# When could your toddler carry a tune?



## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

Not perfectly of course, but some semblance of the correct tune?

DD is 19.5 months and can recite the words to various songs, but there is no discernible tune involved. She sings to herself, though--just her own little "tunes."

(My DH is very musical and is convinced DD has no musical genes because she can't "sing along" yet. I figure this probably isn't true, but was wondering when real singing starts to emerge.)


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## Slackermom (Jul 23, 2003)

DD sings non-stop. And she's constantly requesting that we sing to her...the world is one big jukebox to her!

She carries a tune amazingly well. I'm astounded, really. She's 22 months, and has been able to carry a tune for the past three months or so.


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## lizabird (Jan 19, 2004)

Very interesting, I have been wondering the same thing. DS "sang" himself to sleep when he was an infant, sort of a monotone humming, but that stopped sometime in infancy. I sing pretty frequently, as does DH, but DS has not sung anything yet, to my knowledge. He makes plenty of noise, but no singing, yet. (at 21 mos)

I'd love to read more replies too...


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## katsam (Mar 3, 2005)

My 16 month old sings the the chorus to a song on the new Beck CD all the time, he sings it right on tune. It totally surprised me, because I am totally tone death :LOL . I've been trying to get him to pick up other tunes, but he really likes that Beck song!


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## sareva (Apr 20, 2005)

i just realized 3 days ago that my 17.5 month old has been singing twinkle twinkle little star. she's so off tune that i didn't catch it at first. i sing to her all the time, and we play music a lot. she loves her toddler music class to pieces. so, i consider her "musical.". i think these things develop differently for kids; my kid is on the slow side for all milestones so i'm not worried yet. i guess i'd just keep playing music of all sorts and see where it takes you.


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## VeganSculptor (Apr 20, 2004)

Ds has carried a tune for a looooong time. He just turned two. Before he could talk he would hum along. Now he can sing songs and people always comment on his ability to sing in tune. DH is very proud because he's always wanted to be a rock star.


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## bobica (May 31, 2004)

dd has been "singing" for a loooong time. i'm not sure when she carried tunes that we could recognize- she was always "composing" her own :LOL now, (28 months) she sings tunes & actual real words. for the summer, everything was sung to the tune of twinkle/abc- everything possible







now she sings Dan Zanes' "pay me my money down" which is really fun to listen to :LOL


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## faythe (Oct 2, 2003)

My dd3 was singing early as well, I don't remember exactly when I noticed it, but it was before her 2nd birthday. Of course, carry a tune and recognizable aren't the same thing! There won't be any Star Search in her future, lol!


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

loraxc my dd is obsessed with music and dance. she was 11 months old when i recognised the tune and 16 months when i recognised words. but my friends son didnt start till he was 28 months old. and a music major at college didnt start carrying a tune till she was about 3.


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## teachma (Dec 20, 2002)

My dd will be 18 months old and has been carrying a clear tune since the beginning of the summer, so like 15 or 16 months of age. She and ds are so musical it's unbelievable, considering dh and I have no such talent. The first tune she did was the Frere Jacques/ "Where is Thumbkin?" tune. At about 16 months old, she could sing the tune easily, but not the words, so she made up her own. "Mama, dada, mama, dada, sleep, sleep, sleep." Try to imagine that to the tune of Frere Jacques- it was so cute. She also liked/likes the ABCs/ Twinkle Twinkle tune. She now sings most of the words of Twinkle Twinkle, but she's had the tune for months and used to make up her own words to that, too.


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## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

Interesting. I wonder if the people answering are those whose kids carried a tune earlier? Or maybe DD is just not gonna be a singer.


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## Helen White (Aug 19, 2004)

DS just turned 3 and has dramtically improved in this area just in the last 3 months or so. He carries a tune better than his daddy now. (Of course, that isn't saying all that much. :LOL )


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## FreeRangeMama (Nov 22, 2001)

Ds1 is 4 and still can't carry a tune whatsoever (he can't dance either, poor kid :LOL). Ds2 has been singing (in tune and everything) since 8 months. I was stunned when he started babble-singing in the tune of "The Itsy Bitsy Spider" right around 8 months!! Even ds1 recognized it right away. He also has a great sense of rhythm and at age 2 he can (and does) sing dozens and dozens of songs. He likes to make up words to go along with classical music and he will pick up choruses to songs on the radio and start singing along.....LOUDLY. Poor dd (4 mo) never stays asleep for long in the van.

Like most things each at their own rate I guess


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## megpaw (Apr 19, 2005)

Ava & Genevieve both started singing at around 20 months, but only started carrying a tune around 24-25 months (they are going on 27 months now.) Their current favorites are the Do-Re-Mi Song from Sound of Music and Old McDonald, sung at the very tippy top of their lungs, of course.


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## l_olive (Jan 18, 2005)

My little man is 2.5 and sings at the top of his lungs constantly. He makes up songs (often with made-up words), but I certainly wouldn't call any of his songs a "tune." Not at all. But it's still joyful to me!

--Olive


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## mamaley (Mar 18, 2002)

Quote:


Originally Posted by *loraxc*
Not perfectly of course, but some semblance of the correct tune?

DD is 19.5 months and can recite the words to various songs, but there is no discernible tune involved. She sings to herself, though--just her own little "tunes."

(My DH is very musical and is convinced DD has no musical genes because she can't "sing along" yet. I figure this probably isn't true, but was wondering when real singing starts to emerge.)

My son didn't start singing until he was 2 and a half, at least. My dd started much younger...probably at around 15 months or so? Although she's definitely not in tune! LOL But it's very cute, she sings everywhere. Anyway, my son now is 5 and is always making up songs.


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## Daffodil (Aug 30, 2003)

My 2 1/2 yr old has only rarely tried to sing, and when she does there's nothing resembling a tune; it's not even much like actual singing, more of just a slightly sing-songy chant. She's never been very interested in listening to music, either, though she does often like it when I sing to her. (I'm a terrible singer, so that hardly counts as music.)


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## Destinye (Aug 27, 2003)

Well I am 42 and can't carry a tune, and apparently DD has inherited my wonderful singing ability she very tunelessly sings EIEIO MOO MOO MOO in a monotone. Still it could be worse - the dog only howls when I sing.


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## meemee (Mar 30, 2005)

loraxc, what about musical instruments. u can find them for not an arm and a leg. a radioshack keyboard is $50 and a guitar would be around that much too. i dont know about singing ages or instrument ages but musically talented can mean many things. an ear for music. cant sing or read but can compose. can play instruments but cant sing. cant sing or play but can be a v. talented producer.

that is why it is so important to offer a variety of choices to your child - which i am sure u do. u never know which area their talent lies. my friends son who performs around the world at 15 and has been invited by all major music colleges to get a degree didnt pick up the piano till he was 6 or 7.

some children are late bloomers and his parents had no clue he even had an ear for music leave alone an interest. they are not a musical family.

i understand where u r coming from. u wish u knew NOW.


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## loraxc (Aug 14, 2003)

Oh, I don't mean to imply that this is a big deal to me. I was just curious. Also, DH has been annoying me with his "I guess she got her music genes from YOU...*sigh*" comments.







(He's not really being serious, but he's still annoying.)

(I am neither musical nor unmusical. I can carry a tune and play basic music, but I have no particular talent at either.)

It's very true that there are many kinds of musical talent, of course. I have a cousin who is tone-deaf but a marvelous clarinet player.


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## Hazelnut (Sep 14, 2005)

My son is 29 months, loves to sing, and sings adorably and hilariously flat and devoid of "tune" as most people would define that word. It is actually interesting, and I was wondering the same thing a while back. Although, I can't carry much of a tune either...I assumed it was more developmental though.


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## kimmysue2 (Feb 26, 2003)

Well according to grandma (my mother) my son started singing IN tune around 18 months old. She still says he sings in tune. Now she is comparing him to my nonexisting ability of tune holding so she might be bias some :LOL


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