Have you heard the birds chirping in your window yet this month? If not, you probably will soon. I know in our Midwestern region we’ve had a plethora of brightly-colored feathered friends swoon in, bringing with them the gift of beaked song and live, non-computed twittering at the very hint of spring’s arrival (of course, it may just be our birdseed!).

But spring isn’t musical only because of the birds. March also happens to be both Play the Recorder Month as well as Sing with Children Month—a perfect time to get into some music together as a family, see a live musical performance, or even start up those lessons. (Sure, some kids might complain or be wary at first, but many beg for them—and how many of us wish we could have learned something when we were younger? A good rule of thumb is to simply let them try it out, and if they don’t like it, move on.)

For example, our daughter is only four and wants to take piano lessons. The studios I’ve spoken with recommend waiting until she is six. Though she has a pretty amazing attention span (for a human, let alone a child), I’m deferring to these experts here and letting her experiment. We have a small kiddie piano and will be purchasing a keyboard for her down the road if she still wishes to play. We also have maracas, whistles, castanets, kazoos, drums, and of course a xylophone for her to experiment with as well.

We also like to introduce her to plenty of musical styles. She loves Queen, Linda Ronstandt, Louis Prima, and Peter Gabriel, for example—what a variety! And as much as I hate to admit it, she loves to dance to Lady Gaga’s “Poker Face,” too. One of our favorite things to do is to pick a random Pandora station and simply play it while we work with art. I think it does influence our art sometimes, and when she says, “Play it again!” I write it down to look up and maybe even purchase it later.

Another cheap and easy way to introduce kids to music is to watch YouTube videos. I recommend screening them first; you certainly don’t want to scar them for life, like my Dad did with me and a certain Pink Floyd video! (My dad knows I love ‘em.) Going to local choir concerts, school band concerts, and other local performances is usually very inexpensive, if not entirely free, and can also be a wonderful introduction to music.