The Impact of Music from Birth [A SECE Parent Interview]
Teaching Suzuki Early Childhood Education (or SECE) classes is truly one of the highlights of my week. The development in the children we work with happens literally before our eyes and there’s no doubt that music is having a wonderfully positive impact on both the students and families.
Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a parent in a SECE class? How young is too young to start attending? What might your child get out of Suzuki ECE that sets it apart from other programs?
I am excited today to share an interview with a parent in our SECE program who started attending classes with her daughter when she was just 7 weeks old.
At the time of this interview, Summer is just over two years old. I was excited to ask Heather, her mom, about their experience in the program, how it has impacted Summer over these past two years and why SECE is still an important part of their lives two years later.
Enjoy!
Christine: What interested you in signing Summer up for the Suzuki ECE class at such a young age?
Heather: At around a month old, Summer could be quite fussy and I noticed when we would go out around others it seemed to help comfort her. We went to a musical instrument themed play date at a friend’s house and after Summer cried for twenty minutes solid in the car, the door to the house opened and a clear triangle sounded out. Summer stopped crying and was interested and content as she listened to the other simple instruments.
On our first day of Suzuki ECE class, Summer was 7 weeks old. She heard the instruments and quietly listened and took it all in.
I could tell each week that she had a lot to think about from class. She was unable to stay awake the entire class time or needed feeding intermittently but we could step out or sit to the side of the room while she napped.
It’s truly amazing to me that it didn’t matter what her mood was like earlier in the day or in the car, when class started she listened and thought. As she got older, she became more aware of and interested in her classmates too.