It’s a question I get so often from guests, especially friends of my kids. “Do you, like, always have music playing?
Well, yes.
(And even when there’s no music playing, there’s music playing…in my head.)
It’s always enlightening to learn the ways in which you’re not normal – clearly we’re outliers when it comes to music playing around the house. That tells me a lot about the environments my students come from – and why some things might be harder or easier for students with different experiences.
It also tells me something about why the kids who grow up in musical households are themselves so musical. In the battle of nature/nurture, I think this is a good contender for a nurture element. Time spent listening to music is a prerequisite for a keen ear – for musicality in any form – and I don’t doubt that kids of musicians hear more music by 6 than many kids hear by 18.