I must confess that when our daughter was the ONLY 14-16 months old child sitting outside the circle play area of our Mommy and Me class, I did ask the teacher what she thought was going on. I had not yet begun my initial Music Together® training and was a first time Mom, with only the other kids in class with whom to compare. She wisely assured me that our daughter was an observer, and was choosing to sit on the step for an overview of all that was going on. Looking back I can light heartedly say that I had performance anxiety about my child's type of participation in class. I had performance anxiety about my child's performance. After all these years, it feels good to confess!
At the time, I did not understand that observing is an active part of early childhood development. Today, with so much documentation about visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learners, along with 17+ years with over 10,000 families, it is easy for me to recognize different learning styles and assure families that their participation with music will truly support all learning. These years also provide invaluable insight into the type of learner your child is.
I also fell into the trap of comparing my child's behavior to others. There is a WIDE RANGE OF NORMAL! In terms of musical behaviors, to those enrolled in our classes, please take a look at your Red four page handout: Growing and Learning with Music Together®. You will see the range of musical behaviors to look for and see how what you are doing in class supports and builds upon those behaviors.
So to answer my own question, Is Grown-up "performance anxiety" FOR my child a thing? Yes, it was for me at that moment, and I am so grateful to the teacher who pointed out that I was witnessing the power of early childhood observation as part of their learning style. I encourage you to ask yourself the same question, take a deep breath, refrain from moving your child's arms for them if they are able to clap, and enjoy the time making musicwith your child.
Of course, if you have any concerns or questions about your child, I encourage you to contact your Pediatrician. Thank you. ~Wendy