Motown. A Capella. Byzantine Chant. Classic Rock. Nursery Rhymes. Any or all are playing or being sung at any given time in our house. This is intentional and a point of pride. We love music and how it inspires movement and brightens a dour mood. I grew up dancing and performing in school plays. My husband is an incredible tenor and sings in the church choir and at weddings. Music is the joyful source of many childhood memories for the both of us, so we want to make sure it is present and transformative for our kids, too. This desire has taken a variety of unforeseen and highly amusing forms.
Most notably, we have theme songs for just about everything – when the microwave beeps after heating food, selecting stories to read, seeing a Tesla, driving over railroad crossings, even poop-filled diapers, to name a few. You name it, we sing about it. Music gives us the ability to transform any ordinary moment into something more. Perhaps even a memory. I mean, why wouldn’t you want to remember singing about your microwave? Or poop for that matter?
Music has snuck into our chores, too. When I need my kids to do something, I may sing the request to them because they are more likely to listen that way. Picking up toys seems a lot more fun when the ask comes with a melody. It catches them off guard and I love that.
Then of course, there are the dance parties. While we are getting breakfast ready or if we’re home on a weekend, I will put on some music and dance. At first my kids stare at me as I sing and twist to a Sam Cooke or Smokey Robinson song, but then they join in. It’s hilarious. Their dance moves are wild. I am a little jealous of their uninhibited expressions. And so I dance some more. And we’re all in good moods to start our day. I often have one of our dance songs stuck in my head all day at work. Added bonus.
My favorite part of the day, though, is singing our kids to sleep. My husband and son sing hymns before bed. I sing Motown, Soul, and Classic Rock to my baby girl as she lies her head on my shoulder. It brings me such joy to know that hearing music will be one of the last acts of their day. I will miss it when it’s gone. But right now, creating memories as I watch my son perform “super cool” dance moves in the kitchen and lull my daughter to sleep singing The Temptations, The Band, The Drifters, Otis Redding and Tom Petty (in that order) is perfect.
