Each semester at Primrose you will receive a new CD.  By listening to the current CD with your child repeatedly during the week you are nurturing your child’s music development and creating a connection with music time at school.  Each CD will expose your child to a variety of musical styles, instruments, scales and rhythms.  In short, the more your child listens, the more he or she will learn! 

But there’s more…

Singing along with a recording is great, but it is still second rate compared to mom or dad making music with their child without a CD. While a recording provides a model of high quality singing and the tonal variety of instruments, it can't provide the kind of motivation, musical interaction, and creativity that a real person can.

Think about what happens when you sing a song to your child. When you sing one-on-one with your child you're constantly observing how your child is responding. That response motivates your singing. If your child starts to move or dance to your singing you become more animated. If your child sings or plays along, you give him space and encouragement and do not leave him behind. If your big kid suggests different words or motions to a song, you praise your child and incorporate his idea. And if your baby smiles at you while you're singing, you smile back.

That kind of interaction is what music is all about. The best musicians long for that kind of give and take with their audience. Singing along to a recording restricts you to the tempo and words that are performed. Without a recording you can be creative, interact musically with your child, and as a result be a much more stimulating and musical role model. This is why we limit the use of the CD player in class.

Once you know the words and the melody, try taking it to the next level - singing without the CD. Even if your musical skills aren't perfect, your child will benefit and you'll both have fun!