Bouncin' Babies

MGranny Kepi ( who is a Suzuki Flute Teacher) told me recently of a Suzuki Teacher Trainer who is bouncing babies for his PhD in neuro-science & brain development research. He says that babies need to be bounced rhythmically before six months of age if you want them to have a higher comprehension and ability of rhythmic skills. To do this research, he also has to bring a change of clothes, as bouncin' babies produces sometimes more than rhythmic skills.

MGKepi also reminded me that this should include various rhythms such as 3/4 time that occurs in waltzes because they are somewhat uncommon. She is giving us a recording with waltzes that we can bounce our Munkey to soon.

Also another interesting tidbit that I learned from MGKepi was that Munkeys prefer to bounce in multiples of two verses three. However a popular childhood past-time, skipping, is done in multiples of three somewhat naturally I suppose. Maybe that's where most kids learn it, very fascinating.

Dan and I were trying to brainstorm if we knew any waltzes but maybe the lyrics are just bit old fashioned and are dying out with each generation as Disney songs take over. We did come up with "My Darling Clementine" which is a waltz in 3/4 time, but neither of us knew the lyrics. MGKepi also points out that "Away in a Manger" and "My Country 'Tis of The" are also in threes.

All this got me thinking there must be websites that have lyrics for kids of songs no one remembers or ever knew. I really don't know any song lyrics so MB and I might as well learn them together. I found this web site today that lets you hear the music and see the lyrics so you can sing along. I would love to find more song websites like this if anyone knows of any.

I think it would be neat for MB to hear folk songs and waltzes too. I really love bluegrass music and folk music and Grandma Belle (who MB was partially named after) played many waltzes for me on her electric Organ when I was little and took me to waltz with them occasionally at their ballroom dances.

Today I picked some songs off the web site with lyrics and we sat on my exercise ball and bounced along while I sang somewhat in tune. MB stared at me in amazement and she sat very still listening to the words and being bounced along. It actually ended up putting her to sleep by about the fifth verse of "Alice the Camel" (so MB never found out that Alice the Camel was actually a horse, she will be devastated :) . I think we'll do a little bouncin' and singing songs every day.