, both indoors and outdoors, is essential for the child’s well-being.

Judy and Sanford Jones relax in their home garden.

PARENTHOOD IQ: When can parents introduce movement and dance lessons?

JUDY: Creative dance can begin at age two with “Mommy and Me” classes. Three- and four-year-olds are exploring basic locomotor movements, levels and directions in space. By age five, the children need to know their eight locomotor movements – walk, run, jump, leap, hop, gallop, skip, and slide.

PARENTHOOD IQ: What are some future plans for Youth Opera International?

SANFORD: My latest children’s opera, "The Singing Tree," is based on a tale from The 1001 Arabian Nights and will premiere this spring at a school where we have performed over 30 operas over three decades. We enjoy seeing performances to both entertain and inspire us – everything from "A Chorus Line" at the Arts Center of Coastal Carolina to "Hamilton" on Broadway to the Bolshoi Ballet in Moscow. PIQ

For further information about Youth Opera International, visit youthoperaintl.com.