5 Easy Ways to Incorporate Music in 2013
Thursday, December 27, 2012 at 10:01AM
Are you setting goals for your homeschool in 2013?
How about incorporating more music?
As a former elementary music teacher, a current piano teacher, and a lover of all things music, I STRONGLY believe in music education.
Following are 5 ways (many of them free) to incorporate more music in your homeschool in 2013:
SQUILT
Do you know what SQUILT is? Basically it is a way to listen to quality pieces of music and learn a little about their form, history, and just develop an overall enjoyment for music.
Super. Quiet. UnInterrupted. Listening. Time.
I have a series of SQUILT lessons, and a downloadable form for recording thoughts about the music.
I will be adding to these lessons in 2013.
A SQUILT lesson can take as little as 15 minutes, or as long as an hour, depending on how deep you want to go.
If you can do a SQUILT listening lesson just once a week you are giving your child a gift of music!
Read Alouds About Famous Composers
Why not incorporate living books about famous musicians into your homeschool read aloud time?
Check out the Ultimate Guide to Composer Study to find a ton of resources, many of them free!
Maestro Classics
These stories in music are far and above our FAVORITE music resource. You can order the physical CD or download the .mp3 and activity booklet.
You can do as little or as much as you want with these. Just listen in the car, or do extension activities available on the website.
We made a water xylophone after listening to The Sorcerer's Apprentice.
We studied the poetry of Ogden Nash while listening to The Carnival of the Animals.
My son loved Casey at the Bat and all of the baseball activities we did.
A Journey Through Learning makes lapbooks to go with many of the Maestro Classics stories.
You could do an entire year of music by studying one story each month. And, at the price of around $10 for an .mp3 download it's very affordable.
A Composer A Month
If nothing else, pick one composer each month and listen to their music. Print their picture and display it in your home. Declare January (for example) the "Month of Mozart" and challenge your children to learn as much as possible about Mozart.
Ask your librarian for all the books you can find about Mozart.
Check my Ultimate Guide to Composer Study.
Do a unit study about Mozart. {I may just have one coming soon. wink.}
Listen on YouTube, Pandora, or (my favorite) Spotify.
I've even created a list for you, with one famous composer born in each month of the year. A more exhuastive list can be found here, but I thought you would like me to choose for you!
Unit Studies
We do a lot of Interest Led Learning through unit studies in our homeschool.
For example, my son is a HUGE fan of Star Wars. Why not study the music of John Williams? I created a simple Interest Led Music Study for the music of Star Wars.
We knew it was going to be George Gershwin's birthday earlier this year. I created a unit study for Gershwin and my children learned a lot more about him this way.
Are you going on a field trip to see a band or orchestra? Take some time to delve more into the subject. I made a Band vs. Orchestra notebooking set for just such an occasion.
How about incorporating music and history? If you are studying the Middle Ages, I created a notebooking set for the Music of the Middle Ages.
The big thing is to REMEMBER TO INCORPORATE MUSIC.
Why not make 2013 the year where you and your children immerse yourselves in beautiful music? It is so easy to do and enriches our lives in the process!
Reader Comments (2)
Excellent suggestions. Music study is a favorite around here. My son composes music and plays classical piano. My daughter sings opera and jazz. Another daughter sings. And another dances. Music is such a blessing to humans!
These are AWESOME ideas, Mary! We play instruments and sing in our house, but these are great ways to broaden our kids' experiences with music and the history of music. Can't wait to start them. Peace!