A Family Guide to Parenting Musically

A Family Guide to Parenting Musically is for families who want to make music a more meaningful part of their daily life. It is full of ideas about how to engage in musical parenting (doing things to help your child grow musically) as well as parenting musically (using music to achieve parenting goals). Designed for parents, grandparents, caregivers, and friends, this book includes 70 musical activities and is written in a clear and engaging style. The companion website features audio examples of songs, chants, and activities and links to Lisa Huisman Koops's popular Parenting Musically podcasts.

Lisa Huisman Koops is Professor of Music Education at Case Western Reserve University. She also teaches early childhood music classes, is the host of the podcast Parenting Musically, and is mother to four children. Her research focuses on the vital role of the family in optimizing children's musical experiences and learning. She is the author of Parenting Musically, a book documenting eight diverse families' use of music over the course of a year in Cleveland.

- Dear Reader
- Acknowledgments
- List of Activities
- About the Companion Website
- Introduction: What is "Parenting Musically" All About?
- Part One: Music is Important
- 1. Family Musicking Framework
- 2. You Are a Musical Family
- 3. Celebrating Your Family's Musical Canon
- 4. Discovering New Music as a Family
- 5. Cherishing Your Additional Adults in Family Musicking
- 6. What are Your Family's Musical Hopes and Dreams?
- Part Two: Many Ways to Be Musical
- 7. Sing with Your Kids
- 8. Music Listening Together
- 9. Found Sounds and Rhythm Bands
- 10. Dance Parties Through the Decades
- 11. Creating Music, Creating Memories
- Part Three: All Humans are Musical
- 12. Music Before Birth
- 13. Connecting with Your Infant Through Music (Birth to 12 Months)
- 14. Musicking Through the Day with Toddlers (ages 12 to 36 months)
- 15. Widening Musical Worlds with Preschoolers (ages 3 to 5 years)
- 16. Uncovering Musical Interests with Early Elementary-Age Children (ages 5 to 9 years)
- 17. Nurturing Musical Expression with Late Elementary-Age Children (ages 9 to 12 years)
- Part Four: Expressing Agency as a Family with Music
- 18. How to Participate in Early Childhood Music Experiences
- 19. How to Help Your Child Choose an Instrument or Voice Part
- 20. How to Help Your Child Develop Musical Skills
- 21. How to Approach Musical Practice in Healthy Ways
- 22: How to Sustain Musical Involvement
- Epilogue: Parenting Musically and Musical Parenting in Context
- Appendix
- Bibliography
- Further Reading