Learning to Hear in a Noisy World - Music History Giveaway

Welcome to Day 4 of The 10 Days of Teaching Music!

I'm so happy to bring you a post today from my former music professor, Dr. Carol Reynolds.   She is also the face of Discovering Music - a wonderful music curriculum for homeschoolers.    I reconnected with Professor Carol at a homeschool conference two years ago, and when we made the connection back to 1990 and Southern Methodist University it was such a happy coincidence!  She has been full of humor, encouragement, and advice for me.   

 I think you will love what Professor Carol writes about today, and also the great giveaway at the end.     

Learning to Hear in a Noisy World

           

It was a quieter world when J.S. Bach wrote his music.  The loudest sounds he heard were the clop of hooves on cobblestones, the caw of crows, the peal of church bells, and thunder.  Consequently, back when our Classical music was written, the gentlest melody wafting through the air drew attention.  

Until the gramophone (late 1880s) music happened only when someone made it.  If you couldn’t sing or play, you needed to be near someone who could.  

Music’s power is impossible to grasp in our noisy world.  Ask your child to imagine a world without the roar of busses, motorcycles, or airplanes.  Try to erase the sounds of leaf-blowers and jack hammers.  If those aren’t enough to destroy our ability to hear, think how we are bombarded by electronic pop music everywhere we go.  Not to mention those tiny ear buds people screw into their heads (so that “their” music can mask the noise around them).  

What does all this have to do with studying music?  The study of music forces a person to cut through the noise and listen.  It’s true for beginning students, as well as advanced.  Whether it’s matching the pitch produced by one’s voice teacher or seeking an exact finger-position between two notes on the viola, a music student has to listen in focused way to.  And he or she is listening to sounds that, by today’s standards, aren’t loud.  

But hearing the sound isn’t enough.  The student has to penetrate the sound, analyze it, and then do something about it.   

Learning to hear is the unsung benefits of music study.  Discerning, responding to, and controlling sound are high-reflex skills: right-brain activities that pay big benefits in the development of a whole and balanced mind.  And even an unsuccessful try at music lessons opens the door to appreciating music later on.  

Homeschool parents inquiring into our  Discovering Music curriculum ask if a musical background is necessary.  “Not at all,” I say.  (People who have never played a note can still enjoy and understand music, just as I can study art without any ability to paint.)  Some follow their question by “confessing” that they once took a year of piano, band or choir.  They tell me this apologetically, since it may not have led to much proficiency.  

My reply always is to express delight: “You did?  That’s wonderful!”  Am I being solicitous to potential customers?  No.  It is wonderful.  

Even the briefest period of musical study causes a child to tune out the roar of the world.  

Focusing on the careful production of sound is a boon to a child’s neurological development.  Music study affects coordination and many other developmental aspects.  But the greatest gift is learning to hear.

In an American Idol world where grotesquely amplified sound, risqué wardrobe, and social media presence masquerade as musical mastery, the smallest sound your child makes from a real instrument or vocal chord is a cause for celebration. 

Now for the giveaway!  Professor Carol has given me a copy of her DVD set, Exploring America's Musical Heritage.  In Exploring America’s Musical Heritage, Professor Carol – along with 38 historians and artists – takes you on a journey through America’s musical history. The two-DVD set contains more than four hours of engaging instruction.  It is most appropriate for middle and high school students (and also parents who want to learn a lot about the history of American music!).  I think you'll LOVE IT!

You can enter by simply leaving a comment here about Professor Carol's remarks today.   AND, you can earn additional entries by liking Professor Carol on Facebook  and liking Homegrown Learners on Facebook and leaving a comment for each.  Please  be sure there is a way for me to reach you via email! 

This giveaway will be open until midnight on Friday, April 27th!    Good luck!

Tomorrow I'll give you my two cents on piano lessons.   I'll talk about why I require piano lessons and share my favorite books and tips.  

Other posts in this series: 

Day 1: The Importance of Music in Our Children's Lives
Day 2:  A Simple Way to Incorporate Music - SQUILT Notebooking Download
Day 3:  Five Resources for Incorporating Orchestral Music In Your Homeschool

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course,  visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You'll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

Five Resources For Incorporating Orchestral Music Into Your Homeschool

photo credit

One of the questions I received about music education was how to incorporate it in your homeschool if YOU yourself aren't musical.  


 My answer is this:   


LEARN ALONG WITH YOUR CHILDREN and EXPOSE YOUR FAMILY TO MUSIC AT EVERY OPPORTUNITY.   You can join homeschool choral groups, take piano lessons, listen to music, attend concerts -- do anything that enriches your musical life!!

Music is, quite simply, an INTEGRAL PART of our daily life. More specifically, I love orchestral music.


Yesterday, I created a downloadable notebooking page for guided listening in your homeschool.   Today I would like to give you some resources for learning about the orchestra and where to find good orchestral music.  

I can recall truly falling in love with music when I was in middle school.  I was attending a summer music camp, and the professional orchestra in residence played Tchaikovsky's 1812 Overture (with LIVE cannons) for the Fourth of July concert.   I was SOLD.... from that point on I couldn't get enough music.  


Keep in mind: my mother and father were not trained musicians, but I do recall there was always MUSIC in our house (piano playing and lots of recordings of great music).  My mother sought out good piano teachers and encouraged me every step of the way.  I think my father was probably a member of the Boston Pops fan club!  I know my family learned music by my side.  

As I studied music in college I loved my music history classes (you'll hear from one of my professors tomorrow  - how fun is that?).  I would spend hours listening to my Sony DiscMan (who remembers those??) in preparation for exams.  

Music is a GIFT that once given can never be taken away.   It is a gift that resides in our children's hearts and souls.  It is a gift that teaches history, math, science, and so much more.  

I've watched my children's bad moods turn around after listening to music.  It can change the entire tone of a homeschool day.   It quiets my restless spirit at the end of a long day.    

  


Below are my favorite tools for teaching children about instruments of the orchestra and orchestral music.  (I know there are MANY, MANY MORE quality resources out there.  These are just the ones I have used the most with my own children.)

1.  Bejamin Britten's Young Person's Guide to The Orchestra

This work, composed by Britten in 1946, was designed to teach children about the orchestra. We have the book (written by Anita Ganeri) and accompanying CD.   I highly recommend this.  It is well done, succinct, and meaningful for children!   All four families of the orchestra are highlighted through narration and Britten's original work for orchestra. 


 { After learning about the four families of the orchestra you can follow up with the Dover Musical Instruments Coloring Book! } 

2.  Spotify USA

We use this  EVERY DAY.  Spotify is a subscriber service (we pay $9.99/month for multiple devices, but there is also a $4.99/month one device plan) that works on your computer, smartphone, iPad, etc... 
  
You can listen to ANY piece of music you want.    


Simply search and the world of music is at your fingertips - literally!     You will never need to download music or buy CDs again. 

3.  Orchestra Lapbooks/Notebooks

I happen to love Homeschool Share... next week I'll share a great study we are doing from Homeschool Share, but for now I want to point you to their Connections - Music Page.... tons of lapbooking and notebooking ideas here!  

4.  Classics for Kids


This website makes teaching about composers and instruments of the orchestra a SNAP.   Each month they feature a composer with lesson plans and a biography.  If you would choose to focus on just ONE COMPOSER EACH MONTH that is enough.   Sometimes keeping it simple is best. 

5.  Beethoven's Wig

I could go on and on about these wonderful CDs.   The creators take famous classics and add silly words to help your children remember the tune.    What I LOVE about the recordings is that the original version of each piece is also included.   These are great to keep in the car... focus on just a few pieces each week and pretty soon your children will have an extensive music repertoire!    Warning:  You may be humming the tunes incessantly after listening.  






How Do You Choose Quality Music for Your Children?  




Bonnie Simon, President of Maestro Classics, (who we will hear from in a post next week!) has a great list here.  


Harmony Art Mom offers wonderful thoughts, as well.  


Ambleside Online Composer Schedule


Patrick Kavanaugh has an extensive list in his book, Raising Musical Kids.






I hope this inspires you just a little bit to start/continue studying orchestral music with your children!!  






The 10 Days of Teaching Music:


Day 1:  The Importance of Music in Our Children's Lives  
Day 2:  A Simple Way to Incorporate Music ~ SQUILT Notebooking Pages 




     

  

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of  homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course,  visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You'll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!

A Simple Way to Incorporate Music ~ SQUILT Notebooking Pages

image courtesy Flickr

Welcome to Day 2 of The 10 Days of Teaching Music!

Today I want to give you a very simple way to help your children listen to great music.  


Do you know what SQUILT means?  Simply put SQUILT is Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time. 

I can't take credit for this idea - I learned it from a music teacher I worked with long ago.  We incorporated this at the end of every general music class and it was such a great way to end our class and hear some very amazing impressions from the children.

SQUILT is a way to ensure your children have some quality music at least once (or more!) each week.   It is a way to build listening skills, a critical ear, and attention.   It gives your child a  repertoire of great music.  

First,  choose a short piece of music.  I like to choose pieces that don't have any words and are generally interesting and exciting to children (think Flight of the Bumblebee, In The Hall of the Mountain King, or The Carnival of the Animals!). There is a wonderful list (with links for listening) at Classics for Kids that is a great place to start.  If you have a good collection of music you can simply choose your own. 

Explain to your children that you are going to have SQUILT time.  This means they have to be super quiet during the entire piece.  Encourage them to listen for instruments, patterns, or form a picture in their mind. Allow your kids to just lay on the floor and relax to listen to the piece. They must be SUPER QUIET!    

After the piece is over, talk to your children about the music.  Help them fill in their SQUILT page.  The first few times they will need help; after a few times they will become more independent.  The more they listen, the better they will become!  

For example, here are my children's SQUILT Notebooking  Pages as we listened to Offenbach's "Can-Can" (from Orpheus in the Underworld).  You can listen to this piece here.  My son's sheet (on the left) is very simple.  He is a beginning listener.   I don't fuss over spelling, grammar, or mechanics.  I just praise him for listening!  


My daughter's sheet (on the right) is a little more advanced. She knows the families of the orchestra and has more musical terminology under her belt.  

For your littlest ones, two or three minutes of quiet listening is great. For your older children, they can listen to at least five minutes (if not more).  We have started keeping a SQUILT notebook, which includes their SQUILT form, and also a composer notebooking sheet for each piece.  My friend Jimmie, at The Notebooking Fairy, has a nice composer page for you to use!  You can get creative, too.  Why not have your children draw while listening?  Or, research the piece and write a little about it?  The possibilities are limitless!  

 { Download the SQUILT 
Notebooking Page here. }

See how simple it can be to listen to music with your children?  I hope SQUILT is useful to you!  



Tomorrow's post will feature a guest post and a great giveaway for your homeschool.  If you're interested in exploring history with music you won't want to miss it!




Did you get a chance to read the previous 10 Days of Teaching Music Posts?  


Day 1:  Why Music Is Important In Our Children's Lives

About the 10 Days series:

The 10 Days Series is organized by iHomeschool Network, a collaboration of outstanding homeschool bloggers who connect with each other and with family-friendly companies in mutually beneficial projects. Visit us on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter. And of course,  visit all the 10 Days posts from these homeschool moms of the iHomeschool Network. You'll be blessed with tips on how to handle bad days, cultivating curiosity, teaching with Legos, and much much more!