(Key words: Music; paediatrician)

Place of music in the practice of paediatrics has received scant attention although physicians and neurologists, in particular, are showing an increasing interest in this topic 1. This article attempts to highlight the link between music and child development, music as a feature in specific paediatric conditions and the place of music therapy in newborn nurseries. Music and child development Musicianship is a special human capability. However, the ability to make and appreciate music is common to all persons. An eminent ethnomusicologist defines musical ability as "an innate, species-specific set of cognitive and sensory capabilities, used for communication and making sense of the environment” 2. This definition indicates that musicality has a biological component. Like all other developmental skills, it too begins in childhood. Children gain mastery over many fields of development through the medium of music. Language skills are learnt through song. Action songs help with motor skills. Musical games improve social development through imitation, pretend play and group activities. Even number concepts are acquired through song. Effectiveness of music in stimulating child development has been widely researched among both normal and developmentally delayed children, with positive results in both groups. Today, music therapists are enrolled to deliver care to a range of developmental disorders. How do children acquire musical abilities? Children grow and develop among many day-to-day activities that are intrinsically musical. Perhaps the earliest exposure of a fetus to rhythm, is the maternal heart beat, a beat that he repeatedly hears about 2