Ragas for rugrats

As an observer of cousins and friends with toddlers this writer can vouch that itrsquos not easy to keep a kid entertained As toddlers are curious crawlers exploring the world various forms of art are a good way for them to create sensory awareness Thatrsquos where the parenttoddler music session by The Sound Space fits inThe organisation that is run by Kamakshi and Vishala Khurana develops workshops and sessions centred around music Their latest is a 10day workshop that aims to develop listening skills and music appreciation using props storybooks and percussion instruments in toddlers Mom Aashika Cunha and her toddler Sophia played sports and signed up for this oneofakind session with us while we observed from a cornerVishala Khurana in blue conducts the classThe class began with Vishala singing and introducing everyone as parents and toddlers sat in a circle slamming their hands on the floor to add beats Soon enough Vishala introduced a rain stick to the kids which grabbed their attention with its unique sound Meanwhile toddlers got shakers to create music with The activity involved introducing kids to fast and slow beats and even tapping the shaker on different body partsmdashtoes knees and shouldersmdashto create unique sounds Sophia was attentive and shaking away while some other toddlers danced to their beatAll this while Vishala sang one song after another switching between English and Hindi There were some classics like ldquoBaarish aayi cham cham chamrdquo And a Hindi rendition of Itsy Bitsy Spider where parents were encouraged to run their fingers as if spiders on their kids to give them sensory awareness As Vishala switched to different instruments like the ukulele the kids too were handed scarves to twirl and move to the musicOn ldquoLakdi ki kaathi kaathi pe ghodardquo the circle was asked to stand and move around To add some play parents were asked to hold their kids upside down or as far as they were comfortable While this act broke kids into giggles it also provides sensory integration ldquoWe add different movements and scarves or shakers as sensory elements at this age as itrsquos tough to keep a toddlerrsquos attention They get bored easilyrdquo says VishalaKamakshi and Vishala KhuranaThe 30minute session ended with an Indian classical number and parents tapping their kidsrsquo back to the beats ldquoI have done something similar before but that was a lyricsbased session Here the focus is beats and rhythm which helps build concentration and attention at this agerdquo says Cunha Her toddler Sophia most enjoyed the more movementbased activities but was rarely bored through the session ldquoShe enjoys music generally and here it was more interesting for her as there were different instruments and textural elements and she had to use her body morerdquo she says adding that as a parent she appreciated the lack of toys used during the session ldquoKids now have so many toys at home itrsquos great to have a space where they donrsquot use themrdquo At the end of it ldquoSophia enjoyed said lsquoMorersquo at the end of the class and had a slight tantrum so thatrsquos a good signrdquo says CunhaThe Khurana sisters are both trained musicians and the idea for the workshop was simply to inculcate a sense of beat rhythm and music appreciation in kids from the ages of nine months to three years ldquoOur goal is not that they pick up an instrument or study music But to simply develop an auditory experience Music integration in early childhood can help regulate the right and left brain and increase cognisance and concentrationrdquo says Vishala The workshop has a minimum of 10 sessions that every parenttoddler duo must attend While some activities are repetitive Vishala says she tries to keep them engaging through different instruments elements like shakers and scarves and storybooksEach session also always has a mix of English and Indian regional music ldquoWe want to promote our culture Kids are already exposed to Western music enough We want this to be a space where they experience Indian musicrdquo he concludesWHERE Indian National Theatre Aditya Birla Center Seth Road Babulnath Grant Road Malabar HillWHEN Thursdays and Fridays 530 pm onwardsAGE 9 months to 3 yearsPrice Rs 7000TO BOOK Contact Kristianne at 9820821296