Sesame Street knows about Musical Empathy

The relationship between feelings and music is obvious to even the smallest child. Children respond to music with their whole bodies. They'll express their feelings with much more than just their faces. They can naturally make their whole body look sad or happy or excited. It's wonderful to see.

If you have children in your life, expose them to as much music as possible. Don't just have the radio playing on your favourite station and don't just play them children's music either. Give them a taste of everything from country to classical and don't forget to include the folk music of your ancestors. Give them musical roots and musical wings.

Play sad music and happy music, dancing music and thinking music, and share the memories that music triggers.

Sesame Street is the coolest show and has the coolest music. Here's a clip of a violinist showing Big Bird how music shows feelings.

Here's another cool clip of hunky Mark Ruffalo on Sesame Street explaining to a Muppet what empathy is.

Put them together and you've got Musical Empathy.