Dr. Rekha S. Rajan has devoted her personal and professional life to creating and sharing music in nearly every way imaginable. Now this classically trained opera singer, musician, author, and arts educator, is inviting children to express themselves through the magic of music.

Rajan holds both a doctorate and a master’s degree in music education from Columbia University, a master’s degree in early childhood education and a bachelor’s degree in vocal performance from Roosevelt University. She has performed as a professional opera singer and musician, taught in higher education, and worked and conducted extensive research in early childhood education.

Rajan’s latest venture is the much anticipated This Is Music series published by Penguin/Random House. These four beautifully illustrated board books, focusing on drums, horns, strings, and voice encourage young children to be creative, to express themselves, to feel confident, and mostly to see, hear, and feel the music that exists all around us every day.

“I think as a musician myself and having studied music for over 25 years and taught music, there’s a misconception that taking music lessons and studying music is very expensive,” Rajan says. “We really wanted to show young families and children that music is all around them. A tabletop could be a drum, your own belly could be a drum. That’s what this series is trying to teach and what I’ve been trying to teach my whole career.”

Rajan lives in Barrington with her husband and three children, ages 9, 11, and 13. Of course, they all play instruments together! “When you really sit and observe toddlers and preschoolers, they will spontaneously make music and create rhythms and engage with their environment musically. I wanted to tap into that and take a very intentional approach. It’s not just the piano and guitar that have strings, there are stringed instruments all around the world. And, a unique feature of the series is that the back of each book has an instrument for the child to play.”

Tania Yakunova is the talented illustrator who has brought these books to life. “She is wonderful,” Rajan says. “She’s from Ukraine and has won multiple awards for her art. The books are just so vibrant and depict children of different colors and different body types—very inclusive and welcoming. “

Another children’s book Rajan recently had published is entitled Amazing Landmarks (Scholastic). It is a fully illustrated collection of ten iconic landmarks and includes interactive stories, prompting readers to understand the history behind each one.

Rajan also recently completed The Read Aloud Factor: How to Create the Habit That Boosts Your Baby’s Brain (Chicago Review Press). Published this fall, it is a unique new parenting book that has already received a starred review in Library Journal and Booklist. The book is broken up into sections that talk about how reading aloud and music support children’s brain development, their social emotional learning, and language acquisition.

Rajan has many appearances scheduled where she will not only read from her books but also bring instruments that children can try out and play and explore. In fact, Rajan has an entire room in her home filled with over 100 musical instruments she has collected from all over the world.

It’s clear that Rajan is truly passionate about music and the importance of introducing it to children at a young age. “We’re exploratory when we have young children at home and we’re trying to have them have as many experiences as possible. It’s so important to introduce music at a young age because once we enter school, the natural ability to take risks and be creative, to want to express themselves in front of their peers greatly shifts.”

Rajan’s passion and enthusiasm for improving the literary and musical lives of children is truly contagious. Whether it’s singing, dancing, or playing an instrument, Rajan emphasizes that the social and emotional benefits of music are enormous. How fortunate are we to be able to bang on our own belly drums and take advantage of her knowledge, talent, and expertise, located right in our own backyard.

Let the music begin!

For information about Dr. Rajan’s upcoming appearances please visit her website at: RekhaSRajan.com or follow her on Twitter and Instagram @RekhaSRajan.