Q with Tom Power This dad turned his toddler’s stories into viral hits
Mar 24, 2026
Stephen Spencer, a composer and music professor who turned his three-year-old’s spoken stories into viral songs. He describes how he captures spontaneous toddler phrasing and arranges it at the piano. They laugh over surprising lines and discuss preserving unpolished childhood voice. He reflects on creative innocence, why listeners respond emotionally, and plans for more music as the family grows.
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Turning Toddler Stories Into Songs
- Stephen Spencer turned spontaneous stories his three-year-old told into songs to “bottle up” fleeting moments of childhood.
- He recorded her exact words, added musical interjections, and used piano to preserve the original rhythm and melody.
Child Speech Shapes Melody
- Stephen treats the child's phrasing as source material, letting voice inflection shape melody and preserving grammatical choices.
- He transcribes dinner stories later if not recorded, then composes at the piano to match her vocal shape.
Toddler Logic Creates Surprising Images
- Toddler logic produces surprising lyrical images, like a snow woman that uses a litter box, which delights and shocks Stephen.
- He values the direct link between impulse and expression that makes toddler stories vivid.