Did you know that playing music to your unborn baby could have lasting effects on it? According to the experts, a foetus hears many sounds from the outside world. However, there is a type of noise that captures the baby’s attention most from moms-to-be is music. Although the actual impact of prenatal exposure to Mozart and Bach is yet to be established, initial research seems to show that your unborn baby may possibly enjoy and somewhat benefit from a daily dose of music.

Sounds inside the womb
A baby can start hearing sounds at around 17 weeks’ pregnancy. This is usually about the time the mother begins to feel the initial small flutters of movement and before the baby’s sex can be clearly known. The baby’s heartbeat will accelerate in reaction to sounds originating from outside the womb, including music by the 26th week. At 33 weeks’ gestation, babies have been detected breathing in step with music, which is an indication of their awareness of the beat. By the time the baby is 38 weeks, it responds differently to different genres of music, by showing various rates of foetal movement.

The mother-to-be should be careful

Recent studies have confirmed what some experts have believed for many years – music has healing powers. The proliferation of diseases, especially the chronic and terminal type, demands that humanity looks for solutions from all viable sources. This quest explains the growth of the alternative medicine industry. Admittedly, there are still many health complications that baffle doctors. There are no cures for diseases such as cancer and Alzheimer’s. In almost every community, there are terminally ill people, waiting to die any minute. Many of these are isolated in homes, or taken and abandoned in hospices. For such unfortunate persons, music can bring relief and healing even as doctors continue to search for a permanent cure.

Studies show that music helps to assuage pain. Pain is one of the most dreadful aspects of disease. Pharmaceutical companies discovered this fact a long time ago and created pain-killers. Consequently, every time one feels some throbbing in any part of the body, the natural tendency is to ask for a pain-killer. Music is a priceless but effective method of alleviating pain. Patients listening to music experience quick relief from pain than those who don’t. Next time you experience headache, try

If your child is just starting out as a student cellist, you’ve most likely rented him or her a cello. Or if your child joined the school orchestra, he or she is using a student cello provided by the school. And if you were reasonably sure that your child is committed to playing, you might have purchased a student cello from a local violin shop. Whichever the scenario, unless the school has provided all that your child needs, you’ll find yourself needing to purchase a basic set of cello accessories.

You may find online stores and shops with special “cello chairs” that they claim is “essential to good cello playing”. You’ll find cello stands and cello bow cases, but those pieces of equipment are not required for beginning student cellists.

The accessories that are important are typically not very expensive. Items such as cello strings, cello rosin, humidifiers, metronomes and tuners are accessories worth investing in in order to provide your child with best learning experience possible.

The proper cello strings are vital for a beginning student. You will find strings made of steel, gut and synthetic core, but most cellists prefer steel strings.