There’s a lot of bubbly, cheery music geared toward babies out there, but this melody was composed using the power of science.
The song, written and performed by Grammy award winner Imogen Heap in conjunction with Caspar Addyman at the University of London for C&G Baby Club, encapsulates everything babies like in music according to multiple studies. For example, Addyman explains that babies prefer consonance over dissonance, and prefer the female voice, especially when it’s in a singsong baby talk voice. The song is also in a major key, has a quick tempo, and has a simple, repetitive melody that includes drum rolls, key changes, rising pitch glides, and plenty of opportunities for anticipation and surprise. Plus, there are silly noises, and babies love those.
The song was tested out on a focus group of 26 babies throughout its composition, and the music in the video above is the end result. Obviously, there’s no guarantee the song will make your baby bounce around happily or burst out into laughter, but there’s a good chance they’ll enjoy it. You’ll probably enjoy it too. You read more about it at the link below.
We created a song that makes babies happy | The Conversation via Science of Us