3 year old obsessed with music

[lovesea]

Ds is and always has been a music lover. We decided a child's cd player would be the perfect gift for him, but now he spends a great deal of his day, sitting listening to music, singing, dancing and changing cds.

Anyone have any ideas how to maximise on this obsession so that he's doing something a bit more worthwhile?

[newbie_mary]

Like everything else, I would bet that this too shall pass.

You could schedule certain times that he could do this, if you want to limit the time, say after breakfast and set a timer for a certain amount of time, and then then cd player goes away.

I'm a music teacher, so having your child singing and dancing all day doesn't seem like such a bad idea to me!

[~pi]

Originally Posted by lovesea

Anyone have any ideas how to maximise on this obsession so that he's doing something a bit more worthwhile?

Let him keep doing what he's doing.

He's 3. He's learning about rhythm and sounds, moving, and having a blast. What's more worthwhile than that?

If you must put some sort of 'worthwhile' spin on it, remind yourself that music is associated with math. Kids who spend more time with music tend to do better in math. And he's getting some physical activity from the sounds of it.

[staceychev]

Does he have instruments to play himself? My daughter has a ukelele, a harmonica, a recorder, and one of those toy pianos (perfect condition...DH picked it off the trash... score!) and not only does she like to listen to music, but she likes to make music, too. (By the way, she's 4.5, but other than the harmonica, has had all those instruments since at least 3.)

Honestly, I see it as pretty awesome that he's doing that, but then again, I'm from a semi-musical family, and married into a highly musical family, so music is really important to us!

[sunnmama]

I can't think of anything much more worthwhile!

You could add some stories on cd. I highly recommend this cd. It has pirate and sea music, but also stories. I love it

[Autumn Breeze]

oh how AWESOME! That sounds like a great day to me I agree, some instruments, (maybe craft them, so that you can spend time together on his current love!)

[lovesea]

Thanks for all the great comments and replies. I want to clarify that I too think listening to music, singing and dancing are great and worthwhile activities. What I meant was that he's obviously really interested in and affected by music so I'm keen to encourage this. I mean, he's got a cd of nursery rhymes that he listens to again and again and again, he knows all the words to all the songs but I wonder if I should encourage him to listen to a greater variety, and if so, any suggestions? Does this early love of music mean he's going to be a musical? If so, when should I think about encouraging him to learn an instrument? What about expressing himself with music. At the moment he has a hard time dealing with frustration and gets verbally aggressive quite quickly, can music help him out emotionally? I just remember as a baby whenever he started fussing or crying, we'd immediately put on music or sing and he'd calm instantly.

[nina_yyc]

subbing. My 3yo is obsessed with music too, knows the songs on the radio and can pick them out in other contexts, sings from memory (in tune!) and dances all day long.

[eggsandpancakes]

My 2 yr old and 3.5 yr old LOVE Jack Johnson. "Breakdown", especially. It'll head off just about any impending meltdown. Nicolette Larsen, The Beatles, Willie Nelson. . . . they like pretty much anything as long as it's musical.

[MusicianDad]

'Tis the story of my life.

I say let him keep it up, he's having fun, and excersizing his body and mind.

[meemee]

if you want to encourage his love of music then give him a selection. show him how to change cds and keep an eye on which ones he enjoys. that's how i discovered my dd's love of japanese opera. if you have access to a library or used cd shop you can find great world music cds.

i have a 7 year old now and i must say when to start classes and all of thatt will depend on the personality of the child. some children might really be into it but not ready for lessons. so you could start lessons as early as 4 and find a teacher who is willing to teach your son, but if he isnt going to sit for his lessons then it is just not worth it. it is better to start him when he is fully ready which could be anything around 5 -7. in the meantime give him a series of musical instruments including pot lids and spoons. anything that makes sound. or rhythm. usually i have noticed 7 is a good age to start when they can really focus and do the practise. as a rule of thumb i have found almost anything meant for the younger is more about working in a group rather than learning the sports, dance or instrument. not always but usually - until the child shows interest or talent.

but really organised classes. if music truly is his thing he will do everything he can to do it. so dont push classes on him early. instead treat him to a variety of music including the music you like.

[AnnieA]

I would say get to your local library FAST! There are so many great musical cds that you should have access to. There are musical cds that teach math equations, geography, etc. Also you can expose your child to different styles of music. One of my kids' favorite cds when they were younger was this cd that we found at our local library: http://www.amazon.com/All-You-Need-L...3737051&sr=8-3

Good luck!

[hollytheteacher]

Originally Posted by staceychev

Does he have instruments to play himself? My daughter has a ukelele, a harmonica, a recorder, and one of those toy pianos (perfect condition...DH picked it off the trash... score!) and not only does she like to listen to music, but she likes to make music, too. (By the way, she's 4.5, but other than the harmonica, has had all those instruments since at least 3.)

Honestly, I see it as pretty awesome that he's doing that, but then again, I'm from a semi-musical family, and married into a highly musical family, so music is really important to us!

My ds is 2 but he honestly has had a music obsession since birth. Seriously. He now has a guitar, two drums, xylaphone, harmonica, maracas, recorder, cymbals, and probably more (can't think right now). He LOVES to make his own music as well as listen and dance to any and all music.

I also think you should just let your child do what they are doing, but then again if you feel like something is off about it than you should follow your gut and encourage more/different types/ways of exploring music. What about enrolling your child in a dance class/acrobatics/gymnastics type thing? Or taking them to outdoor concerts in the summer? Make some game out of the music (pause it now and then and encourage yoru child to "freeze" or each time you pause the music say "when I start the music up imagine you are a fish in the ocean/monkey in the jungle/flower starting to grow" etc.

Maybe our kids will start a band together some day