Infant Guitar Stars

guitarWhen I was a guitar-playing pre-K teacher, I was struck by how many kids came to school wearing guitar themed clothing: “I’m with the band;” “When I grow up I wanna rock like my Daddy;” “Rock star in training’” “Girls rock.” One year, we had a student that gave Bruce Springsteen a run for his money. Every day, in the block area, he’d build his own stage and enlist friends to sell tickets to his concert. So you could understand why his parents, and those of other kids this age, might reinforce a demonstrated interest through clothing selection. This student identified as a rocker, he loved my guitar, drew pictures of it, sat near it, stroked it, and was really proud of his latest tee-shirt.

But what about guitar-wear donned by infants? Is this just wishful thinking on the part of parents who were raised post Beatles and Rolling Stones? Or is there some genuine connection between the marketing of children’s clothing and a predilection of infants for music, real instruments, and specifically the guitar?

I’m teaching music in an infant toddler program and I see children dressed in guitar-wear all the time—babies! Currently, as we speak, the website Café Press offers 560 patterns of onesies and bibs sporting guitar themes (click HERE to check it out). Yes, 560. They include images of classical paintings by Vermeer and Mona Lisa playing the guitar, to sayings like: “Where’s my roadie?” “Lord of the strings;” “What Happens in the Garage Stays in the Garage;” and “’Scuse Me While I Kiss The Sky,” a reference to a Jimi Hendrix song. This song is surely a personal favorite of many babies.

On the one hand, the obsession with turning babies into little rockers seems rooted in a superficial drive to make money. On the other it has a basis in a compelling reality. Babies are attracted to guitars like moth to flame. In every class I teach, from 3- to 24-month-olds, the children need, in fact, demand time with the guitar. We give them time to explore alone and in groups, which offer different experiences. Remember, this is the first time they are introduced to the instrument and it is full of wonder and amazement. Through contact with the guitar, infants learn:

  • To build crawling skills as they make their way across the room to get to the guitar
  • To observe how I make a sound and imitate my motion
  • To use their hand to strum, pull strings, grip, and even lift their own body weight thus developing fine and gross motor skills
  • To pull themselves to standing using the upright neck
  • To bend knees and rock while standing

There are three big lessons that stand out particularly: Every child is a musical agent in the world. They use all their developed physical skills to make music—hitting a drum, shaking a bracelet of bells, dancing with egg shakers. They exude confidence. The joy and pride that arises from meeting goals in self-directed musical play is moving to see.

From the earliest ages, children will be motivated to solve problems and develop wonderful ideas in a musical context. For example, an infant who is mastering movement from back to tummy will find ways to snake around to reach the instrument. Just this week, a 15-month-old directed me to put bracelet bells on our rabbit puppet’s arms while we sang “John the Rabbit.” An adult wouldn’t have considered this use of materials. In another class, while we sang a song about a rooster, duck and pig, a child gave me plastic animals corresponding to the lyrics, revealing amazing listening skills.

But perhaps most impressive of all, is the way the children are influenced by each other’s passion for the guitar. A reserved child who so badly wants to approach the guitar will hang back until he observes friends strumming on several occasions. Watching and waiting, observing and learning, he will suddenly one day participate fully. Some children need to see a friend do something before they see themselves as capable. When I model hand motions to a song, one child will try them and soon everyone is moving their fingers. We hear a lot about children learning from each other, and these early musical experiences provide concrete examples of the power of social learning.

What’s key here is that teachers actually give children the time to process what they see and hear. We don’t assume an absence of learning just because the children haven’t participated with their bodies yet.

For hundreds of years visual artists have been painting and sculpting guitars, tapping into a fundamental human attraction to the instrument. Picasso depicted the guitar in over 70 well known works. Children are not immune to these deep seated aesthetic values. They know the difference between the adult guitar and the children’s model. As an educator, a mother, and a human being, I have questions about how children come into the world attracted to the guitar and with the capacity to move in rhythm, play soft or loud along with what they hear etc. Before they have words, they speak the language of music.

Many parents actively inculcate musical values in their children from birth. They do it by joining a music class, bringing instruments into the home, singing during bath time and even dressing the child in a guitar onesie. While I’m not endorsing this or that infant wear, I can understand why parents who feel passionately about music might want to dress their child in guitar-wear even before they can express preferences of style. As someone who celebrates and learns from children’s musical discoveries every day, I get it. Parents, keep singing. Rock on, sweet babies, reminding us of your inborn musical genius.

Renee Bock is a dedicated early childhood educator, who is currently the Chief Academic Officer at Explore+Discover, a social learning center in Manhattan that is committed to setting the standard for infant and toddler care and education. Renee has more than a decade of experience in the field and holds a Master’s in Early Childhood Education from Bank Street College in New York. She has three sons, Ariel (16), Raffi (14), and Shaya (13). She can be reached at [email protected].

Relevant Directory Listings

See More

Bonjour Language Camps!

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: bold; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Bonjour Language Camps in French, Mandarin & Spanish</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Our focus is on immersive experiences – building confidence, friendship, and foreign language skills through engaging themes and activities. Each week your child will learn new words and phrases, and gain fluency in the language you choose. </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Campers have 2–3 *additional* practice sessions per day in small groups to increase spoken fluency. Campers also delve into fun new themes, as well as makeovers of some tried-and-true favorites!</span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.38; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-position: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">All campers ages 3.5–11 are immersed in French, Mandarin, or Spanish, content-rich experiences, lots of outdoor time, and trips all over the city. We also offer add-on 1:1 language instruction and STEM lessons to combat summer slide. All language levels are welcome – our campers range from bilingual to beginner!</span></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-12c5fef9-7fff-3b7c-4c11-bf7aa0550b78"></span></p>

LeapUp Learning

<p><span style="font-size: 10pt; font-family: Arial;" data-sheets-value="{" data-sheets-userformat="{">At our Mandarin Chinese Immersion Day Camp we will take your kids on an exciting, imaginative journey to famous Chinese cities. History, geography, architecture, unique customs and traditions, food and more will be introduced to kids in an interactive, fun and immersive language environment. Age appropriate activities such as games, storytelling, art projects, music and theater, sports and cooking as well as special demonstrations or performances.</span></p>

Penguin Coding School

<p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Penguin Coding School believes that </span><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">anyone can code</span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. The most compelling motivation for learning to code is that it enables building something kids can call their own. What makes this approach "worth it" for the kids is that at the end of the road, they see that their code actually does things in the real world. Not in some playpen, but in the real Internet where anyone can access it. </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Programs:</span></strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"><strong> </strong>Penguin Coding School </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">provides comprehensive coding education to kids ages 5-18. In-person & Online classes are available in Scratch, Minecraft, Roblox, Python, Javascript, Java, Robotics, and Mobile Apps. Their small class size, award winning teachers and age-appropriate curriculum ensure every child will learn coding with a smile. Penguin Coding has in-person classes and summer camps in Cobble Hill and Park Slope, as well as three Massachusetts locations. </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 11pt; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: transparent; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><strong><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Free Trial Classes: </span></strong></p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-115c8d0a-7fff-6ffb-9ee2-4fd4aa248c0a"></span></p> <p dir="ltr" style="line-height: 1.656; text-align: justify; margin-top: 0pt; margin-bottom: 0pt;"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">Sign up for our award-winning</span><a style="text-decoration: none;" href="https://penguincodingschool.com/freetrial?utm_campaign=FreeTrials&utm_source=NYF&utm_medium=Directory"><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto, sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;"> </span><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #1155cc; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: underline; -webkit-text-decoration-skip: none; text-decoration-skip-ink: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">free trial classes</span></a><span style="font-size: 12pt; font-family: Roboto,sans-serif; color: #000000; background-color: #ffffff; font-weight: 400; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; text-decoration: none; vertical-align: baseline; white-space: pre-wrap;">. They offer a 60 minute free trial class in Scratch, Python, Roblox, Java, Robotics and much more! Appropriate for absolute beginners as well as those with some experience (trial classes are used to place students in the right level).</span></p>