oh, boy! Somebody help me up onto my soapbox, please.

Babies can hear music from about the sixth month of pregnancy on- and then respond to familiar music [heard before birth] after birth. [There's another reason to be against abortion, but I won't go there now]

Other research indicates that the early childhood years are THE window into later music development. It's much harder to teach a kid to match pitch after about the age of 8 years. Think about how young kids soak up a new language, whereas an adult struggles with it.

Maybe the resistance comes from equating music education with music reading. Think about how we learn to read: it comes after learning how to talk, not before. Same deal with music-- experience first, literacy later [if needed at all]

Please look for materials written by John Feierabend of Hartt University. He was a choral music guy until his kids came along, and through observing how they interacted with music, he totally changed his work to early childhood music. Good stuff.

When I was a kid, my piano teacher [dear, misguided person] complained loud/long about one of her students who played by ear. But I realized, "hey, I like what she's able to do", and learned how to play by ear myself.

Went on to study classical music, yada yada. GOT OVER IT!! I can read the notes when I'm playing or singing, but I'd rather not.

Now, would somebody please help me down? Thanks, I feel better now.

T.