I have spent a few days now with my 18-month-old grandson, and we have discovered that whenever he hears music, he starts dancing! Whether the music is coming from a music box or a stuffed animal, the sound makes him happy and he just can’t help himself but to get up and dance.

Now that I’m a grandmother (!), watching the baby dance to music instantly brings a smile to your face.

Oh, I do remember bringing my 2-year-old son to an AGO potluck meeting years and years ago, and as a couple of the members started to play Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue as a piano duet, Stephen immediately got in front of the piano and started waving his arms around and kicking up his feet, caught up in the joy of music.

I am staying with my sister, and on Christmas Eve, my son’s family came to visit and the baby spotted this snowman music box on the bookshelf.

See the little red and white button near the snowman’s boot? We showed the baby how to press it to play Christmas carols, and immediately he started rocking back and forth, swaying in time to the music.

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W654kOTbTUs?start=01&end=10&w=560&h=315]

Of course, he had to press the button over and over, bringing even more music. Doesn’t that put a smile on your face?

According to LiveScience:

“Babies love a beat, according to a new study that found dancing comes naturally to infants. The research showed babies respond to the rhythm and tempo of music, and find it more engaging than speech. The findings, based on a study of 120 infants between 5 months and 2 years old, suggest that humans may be born with a predisposition to move rhythmically in response to music.”

And how often did I hear Carl Crosier say that baroque music is based on the dance!

In the article by Katja Vaghi, “Where there is music, there is dancing. The saying couldn’t be truer than in the Baroque period.”

Guess we should turn the baby onto Baroque music, and then he’ll really dance!

[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cz7g1iXcOP8&w=560&h=315]