Ultimate Guide to Composer Study

 When I was young our home was filled with great music, and I am CERTAIN this fostered my love of music today.   It is my hope that you will nurture this love of music in your own children through using the resources in this Ultimate Guide to Composer Study.

This guide can in no way list EVERY resource available for composer study.  I have, however, tried to include as much as possible to make this post a COMPREHENSIVE GUIDE TO STUDYING GREAT COMPOSERS.  

* Please be sure after you read the post to enter for the 4 CD set giveaway from Maestro Classics!   These are a wonderful addition to your music library.   

 It is not hard to compose, but what is fabulously hard is to leave the superfluous notes under the table.

~Johannes Brahms

This year we are focusing on one composer each month.    Also, if we are studying a particular country we will touch on a few famous composers from that place.   I use a combination of worksheets, notebooking pages, living books, and quiet listening to reinforce the knowledge of our composer.    

I take a few steps when planning a unit on a composer:

1.  Find a good living book about the composer; my children love stories about composers.

2.  Research the BEST music of that composer

3.  Find notebooking and/or lapbooking elements for the composer

4.  Search my favorite sites for resources:   Homeschool Share, HS Launch, Making Music Fun, and Squidoo

We have been doing something called SQUILT (Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time) since I started homeschooling.  I HIGHLY recommend this as a start!   It gets your children used to listening and builds the habit of attention they need for great music.   You can read all about SQUILT , and even downloand a printable to help you get started right away!   I also have a section of music printables which I will be adding to this year!

Please enjoy the links I've provided in this Ultimate Guide to Composer Study!  As you can see, there are a wealth of resources -- free, for purchase and download, and otherwise!   There is NO EXCUSE not to add composer study into your homeschool!  

How should you study composers with your children?   Following are some links to help you get started.  They include "how to" posts and also full units on composers.   

• Composer Study - Charlotte Mason Style
• More Charlotte Mason Composer Study
• Music Study @ Simply Charlotte Mason
• Music Study @Ambleside Online
• Composer Study Resources @ Our Journey Westward
• Non Stress Musical Learning
• Harmony Art Mom's Charlotte Mason Composer Study Blog Carnival
• How to Do Music Study @ Epi Kardia
• Composer Study @ Wonder in the Woods
• Getting Your Child Interested In Classical Music @ Milk and Cookies 
• Why Music Is Important in Our Children's Lives
• SQUIDOO offers many composers resources... see this Bach composer study - and see the sidebar at that link for related composer studies.   

Whether you purchase CDs or .mp3 files, here are some collections of quality music.  You may also want to listen to streaming internet radio or purchase a subscription to a music service.  There are so many ways to listen to great music.

• Any "The Best of...." CD -- An example is this Best of Beethoven
• Beethoven's Wig -- (a personal favorite!) - there are 4 volumes
• DSO Kids Listen By Composer - biographies and samples of music
• Classics for Kids - this link is a wonderful list of composers and works that are essentials
• Classics for Kids - a different link than before - for a physical CD
• Spotify USA - the Netflix of music... pay for a subscription and listen to ANY music you choose.
• Pandora - create your own music stations based on composer
• Songza - a relatively new app and  online streaming music player -- FREE -- my FAVORITE!
• Meet the Musicians DVD series
• search YouTube for various composer study playlists -- here is an example of one on Maurice Ravel

{Speaking of Ravel, this is a video of a performance of his Piano Concerto for the Left Hand -- talk about amazing!}

There are a few resources that teach children about composers, while also teaching them about famous stories in music:

• Maestro Classics 
• Classical Kids Collection
• Classics for Kids 

 *It would be impossible to list EVERY book about a composer... please be aware there are literally hundreds of storybooks about composers.  Try to add stories of the composers to your library and enrich your children's exposure at every opportunity.

• Getting to Know The World's Greatest Composers
• Famous Children Series
• Sower Series Biographies of Famous Musicians
• Great Musicians Series - by Opal Wheeler
• "Who Was?" series 
• Magic Treehouse books - several are about composers -- an example is Moonlight on the Magic Flute
• Printable composer books by Thomas Tapper at Project Gutenberg (FREE) 
• Librivox recordings of Tapper books (FREE)
• Lives of the Musicians:  Good Times, Bad Times, and What The Neighbors Thought
• A list from the American Musicological Society offers more composer biography suggestions
• How we use living books for composer study in our homeschool 

 

There are several composer curriculums available for purchase and/or download.  Sometimes it's just nice to have it all done for you! 

• Stories of the Great Composers
• A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers
• Famous Composers and Their Music
• Bob Jones Homeschool:  The Composer
• Harmony Fine Arts Plans
• Classical Composers Monthly
• Making Music Fun
• Magnificent Masters of Music
• History of Classical Music from Beautiful Feet Books
• Search "Composers" at Currclick - WOW! 

Coloring or drawing while listening to music is something we do A LOT.   When I was a public school music teacher I would roll out a huge piece of butcher paper and let the kids have turns coming to it and drawing what they were hearing.   It was always a magical time.   Here are some resources  (books and printables) for coloring, etc... while listening.

• Coloring Books of Composers @ Lamppost Publishing 
• Hey Kids!  Meet The Composers @ Making Music Fun!
• Woman Composers @ West Music
• Composers @ Super Coloring

Notebooking and Lapbooking about a composer make my children's learning more memorable.  I always search Squidoo, Homeschool Share, and HS Launch.  Following are many other resources --- by no means could I list EVERYTHING!  

• Famous Composers Notebooking Pages @ Notebooking Pages
• Free Composer Notebooking Pages @ Homeschool Notebooking
• Cool Composers Notebooking Pages @ Homeschool Notebooking
• Composer Notebooking Page @ The Notebooking Fairy
• Great Composers Notebooking Pages @ The Notebooking Nook
• Famous Musician Biography Pages @ Practical Pages
• World's Greatest Composers from Confessions of a Homeschooler
• Free Homeschool Biographical Notebooking Pages (@ Homeschool Helper) -- scroll down to "Musicians"
• LOTS of pages at HS Launch - you must search "notebooking pages" and "musician"
• Composers Lapbook Activity Packs from Homeschooling in the Woods
• Classical Composers Connections @ Homeschool Share
• Classical Composers and Instruments Lapbook from Knowledge Box Central
• Verdi Composer Study and Opera Lapbook from Jimmies Collage

From Homeschool in the Woods

These final resources don't fit into a particular category.  They are, however, helpful when studying composers.   Many are computer games and apps - good for when you need time fillers or are sitting at that doctor's appointment! Some are video series and online instructions.

• Musician Quizzes by Music Tech Teacher - lots of online games 
• Great Composers iPhone/iPad app
• Composer of the Day - iPhone app developed at Wittenberg Univ. - LOVE THIS!
• Composers Gallery @ They New York Philharmonic
• Great Composers @ Arts Alive
• Learn about some composers @ Starfall
• Learn about composers @ Music Motivation  
• Keeping Score! - a video series on PBS -- wonderful, full length episodes about composers.
• Keeping Score! online resources by the San Francisco Symphony
• Great Composers at Documentarystorm
• Composer Busts -- get the bust for the musician you are currently studying!

I'll leave you with probably one of my favorite resources for simply introducing dozens of classic pieces of music to children...

  Beethoven's Wig is wonderful - worth the investment in all of the volumes.   I promise...   

*image courtesy hikingartist 

Visit other bloggers from the iHomeschool Network for  some "epic content"!  You'll find your Ultimate Guide to just about everything, and enter to win some awesome prizes!

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A Special Giveaway From Maestro Classics:

Maestro Classics has graciously agreed to give away a 4 CD Classic Pack to one lucky reader.   The CD set includes Peter and The Wolf,  Swan Lake, The Sorcerer's Apprentice, and  Mr. Handel.  This is a $65 value!  

Receive one entry for each of the following:

1.  Leave a comment telling me what resource in the Ultimate Guide to Composer Study interests you the most.

2.  Visit Maestro Classics and tell me in a comment which CD out of the Classic Pack interests you most.

3.  Subscribe to Homegrown Learners via email or tell if you are already a subscriber and leave a comment.

Enter your email address:

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This giveaway will be open until WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15th at midnight!  

Comments

[Sharon]

I can't believe I never thought about using Pandora that way! Thanks for the great idea!. Please enter me to win!

[Sharon]

Handel! We have Peter and the Wolf and love it!

[Laura]

Thanks for this great resource! I'd love to win!
1. I'm fascinated by the composer books by Thomas Tapper!
2. Of the Maestro Classics CDs, I'm most interested in Handel's Water Music.
3. I subscribe in my google reader.

[Jen]

Wow! what a jam packed post - it must have taken you hours to pull this all together. Thanks for taking the time to do it. I'm going to take your advice and say that I'm most interested in Beethoven's Wig and from the Maestro pack it would have to be Swan Lake! Awesome!

[Cindy]

I'm lovin' this!

[Jenn]

My daughter said "all of them!!!"

[Brandy]

I am most interested in the SQUILT lessons and the Homeschool in the Woods composer lapbook.

[Brandy]

I would choose Peter and the Wolf most likely because I have two boys that I know would love it, but I'm sure my daughter would enjoy Swan Lake.

[Tricia]

Wow! What a fabulous resource for always! Thank you Mary!

[Wendy Clark]

This is incrediable! oh my! I am interested in going back to look at Beautiful Feet's Classical Music curriculum. I am bookmarking this so I can come back and look some more links.

Please enter me!

[Brandy]

I subscribe via email!

[barb]

My Name is Handel: The Story of Handel's Water Music

[Marya]

I subscribed! :)

[Rebecca]

Have to say I keep thinking I need to get the Maestro Classics to start those with my kids. I think they are my favorite in the list above. That and Thank you for the reminder about Beethoven's Wig, I had forgotten about that. Hopefully I can find my CD today!

[Rebecca]

I have subscribed

[Rebecca]

My Name is Handel: The Story of Handel's Water Music I think is the one that excites me most. My kids already recognize some of the music from our Handbell Choir playing it

[sarah h.]

I subscribed by e-mail!

[sarah h.]

Swan Lake looks interesting to me as it is the one that I am most unfamiliar with.

[sarah h.]

I am most interested in your lapbooking resources. We love making lapbooks!

[Pat L.]

Mary, you put so much work into this post. Thank you. I am most interested in any CD. I don't play enough classical music.

[Pat L.]

I subscribed by email.

[Pat L.]

I would be interested in Peter and the Wolf.

[Laura Barth]

I am interested in Peter and The Wolf.

[Lydia Hostetler]

I love the hands on approach, my kids who love music would love this..

[Heidi]

I have to go with Composer of the Day iPad app as my favorite resource. I always have my iPad with us and the kids love to dig around in the apps on there. This resource could be a great way for me to include music/composers into our lives.