With Father's Day behind us, I was immersed in memories of my own Dad singing for me and with me~ I don't really remember a time without his voice. He sang lullabies, taught us "Jesus Loves Me" and "Away in a Manger" (the first songs I remember singing!), performed in the community, sang at weddings and funerals, coordinating Christmas Carolling parties, and woke us in the morning. As a High Schooler, waking up to "Oh What a Beautiful Morning!" at 6:00 am was less than pleasant, but it worked! And, I really loved hearing my Dad sing. I still do~ He is almost 75 and has amazing pipes! Recently he sang the National Anthem at a soccer game at the Metro-dome in MPLS, MN. A first for him~ pretty cool!
In my work, I have a growing number of Dad's who attend classes with their young children; mostly on weekends, but more and more during the week as well. When I first started 12 years ago, the occasional Dad or Grandpa were often a little uncomfortable surrounded by all the Mamas. That is changing rapidly. More and more I find that the Dad's turn class into a family party! Even if they are unsure about their own singing skills, they know how to play and that's what it's all about. Once they discover and embrace the "play" they often begin singing with gusto without even knowing it!
One of the beautiful things about singing to your young children is that whether you are a "good" singer or not, they don't care! They can't tell if you can sing in tune or not until they reach Basic Musical Competence or BMC. This simply means they can sing in tune and keep a steady beat. For most children in Western Cultures, this doesn't happen until somewhere between ages 4-7. What they can tell is whether you are happy and comfortable.
Sing with pleasure to, for and with your children and what they will remember is how much you LOVE making music with them. Dad's also offer something special, especially to young babies. Have you ever notices how little bitty ones love to snuggle right up under daddy's neck? The low vibrations that men's voices make speaking and singing are soothing to little ones.
So snuggle up and sing away!
