Your Newborn Baby. There are so many things to think about as a new parent, and music is probably not high on your list of priorities. The main thing is to ensure that your baby thrives, and this will happen much more easily in a calm atmosphere. This is where early learning, songs for children and music comes in.

There has been work done called 'The Neighbours Effect' where pregnant mums relaxed at the end of the day by watching Neighbours. It has been found that if their new infants hear this tune their heart rates actually go down. This is fascinating research, which seems to bear out the importance of music to the young infant.

Rocking and cradling are basic ways to calm a fretful babe. For nine months the baby has lived in a far from silent world. Rumbles and gurgles have come and gone but mother's heartbeat has been a constant sound. The steady rhythm of rocking or walking is therefore very reassuring in the baby's strange new world.

Adding a little tune takes the whole process into a new sphere but it is also the point where people back off saying "yes, but you haven't heard me sing". Your baby hasn't got a music degree either – but they have just joined this world of sound and whereas their sight will take a week or two to focus, their hearing is spot on. They will love the sensation of listening to a familiar voice and other research has shown that a child who has been sung to actually develops a keener ear for pitch. These earliest experiences are all going into their memory store and eventually will lead to speech, so it follows that the wider the range of sounds they can experience from birth, the easier and possibly quicker they will learn to talk.

So – don't be shy to have a go. Your baby is your greatest fan, and you will be setting them up emotionally and intellectually from day one!

My audio compilations, (which are available as an inexpensive royalty free download, or if you prefer as a physical CD in a jewel case), provide a mixture of well–known, and new songs for children, rhymes and finger play. The second and third sections are particularly suitable for babies. They re–visit many old favourites, such as incey wincey spider, this is the way the ladies ride, baa baa black sheep, goosey goosey gander etc. These songs are great music for kids and you can sing along with them and re–aquaint yourself with songs from your own childhood! The 'hints and tips' section, which downloads free when you have bought the other sections, will give you a few ideas for using the early learning songs for children material and getting the most out of it.

Just think – It will give you a whole new range of rocking songs to comfort your baby and you during those endless sleepless nights!

"Well thought out and organised which definitely helps with children's learning and confidence" Mrs A, Sleaford

Your Young Baby. Very soon your new baby stays awake for even longer periods of time. They will soon get bored if they have no stimulation. At this age their options for play are limited but what they are having to do constantly, is listen. It's all around them. They can't turn it off and it won't go away if they shut their eyes or spit it out. It is therefore really important that they are surrounded as much as possible with quality sound. I'm not talking state of the art mp3 players here, just normal everyday household sounds, voices, birds singing and even the vacuum cleaner will all fascinate, comfort and reassure. A baby can often be calmed when Mum leaves the room, if she continues to talk to them. Her voice provides a 'sound-link'.

For parents at home with a young baby it may not come naturally to keep up a conversation with a little person who cannot reply. You can feel a little self–conscious, but the more you get into the habit the easier it will feel and you will soon be rewarded by coos and babbles. Don't forget all the other sounds you can make, whistling, humming and tongue clicking etc; all help to broaden their sound memory store.

They will soon start to babble, which gives you the chance to automatically mirror their sounds, and thus begin a conversation (of sorts!). However, when you listen to this it is already full of rises and falls of pitch – the beginning of singing. Think about the toys their eyes follow. I guess their favourites are those that rattle, squeak, or make some other weird or wonderful sound.

My sheet 'before you start' (which is free when purchasing a CD or a download), will show you how to use hands, voices etc, as instruments, as well as giving you several ideas for making easy percussion instruments. These are obviously only suitable for adults to make and use. A young child should not be left alone with anything that could potentially harm them.

Your Toddler. By now your child is becoming more independent by the day. They are very mobile and becoming an ever more efficient tool user, as well as being able to communicate through their newly acquired skill, language. Musical experiences can help this development in each of these areas. We've already seen how by imitation we can use the child's earliest babblings to begin to copy sounds that will lead to words. As a parent you need to find stimulating toddler activities to continue their educational development and early learning skills.

Many nursery rhymes use the same sound at the start of consecutive words. This is called alliteration and favourites such as baa baa black sheep, goosey goosey gander and sing along a sixpence are obvious examples.

Children just love getting their tongues round their new language. Marching round banging a drum and singing "Oh the grand old Duke of York" is a great toddler activity and immediately fosters a sense of rhythm as it's impossible not to march in time!

With the appropriate adult supervision, now is the time when upturned tins make wonderful drums, plastic bottles can be filled with different things to produce shakers, and wooden sticks can be tapped.

In toddler activity groups using ring songs such as ring a ring a roses can offer children early safe experiences when leaving their own parent – albeit very briefly. I'm also thinking of the nursery rhyme "Who shall we have for Nuts in May? We'll have ––– for Nuts in May". I've used this idea in my food compilation in the song "Hello Mrs Robinson". In many early songs young children can safely experience what we might normally consider frightening ideas with goosey goosey gander ––– falling down the stairs, being an example.

My songs for children and toddler activities can be used again and again as they grow and appreciate different aspects of the songs. Never be afraid to revisit an old song to stimulate activities for toddlers. Don't forget that it might be the hundredth time for you but for a child it is very different, and they gain in confidence as they recognise an old favourite.

Playgroup, Nursery, Reception. Many of the old favourite songs and action rhymes will continue to be enjoyed at this stage. Early learning childrens music stimulates and encourages them. The young child's world is expanding at an alarming rate; their musical toddler activities can provide a bridge, offering them opportunities to retreat towards the babyhood they are leaving behind, while at the same time providing the opportunity to explore new ideas and vocabulary.

The original songs for children on the first section of my compilations are all designed with this in mind. The songs on the animal compilation explore animals from all over the world, as well as domestic animals and their habitats. The Food songs explore the sounds of foods and cover categories such as fruit and veg, and the rainbow of colour that various foods make.

The second section has chants and rhymes designed to foster a sense of rhythm. Chants about numbers often feature in this section as do many knee bouncing songs. They benefit enormously from these enjoyable and educational musical toddler activities.

In the third section well known nursery songs are used and simple percussion ideas are added in a way that a non specialist could easily copy. The toddlers may have been used to playing percussion instruments for some time. Now may be an opportunity to refine their playing to see if they can play louder, quicker or longer. Now they may be able to create musical patterns, and try repeating patterns.

As part of the listening strategy I have used one well known classic on each songs for children compilation and added words. It would then be possible to play the children the original; having sung the melody they are more likely to remember the classic.

All musicians need to perform, and the end of term concert is a good opportunity to do so. The fourth section is an accompaniment only session. Again it is royalty free, so nursery school teachers, playgroup leaders, toddler activity groups and carers can use it to show off their pupil's hard work during the term!

The fifth section 'Hints and Tips' offers even more ideas for using and extending the music in the compilation and creating interesting and rewarding activities for toddlers.

Beginning to play an instrument. As a young piano teacher I was aware of the situation where a young child would come for their first lesson, dying to get stuck in and play a concerto. "Just before we do that" was a phrase I often had to use, and it occurred to me then that if some of the basics could have already been taught through stories and songs, perhaps this frustrating early phase could be shorter, and these eager children could get playing much quicker.

That is the philosophy behind my 'Note Reading is Fun' ebook. It introduces the vocabulary such as minims, quavers and so on within a musical family of little cartoon figures, and a song. The book then goes on to introduce the idea of up and down, and ABCDEFG, and shows the learner the relationship of these to the five lines and spaces. This book would make an ideal introductory stage for anyone with an enthusiastic 5–6 year old. Learning any instrument is hard work so any auxiliary help I've always thought very useful.

Lots of children do not get the opportunity to learn to play the recorder until they are seven or eight, but I have always found it possible to make a gentle beginning with children as young as five. This is best done in very short bursts of perhaps ten minutes. My Fun Recorder Book 1 is ideal in this situation. Again they are very eager to get playing, which they can achieve in lesson 1 with the help of simple diagrams. Leave the note reading until later, they will become fluent players using tunes they know, just as they became fluent talkers before they learnt to read! Book 2 then uses these same tunes but here they are shown on the stave. If the Note reading Fun book has been used in conjunction then the transfer is fairly easy.

My main aim when teaching toddlers and pre–school children is always that they should remember their music sessions with me as fun occasions. If I can infect them with a life long love of music then my work has not been in vain.