When Did Your Kids Start Being Able to Carry a Tune

My son started to sing a song the way it was meant when he was 3. He is 3 1/2 now and sings beautifully. My husband is tone-def. Glad my son inherited my ear.

My daughter has always been able to carry a tune from the time she started singing. My son is 12 & still can't. I don't think it's an age thing, it's just whether or not the person can do it.
*ETA* I just read Regina's answer, & yes, my son is in band as well. Ha!

I could not carry a tune until I was an adult. :) Now, I've performed in public (with a microphone.) Some people take longer than others.

Vocal chords don't develop fully until a child is in their teen years. As a matter of fact...and we are studying this is my oldest child's music course...it can damage your vocal chords (and ruin your singing voice) to strain and try to "belt out" singing at a young age...the appropriate way for a child to sing is the nasal, heady voice, not the deep chest voice.

And then, there's what you're born with. Some people never learn to hold a tune!! My six year old does okay...she works on it...but my 19 month old can already hold a tune and it's just crazy!! She can barely talk! And I know a lot of people that can't sing for anything. Me, for one. I've been playing the piano for 26 years and I can't sing. :)

Can I let you know when they get there? My son is 13, and he doesn't sing loud enough for me to know. My daughter is 10, and she sings in the car and isn't too bad, but she sings really softly, so it's hard to say if it is really in tune or not or how often she misses the note. She has been playing piano for a few years now, though, so I'm sure that has helped her.

But at 4, she was reading (she was pretty advanced for her age) and so would sing the hymns at church --even the ones she didn't "know". And she was NEVER in tune. She was loud though.... LOL

Just be glad if you can get her to sing the correct words. My 4 and 5 year olds love to sing, but they change all the words and sing it at the top of their lungs. When I try to give them the correct words, my 5 year old informs that that is not the way they sing it at church. Hey! I go to the same church and hear and sing the same songs and have never heard it quite they way they butcher it. Sometimes I record them because their butcher job of the song is just too cute. They also make up songs as they go along, but thats probably my fault. I have made up songs to sing to them since they were babies. Just whatever come to mind while I was trying to calm a fussy baby or entertain them.

my daughter, M, started dancing and wiggling IN TIME, to music at 6 months. We thought it was a fluke, but when my husbands phone would ring a punjabi tune. She would wiggle, to the beat perfectly, till it stopped. I have a video for proof on my computer.
At 2 she started singing in tune, to a hindi nursery rhyme. As she grew she started singing complicated tunes, in what I call kid pitch. On tune, but slightly quivery and high because shes so young. She gets 8 out of 10 notes correct in a stanza. While I am not a music teacher, I am a good singer. my husband not so much, but he is not bad. He actually dislikes most music.

She sings wonderful at 4 years old now, and dances even better. She is currently in a special class for classical Indian dance. She kicks butt, and does moves I can't begin to perform. I dont foresee her being a child sensation at singing, but the girl will be able to sing with the good ones.

Her 2 year old sister is tone deaf and super mono-tone. She cant hold a tune to save her life, but she has heart and soul. She sings with all her spirit and it is so darn cute.

Her 1 year old brother has started blah-blahing to music, while not as on key as M, he is trying early. He also has got some mad moves of his own, and earned the nickname "Happy Feet" due to his black and white, fake lace up skidders he loves to wear.

As a professional musician/teacher, by 4 they should be able to carry a tune. MANY people are tone deaf. It is actually more common that you think. An easy "test" per say, would be to sing a note and ask your daughter to sing the same note. You can try it several times. If she can do it, then she is not tone deaf. If she can't do it, then there is a good chance she is tone deaf. I taught band for many years, and many band students are tone deaf (which is why they weren't choir students- lol). :)
Just my two cents,
R.

Oh my gosh. One of the gals at work brought in a video and sound recording of her kids in their little school holiday program.
What was SO cute was the off notes, the ones that sing super loud and are animated, the ones you can tell are just moving their lips and seem to be "singing" something completely different.
Priceless.

At 4, I don't know if things should be taken so seriously.

My poor mother can't even sing Happy Birthday in tune so it just never happens for some people. She belts it out because far be it from her to not participate in the birthday singing, but carrying a tune....nope.

Your daughter will get better as she goes along...or she won't. But she shouldn't ever be discouraged from singing. It's good for the soul and the lungs to let it out.

Enjoy her while she's little and getting it figured out.

Best wishes.

2ish to be on note / key / pitch

MOST toddlers can sing true... but most toddlers are also in classes (preschool, etc.) that have off key pianos and teachers singing badly. They copy those wrong notes, keys, and pitch perfectly.... and carry them along with them forever. Their ears and audio cortexes aren't TAUGHT to hear the right note, and they aren't TAUGHT to reproduce it.

Very very few people are naturally tone deaf. Most are trained to be that way.

I would say she started to around the age of three. When she was four she sang "A Whole New World" at our wedding reception. It was totally amazing , and there was not a dry eye in the entire place!

My daughter had the ABC song down at 3 years old, and now at 4, she's does a nice rendition of "Frosty the Snowman". I suppose every kid is different, but maybe at some point, with enough practice, it will start to click. My daughter tends to sometimes take a long time to master something (like figuring out how to put together a jigsaw puzzle), but then all of a sudden it's like a light bulb goes off and then she's got it down!

My son sang very well at two.
But he didn't like command performances - it made him nervous.
He'd sing in the car or with other kids or with me, but if you asked him to sing he'd clam up.

i'm 44 and still cant carry a tune ......... does it stop me from singing - HECK NO!! i'd love some lessons to learn - my hubby says i'm tone deaf ..... our kids do ok .... one does really well - the other - well, she may take after mommy ..... oh well ...

Christmas Carols are all about sharing and loving and it should not matter if you're tone deaf! There are some "professional" singers who sing very badly but still make millions! :) My hubby & daughter are musically talented (my father-in-law was a violinist) but my son & I weeelll not so much! It doesn't stop us from having family sing-alongs (even though after a while my hubby & daughter plead for mercy) :) Enjoy the carols for as long as she's willing to sing them and tell hubby to "chill" its the "heart" that counts not the "pitch"! Tralalala LAH LAH!

Funny.
Every kid varies.
Just like adults.
I know adults who cannot carry a tune... still!

My 9 year old can't.
My 5 year old can for the most part.
No matter what, it is cute when they sing. On or off key or however.
Its cute.

I don't think, anyone expects... a 4 year old to be perfectly on key.
That is part of the "charm" of it all.... and makes for great memories and videos of them, while performing. ;)

Traditional Christmas carols, are very hard for a 4 year old to sing.
Even for an adult.

my kids were singing since they could talk! My son at 3 years old, sang "the climb" to his teacher and made her cry! My daughter wants to be a singer when she grows up (what little girl doesn't, lol!). but, yes, my kids have always been good with singing. I was in the top choir all through high school, played piano since I was 10. My husband was in marching band and BIL is a worship leader at church. My kids have a lot of music talent in our family

Started about 4, but my daughter is MUCH better at 5 yrs old! : )

Ha! What a cute question! I was wondering the same thing because suddenly my 4 year old likes to sing -- thanks to his mama -- but can't carry a tune to save his life -- thanks to papa! The poor dears.

I actually fully expect that my son will never really carry a tune, since his did is really really awful. I mean, it's bad. But, hey, maybe I am just carrying low expectations.

My daughter could sing in tune by the time she could sing at all. I clearly remember her singing whole songs by herself at age 2. My SS and SD...never! They still can't carry a tune in their 20s. People either can or can't sing in tune, just like a lot of other talents - we either have them or we don't. Tell your husband to drop this before your daughter starts feeling bad about a talent she just doesn't have.

If you just started working with her this sounds very normal. many children who are exposed to music can only follow the directon of the music but not sing on pitch all the time at that age. Keep exposing her to music and she will get it. She may be too old for the classes but ir you are interested in her learning more about singing and music check out Music Together or what they recommend for her age. The program is based on studies of how children learn music. The program includes all kinds of music, is fun and focuses on what is realistic for children. Hopefully your husband will learn to just enjoy it as it is very cute! I remember when my daughter was a toddler, and she just started keeping rhythm with her hands but not her legs! It's a developmental thing that is funny to see! MartyMomma probably missed this because her daughter was able to incorporate her whole body rhythmically at a very young age (which is so cool!) I'd say the most important thing is she have fun! If Dad wants to work with her hopefully he can do it in a fun way, maybe with repeat after me songs......

earliest I've seen is 18 months....he could sing the entire ABC song, hitting every note dead-on!

Typically, thru the 2nd year, this becomes 2nd nature....with a handful of kids waiting to hit those notes by KG. My younger son did not sing songs/recite ditties....until he was almost 4. Frequent sinus infections/allergies clogged up his head to the point that he couldn't "hear" that he was off!

I had to laugh when I read your post.....
I have a 4 (almost 5) year old girl, who actually sings opera. Now, I didn't say that it is good, but she can hold a tune and you can tell that when she gets older, she just may be able to sing it. I finally got her on camera singing in the shower.
My other comment, is that I have to BEG my husband not to sing or dance in front of the children, because he really is that bad, and I don't want the kids to pick up ANY of my husbands moves...really. LOL I know that rhythm runs in the family because my husbands sister moves the same way....awful! Hopefully the kids take after me........ :)

My SD was 10 when she was able to carry a tune. It happened overnight.
She had never been able to before.
It was always off-key.
On day. Bam. She could carry a tune automatically.
However, it does not happen to everyone.
I was never able to. Not to this day.
So tell hubby not to get his hopes up and that she may have other talents.
Also, can your hubby sing or carry a tune? Can you? If not, it could be your fault. Ha ha :)

I am 43 years old and I can not carry a tune. i finally figured it out in college-I am tone deaf. My kids HATE! my singing.

I don't remember them ever NOT being able to carry a tune. I've got a recording of my 2yr old son (now 14 and absolutely REFUSING TO SING, even though he's pretty good) singing Twinkle Twinkle Little Star perfectly. Both my girls can carry a tune, too, and did from the beginning. But they only sing when nobody's around (or they THINK nobody's around - they have no idea mom is quietly listening to them from around the corner!)

LOL!! Neither my 7 or 9 year olds can carry a tune!!

"Realistic" depends. I can't carry a tune in a bucket (and neither can most of my siblings!) so if MY mom were asking this question the answer would be NEVER. But then there are the musical families where it seems like the newborns even CRY in tune. So sometime between birth and never!

Are your families musical? looking around your own families will probably give you the best guess!

My just turned 2yo dd is speech delayed, but has been able to sing the melody of songs since she was 18 months. Frere Jacques, Row row row, ABC, now Jingle Bells. Doesn't have the words down, but does have the melody.

My almost 5yo daughter was an early, early talker but can't always carry a tune.

So I have the makings of a great song-writing team ala Rodgers and Hammerstein (melody and lyrics).