I’d never thought about it until watching this video, but at what age, exactly, do children develop the ability to sing? Is it a latent instinct that we’re all born with, but which takes some time to develop?
Do the songbirds in us only emerge between 18 months and 2 years, when most babies start chattering? Or could what sounds to the rest of us like mindless babbling coming from a baby’s crib actually be singing in disguise?
In the short clip below, an infant girl sporting a red-and-white-striped onesie sits in her grandmother’s lap while she sings Johnny Cash’s popular lullaby, “You Are My Sunshine.” Three-month-old Zoe initially appears mystified as her grandmother, grasping Zoe’s forearms, sings and gently claps her hands together in tune with the song. But, what’s that? A flash of a smile appears at 17 seconds.
