The Musical Influence of our Fathers

Some of us pressure ourselves to make elaborate memories for our children.

We pour money and time into curating the perfect vacation or excursion around town. But these special events are not necessarily what will leave our children with the deepest, most meaningful recollections.

It’s the spontaneous glee we feel when our favorite song comes on. Or the giggles we get when our dad tries to dance. Or the emotion that wells up when a lyric hits just right.

For Father's Day this year, we asked Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teachers what role music played in their relationship with their papá.

Their answers are incredibly telling. We might not have such talented and musical teachers among us without the influence of their fathers!

Enjoy their reflections below. We hope you'll explore your own relationship with music and your family, especially in your own role as a father, if you are one.*

*Not everyone has been born into this world with a father in their lives. We want to honor anyone who fills that role for you, whether that’s an uncle, older brother, grandfather, family friend, teacher…or other.

 **And not everyone has their father still with them. As with Mother’s Day, Father’s Day can sometimes bring on difficult emotions. We hope that sitting with those thoughts and memories is, in some ways, cathartic. We are with you.

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Jessy

He’s my biggest musical influence.

He and his first cousins are composers. When they were young they would go to bars restaurants and play songs from the Beatles or the Bee Gees or the Eagles in their home town Monterrey, Mexico.

My grandpa (his dad) was a professional painter and also a singer.

We have this land on the outskirts of the city, and every gathering, summer or Christmas, they would all get together and they would sing the whole time. Boleros, Beatles, original songs…

He wrote me a song when I was 15 and I still have it.

Thinking about it …the musical impact my dad had in my life and my core memories makes me emotional in the best way.

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Julie

Julie grew up in Austin, Texas in a household full of music.

The first thing my dad ever bought me was a fake, plastic trumpet…he gave it to me at my mom's baby shower, while she was still pregnant with me.

My dad was always in the music group at our churches growing up so I would always stay late or get to church early for music practice.

There was always a piano in the house, and he always practiced his trumpet even when he didn’t have any shows to practice for.

When she was 15, Julie’s dad started a mariachi group and Julie was the lead singer. They played almost every Saturday for a year and a half. Julie’s dad still encourages her to play music and put herself out there musically.

Seeing how much he loves music and always having it around me sparked and nurtured MY love for music :)

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Barbara

My father gave me the gift of music.

Barbara grew up in a multilingual household in Monterrey, Mexico where Spanish, and German was heard at home, and English was used in school.

For as long as I can remember, music existed in my house either formally or informally. Much like Mi Casa Es Tu Casa, my father used songs and music to reinforce a second language in the household. Many of those songs we still sing today [in German] to my children, nieces, and nephews.

Simply put, music is the way we connect as a family. I’m thankful to my father for showing me that music can have many meanings. Music can mean relaxation connection, friendship, family. Music can mean happiness. Music can mean love.

Danke Vati! (¡Gracias, papá!)

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Lupita

I grew up in a family where there was always music playing for singing and dancing.

I have 2 sisters and since we were little, my dad loved to watch us put on performances at home in the living room where the audience was my mom and dad.

Music also connects me with those family holidays where my dad would pull me out to the dance floor. At 16 years old, I was totally embarrassed, but today I'm so thankful for the love of music that he gave me.

I love dancing and singing because it fills my soul with love and beautiful memories.

Even today, we sing when we get together. Now we have our own "hits" as sisters! 😊

Te quiero mucho, Papá ❤

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Ana

Ana’s dad was known in the family as an amazing singer.

He was always singing canciones rancheras by Pedro Infante and my sisters and I thought he sound exactly like him!

My dad was always singing to us and reciting poems to us. He has an amazing voice, but he always gets ahead of the song! 😂. His timing is never right!

And now, as a grandfather, he’s always singing to the grandchildren all of those amazing old songs he sang to us when we were little. ❤

From Mi Casa Es Tu Casa® teacher, Founder & Director, Laura

Laura, the Director and Founder of Mi Casa Es Tu Casa, recalls that the generational gap between her and her father is enormous, but that music is something they can bond over.

We see life in very different ways, but we can put on the same Boleros, and sing at the top of our lungs. I love singing with my father.

It’s one thing that we both love equally and the same. My father loves to sing, and never hesitated to sing among family, and that love of singing is something my sister and I definitely inherited from him.

Singing with my father is a way for us to bond without any outside issues ever creeping in.

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We are incredibly thankful for the opportunity to provide space, music, and guidance around the BEST way to bond with your baby. To all of our families and especially the dads, Happy Father's Day!

Visit Mi Casa Es Tu Casa in person in our Austin, TX studio.

Or, take us home with you and follow along with our At-Home Program for learning and reinforcing Spanish with your baby with music.