Infants' attention to meter or tonality is often well beyond that of loving adults. An infant may appear utterly focused on the meter or tonality, or may attend intermittently, embracing the “sound environment” throughout. Grammy suggested that we turn on a video recorder and see just how long Grandchild #4, born prematurely and not yet 4 months old, might attend to a rhythm and tonal activity before crying. There were a couple of false starts with the tonal activity, interrupted by talking adults and a noisy blender in the kitchen, so the video picks up after the baby’s sustained attention to each of the false starts. The rhythm and tonal videos include background noise with people talking, doors closing and a dog shuffling around, making the baby’s attention that much more remarkable. As you compare your own limits to an infant’s attention to meter and tonality, be prepared to sit a while to view these videos.
