The Gift of Music for Fostering Connection and Joy

Dr. Anne Meeker Watson, founder of sing.play.love., shares her expertise as an early childhood consultant and content creator. She discusses how music- and play-based programming helps parents connect deeply with their young children, setting the stage for collaboration with music therapists to support developmental outcomes. Dr. Watson offers practical strategies for embedding music into daily routines to enhance early learning and kindergarten readiness. Her top advice? Keep it playful, start small, and use music as a powerful tool for building strong parent-child bonds and fostering early development.

Resources

Bailey, B. A., (2000). I love you rituals. William Morrow.

Brae, A. M., Tough, S., & Madigan, S. (2022). Screen time and developmental and behavioral outcomes for preschool children. Pediatric Research, 91(6), 1616–1621.

Troutman, B., Moran, T. E., Arndt, S., Johnson, R. F., & Chmielewski, M. (2012). Development of parenting self-efficacy in mothers of infants with high negative emotionality. Infant Mental Health Journal, 33(1), 45–54.

About The Interviewee

Anne Meeker Watson, PhD, MT-BC, is the founder of the sing.play.love. program (singplaylove.com). Through her writing, product development, and workshops, she shares information about the benefits of music and play to support early learning and kindergarten readiness and gives practical strategies for embedding both into the daily lives of young children. Contact: anne@singplaylove.com

Suggested Citation

Kern, P. (2025, May 1). The gift of music for fostering connection and joy [Audio podcast]. imagine. www.imagine.musictherapy.biz