A friend of mine recently posted on her family blog about how music has been helping them in their home. As most boys probably would, her three year-old son has recently had a lot of behavioral issues since his Dad deployed to Iraq a few months ago. After seeking help from LDS Family Services, and trying some new things, she has seen a significant improvement in her sons behavior.
One thing that that has brought increased peace to their home and to her son, is music. They now begin each day by playing music and keep it running throughout the day. The TV time has diminished and she has noticed a change in the atmosphere in their home. I was impressed.
First thing last Sunday morning I awoke and put on the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. I kept the hymns and Church related music running all morning. I too noticed an increased amount of peace in our home. Of course it was the home of little children, but things did seem calmer. I want to use these tactics more.
Now for the giveaway. I would love to hear your thoughts. Is music a big part of your mothering? How do you bring music into your home and family? Leave me a comment with your ideas and thoughts about music and mothering and one lucky mama will be chosen first thing Tuesday morning to win a copy the latest Mormon Tabernacle Choir CD, entitled "Celebrating a Century of Recording Excellence". It includes two discs with all of the hits as well as a bonus DVD. Some lucky family will really enjoy it.
(this giveaway is now closed)
Giveaway ends Monday night!
23 comments:
Music is a big part of our family. I am constantly singing, probably to my children's chagrin. We sing every night before they go to bed. We sing on road trips. I make mixes of children's hymns that I'd like them to learn.
I couldn't survive without music. I try to instill a love of music in my kids, and thankfully it has come easily. I love more sacred stuff on Sundays, but just found The Lower Lights, and that has brought some peace with a little more toe tapping.
We sing songs at the dr.'s office to make the time pass. I love to hear the children play the piano. Lullabies are part of baby's routine. Sometimes, though, I put the cd in the player and get distracted and forget to turn it on! (And yes, I still use cd's, can you believe that?)
We love music at our home! and have really noticed a difference for positive or negative with different kinds of music. I love to let my children bang on pots and pans, crinkle paper, make shakers, etc as they are not yet old enough for formal lessons. A CD like this would be healing for MY soul as well as wonderful for my children! So excited!
This post has given me the nudge to use music more often. I am getting better at incoporating it on Sundays, but we could use a boost the rest of the week!
That CD is on my Christmas wish list!
I am a first time mom to a 6 month old baby girl. She is so precious and I love her dearly. I have noticed that when there is music playing she will be happier, sleep longer and eat better. When I had the tv going constantly she would be completely opposite. I am a music major at BYUH and I am always amazed at how much music can influence people for good. Good music truly does come from the heavens.
I grew up with the Tabernacle choir practically living in my backyard. Now,living overseas,I miss the sound & spirit of their music more than I can say. It certainly takes effort to bring wholesome, uplifting music into our homes. But the end result is priceless peace.
We LOVE music at our house! I like to have nice chill music on just before and during dinner to calm everyone down a bit. We're getting a decent Sunday library put together. And we LOVE to sing and dance together!
On Sunday mornings my Husband puts on the musical section of Mr. Kreugar's Christmas. It always helps in the mornings when we are running around trying to be at church at nine. I too am not musical, but my daughter loves when I sing any thing to her.
Well there is a LOT of singing within our house, done by Max and me, but not much outside music. We get our fill of that in the car where Max loves to listen to Primary Songs, among other things. Now that Christmas is around the corner though, I think I will try harder to have that music playing in our home as well.
i too have tried to music playing more than the tv being on because i totally see a difference in behavior and i feel it brings us together...you gotta dance to the music! i also think it's the perfect thing for sundays to get into the spirit of the sabbath and prepare for church. right now all we have is the MOTAB station on pandora...so i could use this!!
My mother was the primary chorister for most of my growing up years and we all played piano/instruments through high school, so I guess music has always been a part of my life. I hated practicing piano as a teenager but I'm so grateful I stuck with it. If I'm having a rough day I'll sit down at the piano and play a few Primary songs to help me feel calm and quiet again. My husband can always be found strumming a new song on his guitar. I think our children are learning from our examples that music can have a big effect in their lives. My oldest plays 2 instruments, I'm looking forward to teaching my daughter piano this year, and we all like to get down and boogie to a fun c.d. I've sung them lullabies (with the occasional Pokemon theme song thrown in) at bedtime through the years, Somewhere Over the Rainbow is one of our favorites. Music can have such an impact for good on our lives, if we only remember to use it :)
I know I already won a giveaway, but I still wanted to leave a comment :) We love music! I could do better at putting music on first thing Sunday morning. Usually we're in the car before I finally turn on some good MoTab for the 20-25 minute drive to church. But I like to tell Sadie that these songs are about Jesus, or "Daddy really loves this song," or "This is Elder Bednar's favorite hymn," etc. When we're in the car now she has started asking to listen to "nyoo-sic" and it makes me happy. We have the CD "Songs for a Mormon Child" and there is a "Family Night" song on there that I have visions of dancing to each Monday night for the rest of my life. I'm, again, not always good at putting it on. Need to be more consistent. I know music can be key to establishing routines and putting kids into a different mode...whatever it may be. It can be such a tool for good.
We love music in the home. I have a son who has some behavior issues and recently we gave him an old iPod we were no longer using and filled in with the primary songs. It has made all the difference in our home. When he gets frustrated he goes in his room and listens to those songs and is able to calm down and rejoin the family without a huge ordeal!!!! Can't say enough about how wonderful music is!
I'm big on playing hymn's on sunday morning before church too. I think it helps everyone get in the right spirit to attend church. I wish I was better at playing it more throughout the week though. I'm not musically inclined at all and realize I just need to get over that and learn more primary songs that I can sing with my boys.
I have always been able to feel the spirit and my Heavenly Father's love for me so strongly through music. Therefore have loved having uplifting music in our home. I think that my girls are now the same, as they are always asking for primary songs. When my 3 year old was just 12 months, she would say "God" over and over again so I would sing Child of God to her. Just last month in family night while we were singing I am a child of God for FHE, she said "Oh mommy, that song gives me a special feeling in my tummy, not like butterflies on the airplane, but like Heavenly Father and Jesus!" Melted my heart, and helped me to know that all our FHEs, talks about the Gospe and feeling the spirit are not in vain! Music can be such a wonderful tool to help us grow closer to our Savior and Father in Heaven, and always invites the Spirit. So grateful for wonderful music in mine and my family's life.
(Sorry, this was way too long!)
i'm like you ~ not musically gifted at all, and i've wondered if my children will suffer because of my lack of talent! i began singing 'i am a child of God' to them at bedtime and was amazed how they loved it, despite my off-key voice. we try and sing primary songs before bed, to calm down from the day and have a peaceful feeling as they go to sleep. also, i drive my oldest son to kindergarten every day and i have a bunch of primary songs downloaded to my ipod (free off the church website, yay!) and we usually make it through a few on the way to school. i'd like to think it add another special touch to the beginning of our day. i love motab, my cousin has been singing with them for years. it's fun each conference for us to play 'spot the cousin'!
-charity
stierlefamily@yahoo.com
Every Saturday morning growing up, my dad would blast music - anything from rock to jazz - at 7 am to wake us up and we'd do our chores to the music. We knew we had to work until noon and then we had the rest of the weekend to ourselves. It taught me to work and brought me closer with my family. I wish I could say I do it now but with 2 little kids, it's not so easy. But I do play music as often as I can, especially when doing chores, and my girls love to dance around with me. MoTab is the favorite on Sundays, especially their rendition of "I'm Trying to Be Like Jesus."
jennibobo@gmail.com
As the mother of 5 boys, I really appreciate the calming effect of music in our home. I also love to use the power of a beautiful song and lyrics to help teach an important gospel message to my children. One of my very favorite artists right now is Jenny Philips--I love the songs Daughter of a King and Where you stand. They are a powerful and elequont testimony of who we really are. I have told my boys to just think (son) of a king! I also used another one of Jenny Philips songs to teach my boys about living Strong and courageous.There is a sweet spirit in our home with good music. And I love the Motab--this new album sounds amazing! Thanks for a great blog! I just found it and love checking in!
I love music! Christmas and Primary Songs are my favorite! When my granddaughter, Kennady, was a baby she would cry and cry when we were in the car. One day I turned on a Primary CD and she quit crying. We thought it might be just a coincidence so we turned off the CD and she started to cry again. She loved the Primary Music and I am sure it was because she felt the spirit while listening to them! A few years later, twin grandsons arrived - they are the same way - they LOVE the Primary songs!
kward65@q.com
Besides playing kid tunes in the car and at home, I've also dedicated special music time with my girls. We play and listed to all types of rhythms, songs, and instruments. The girls love it!
We don't listen to music much except in the car. We really need to start. I think good music can only help the atmosphere in the home, and who doesn't love it when the little ones know the hymns well enough to sing along?
Music has always been a way for me to invite the spirit into our home. Whether that's a calm spirit or a "let get down to work" spirit or a "come dance with me and be silly" spirit we are always able to find joy through music. The winters are long in Cleveland and with two toddlers it can be rough to find ways for them to spend their energy. My husband thought of a wonderful game one FHE. He put William Tell Overture on and jumped and danced and ran with the tempo. The boys LOVED it! It brightened our cold wintery home and provided and wonderful outlet.
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