A sense of meter and a sense of tonality are acquired through extended immersion and vocal interaction in the various meters and tonalities, all graced with movement. The child learns language in much the same way. The process of learning language can serve as a metaphor for better understanding the process of music learning, whatever the age of the learners, providing a familiar lens through which to view the process of music learning and offering many models of intuitive interaction that we can apply to musical interactions.
The young child is immersed in language throughout waking hours, whether directly addressed, absorbing others’ speech, or bombarded by media. Parents speak to the young child, generally knowing how to adjust their speech to the child’s needs. “Parentese” morphs from saturating the newborn with language to evoking coos, to labeling and inviting interaction, whatever the response of the child—sensing what the child needs and responding to the child’s meaning, no matter how primitive the child’s attempts to communicate. The parent intuitively knows to repeat a word a gazillion times, to ask the same question repeatedly, and to prompt a child’s response until the child can use language independently.
Most of us have not been brought up in an environment as rich for music learning as for language. We have to learn to nurture music learning in the same way that we so naturally nurture language. We have to find numerous ways to immerse children in various meters and tonalities in common activities. We have to provide multiple opportunities for children to engage in musical interaction. We have to learn to repeat rhythm and tonal invitations for response as often as necessary, prompt a child’s response and respond musically to a child’s meaning—no matter how primitive the child’s attempts to communicate musically, or how old the child. When in doubt about choices to make for the classroom, look to the process of music learning and then to the practice of nurturing language development.
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