Pratt says the babies showed the strongest preferences for sung lullabies. Lullabies are very smooth, the rhythm is very even, there's not a lot of chordal movement. Pratt was not surprised to find that the babies preferred singing to speaking. However, she was surprised to find that the babies responded equally well to the singing voices of men and women. It has long been accepted that babies respond better to women's voices but in our study, that was not the case for either boy or girl babies.
Children respond to their parents' voices.
There is a timbre there that may not be beautifully polished but it is the father's sound and that's what's important to a child. The baby's not a critic, commenting on the lack of polish or phrasing. I think that overrides everything else. Pratt says there is also evidence that music helps build the brain's neural pathways and that certain types of music can help ADD kids focus. We notice more and more that doctors are reaching out for complementary therapies, including music.