February 2022 Parenta Magazine

Loving early
years music:
how music impacts
early relationships
Daisy Daisy
Daisy, Daisy, give me your answer do
I’m half crazy, oh for the love of you
It won’t be a stylish marriage
I can’t afford a carriage
But you’ll look sweet upon a seat
Of a bicycle made for two
This well-known ditty has a lovely bright
tone colour. From the falling musical
phrasing to rhyming couplets, this song is
full of visual imagery that could be used
and explored in many creative forms.
Baby Shafto
Baby Shark
Baby shark, du du du du du-du
Baby shark, du du du du du-du
Baby shark, du du du du du-du
Baby shark
Mummy shark, du du du du du-du
Mummy shark, du du du du du-du
Mummy shark, du du du du du-du
Mummy shark
Daddy shark, du du du du du-du
Daddy shark, du du du du du-du
Daddy shark, du du du du du-du
Daddy shark
February is the month of love, so this
month, we’re talking about music and
relationships. Many songs are written
on the topic of love, especially within
adult contemporary music. Is it because
love, like music, is a universal way of
communication? We may never know,
but music certainly has a way of evoking
memories of time spent with important
people in our lives.
Children are no different. Experience has
shown and studies have proven that
babies can remember songs that they
have heard throughout mum’s pregnancy.
Some children will even get upset at certain
songs that they remember from infanthood,
perhaps missing the special time they
had as a baby. Music can clearly evoke
memories in a subconscious way that we
may not even recognise.
In a Finnish study, Ruokonen et al (2021)
explored creative experiences in early years
settings in Finland. She and her colleagues
found that in a study of over 900 toddlers,
creative activities helped children to think
more creatively, express more emotion and
play, as well as develop cultural identity.
Music sessions included activities that
were spontaneous as well as pre-planned,
involving a wide selection of settings, both
private and state, within early childhood.
Analysing the sessions, music was found
to have a positive influence on social skills
in early years and improved emotional
development in primary years. This
suggested that sessions that focussed
on music specifically led to increased
self-regulation, needing less adult-based
interruption. Music also appeared to be
linked to empathy, movement, and the
development of complex locomotor skills.
Levels of delivery varied and depended on
the interest and skill level/expertise of the
teacher/responsible adult. Adults seemed
more involved with their children in musicbased
sessions, developing the children’s
emotional listening behaviour.
The musical activities used involved volume,
duration, tone colour, pitch and form
and these worked together in all creative
activities. The songs below (available on
the Musicaliti YouTube channel) show how
these concepts can be used in everyday
singing sessions.
Love Somebody
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, but I won’t say who
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, yes I do
Love somebody, and it’s you, you, you
This song is perfect for exploring volume
because of the way the phrases are set
out. “Love somebody” could be sung loudly,
while the “yes, I do” can be sung softer,
as if it’s a bit of a secret. Being able to
manage volume in a playful way involves
a number of skills: apart from hearing and
responding, the way you sing quietly and
loudly involves breathing and projecting
differently. While the technical control could
be challenging and even unpleasant,
in a context like this song, it becomes a
fun game which happens to also teach
valuable vocal control techniques.
Mummy Loves
Mummy loves and daddy loves
And everybody loves little baby
Grandma loves and grandad loves
And everybody loves little baby
This Russian lullaby is great for exploring
duration. All the important people
have their titles elongated – the words
“mummy”, “daddy”, “grandma” and
“grandad” are sung for longer. Use this
song while rocking restless ones at nap
time, during co-operative games swinging
a toy in a blanket, or even modelling
care and empathy getting little ones to
cuddle dolls or teddies. And personalise if
appropriate – perhaps children have uncles
and aunts rather than grandparents.
Bobby Shafto’s gone to sea
Silver buckles on his knee
He’ll come back and marry me
Bonny Bobby Shafto
This traditional Scottish song is set in a
lovely pitch for young children. Notes are
nearby each other, which is important
while children’s vocal chords are only just
developing. In addition, the gaps between
the notes are not too big, causing them to
strain.
These are important aspects to songs
where children are taught to join in, as
bigger notation jumps (e.g. “Humpty
Dumpty”, “Somewhere Over The Rainbow”,
even “Happy Birthday!”) require experience
and accuracy that not all children learn at
home.
This approach allows children, and all
people, to be successful in singing.
This new “classic” has a simple form that is
common in folk music – repetition. Children
thrive on repetition, and the family aspect
gives young children something that they
can easily relate to: the special people in
their lives.
Although the strophic (non-varied) form
does not change, the beauty of this type of
music is that it can be easily personalised
and children can use their own experiences
– hence the additional verses of “let’s go
hunt”, “run away”, “safe at last” and “it’s
the end”.
We may never know whether music
originated as an expression of
relationships, or whether it began as a
language and developed into a way to
express emotions in relationships.
We do know that music brings people
together, backed by the Finnish research,
where classes with more music
resulted in happier children that were
more accommodating, adaptive and
harmonious. And after all, isn’t this what
we want for our children?
Reference:
Ruokonen, I., Tervaniemi, M., & Reunamo,
J. (2021). The significance of music in early
childhood education and care of toddlers in
Finland: An extensive observational study.
Music Education Research, 23(5), 634–646.
Frances Turnbull
Musician, researcher and author,
Frances Turnbull, is a self-taught guitarist
who has played contemporary and
community music from the age of 12. She
delivers music sessions to the early years
and KS1. Trained in the music education
techniques of Kodály (specialist singing),
Dalcroze (specialist movement) and Orff
(specialist percussion instruments), she
has a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology
(Open University) and a Master’s degree
in Education (University of Cambridge).
She runs a local community choir, the
Bolton Warblers, and delivers the Sound
Sense initiative “A choir in every care
home” within local care and residential
homes, supporting health and wellbeing
through her community interest
company.
She has represented the early years
music community at the House of
Commons, advocating for recognition
for early years music educators, and her
table of progressive music skills for under
7s features in her curriculum books.
Frances is the author of “Learning with
Music: Games and activities for the early
years“, published by Routledge, August
2017.
www.musicaliti.co.uk
36 February 2022 | parenta.com
parenta.com | February 2022 37