You'll have heard of 'the Mozart Effect'. I'm a wee bit skeptical. I'm not a great fan of 'hot-housing'. So I was really glad to see this article about an Australian study which explored the effects that informal musical play has on the development of the very young. The article by Liam Viney, University of Queensland School of Music, is published online by 'The Conversation' and you can read it in full here:
https://theconversation.com/jamming-with-your-toddler-how-music-trumps-reading-for-childhood-development-49660
Here's a flavour of it:
'Crucially, its findings are based on situations where the child’s musical activities were informal and shared, typically with a parent – essentially a playful social experience.'
'Simple and fun musical activities can have enormous power in developing numeracy and literacy: try improvising a counting song, or making up new rhymes to familiar tunes.'
'But the true power of musical play lies in the unique blend of creativity, sound and face-to-face interaction; the learning is strengthened by its basis in a positive, empathic emotional relationship.'