Start with Singing
For all the emphasis on formal music training, don’t overlook a terrific, free, easy way your child can experience music with you: Singing. I know of no scientific studies being done on the impact of singing on brain reorganization, but behavioral studies do show that infants (age six to nine months) will sustain their attention to adults while they sing to a child just as much as they will when an adult reads to them. I also know that lullabies are used worldwide to help calm infants. The languages they are sung in may differ, but the essence of the song is always the same. A lullaby:

• Contains few pitches
• Repeats simple melodic patterns
• Has rhythms that closely match the rocking and swaying motions used to soothe fussy infants.

Here’s the best part: Your child could care less whether you can carry a tune. Singing lullabies and nursery rhymes is a great way to expose your child to the patterns in music. As your child gets older, she can start to sing and clap along with you, building motor control and coordination between sounds and actions.