goodfountain

Music has always played a big role in our family life. Even before kids came along, my husband and I used to listen to our favorite CDs or a 70s-music radio station on Saturday night while playing a rockin’ game of Scrabble. Do we know how to live, or what? We aren’t music aficionados by any stretch of the imagination. I rarely buy CDs, and my husband (thinks he) still has his high school-era Heavy Metal tape collection. (He doesn’t know it didn’t survive last summer’s move.) But I love music. Truly love it. I look forward to a time when it becomes a bigger part of my life again.

When Chee came along, I bought a CD, put out by those geniuses at Disney, of something like 25 classic children’s songs. I was in my 30s when I had Chee and hadn’t listened to kids music in well over 20 years, I couldn’t remember words to any songs. When she was a few months old, I’d pop the CD in and she’d listen.

Seriously, she’d listen. At 3 months old, certain songs clicked with her almost immediately. I remember the first time we realized the power these songs had over her. She was screaming her head off on the way back from dinner out, and my husband and I started singing various songs to see if one might calm her down. One did. This little gem.

I went to the animal fair
The birds and beasts were there
The big baboon by the light of the moon
Was combing his auburn hair

You should have seen the monk
He sat on the elephant’s trunk
The elephant sneezed and fell on his knees
And that was the end of the monk
The monk, the monk, the monk

For months and months, anytime she cried, we’d start singing that little diddy and she’d instantly calm down. And start laughing. She loved that odd little song.

Over time her tastes changed. For a period, she was really into a CD of children’s songs with various World arrangements (for example, an Asian version of Twinkle Twinkle). She was a huge Shady Tree fan and an even bigger Philadelphia Chickens fan. Other random CDs made it into the repertoire, with favorites such as Wheels on the Bus and Baa Baa Black Sheep each holding court as the preferred song for a period of time. Many others too.

When she gave up her nap (at 19 months) I implemented Quiet Time. It was simple. Put on a CD and she would sit on her bed staring at the CD player and just listen to the songs. She wouldn’t even play. Just listen. Once the CD was over, she’d usually play for awhile, but I knew I was guaranteed however many minutes the length of the CD as Quiet Time. (I usually chose the longest CD….)

But her true love came later and so far nothing has usurped it. Sort of. Chee loves classical music. It started with a Lullaby CD that she would request often. Eventually I replaced it with a new Lullaby CD and she was hooked. That was followed up with another classical music CD and she never looked back. Rarely did she ever ask for any of her other CDs and would usually tell me to turn them off in favor of the classical ones. Except there was a brief love affair with Baby Beluga, but it didn’t last long. A bit disappointed, I admit I kinda like Raffi.

As with her other CDs, certain songs became favorites. With the Lullaby CD, she was very fond of Number Five and Number 17. Very fond. The beauty though was that I could always count on her falling asleep during Number 17. I remember those days well, when a little Lullaby CD was all it took to lure her to sleep. Now it’s multiple recitations of her favorite books and made-up stories. But I digress.

I say sort of nothing has usurped her love of classical music. Sadly, she doesn’t want to listen to any CDs at all anymore. Ever. I hear, No CD. No listen to music. No number five. No number seventeen. No, no, no. When did this start? A few months after she began Occupational Therapy.

There is no doubt that Chee has had some auditory sensory issues. When she was soooo into music, beyond what was typical of her peers, I think she was sensory seeking sound. Noise. She craved noise. As we progressed through Occupational Therapy, Chee became Sensory Defensive- she’d put her fingers in her ears when she became overstimulated by something. Not necessarily noise, but just anything.

Eventually she worked through that, but it seems the by-product is that she no longer has an interest in listening to music. It kind of saddens me. I love listening to music. I miss hearing the Animal Fair and Cows and I’m A Little Teapot. I really miss Number 17. Although, I can bring them back out for Ess. Yes, for Ess. I must do that. While Chee is at preschool of course.

All is not lost though. A new musical direction seems to be emerging. Chee is showing a growing interest in playing music herself. She was trying to tap out Baa Baa Black Sheep on a xylophone earlier today. And this evening, at a friend’s house, she hopped up on the piano and “played” and sang Happy Birthday. We have a piano at home and she has always enjoyed plunking around on it. Lately she seems more focused and intent at her plunking.

Perhaps she will continue to show an interest in music after all. I certainly hope so. The enjoyment of music is an important part of our lives and one that I wish to be able to share with my children.