Happy Birthday Tchaikovsky (Free Unit Study & A Giveaway)

 

On May 7, we celebrate Tchaikovsky's birthday. 

I've found a great way to study composers is to focus on just one each month. Why not study Tchaikovsky in May? 

While most famous for composing The Nutcracker, Tchaikovsky wrote so many works that children (and adults!) will love and should know about.

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Musical Onomatopoeia and Quotations: A Maestro Classics Giveaway

  

I love it when I can share things our family loves. 

We definitely love Maestro Classics!   (Remember the Water Xylophone we made after listening to The Sorcerer's Apprentice, or how about the unit we created from Casey At The Bat?)  I am confident that each and every time my children listen to one of the stories in music they are getting a quality listening experience.   They learn elements of music, facts about the composer, and so much more.

If I had to choose just ONE music resource for our homeschool, Maestro Classics would be it - hands down.

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Learning through Music and a Maestro Classics giveaway!

Interest-Led Learning is a lifestyle for our family.   When a child of mine has an interest I am going to CAPITALIZE on that interest and squeeze out every bit of "learning"!  

 We are combining sports, music, and literature all in one.   It's very fun and VERY meaningful.

Baseball is a HUGE part of our lives.   This obsession has lasted for  three years, and I don't see it waning anytime soon.    My grinning little guy (this photo is a couple years old, but it's my favorite!) was reluctant to copy names of family members (proper nouns), but copied the entire Atlanta Braves roster instead.    The same little boy learned how to compute a batting average and watches MLB TV incessantly.   I can't even compute the hours spent throwing the ball with dad, teaching me how to bat, and practicing with his team.  

As you know, we are huge fans of Maestro Classics.   The first CD we listened to was Casey At The Bat.   I purchased it over a year ago because I have a baseball fanatic on my hands!

The CD kept both of my children's interest for several listenings (we usually listen in the car, but this one I brought inside)... and I appreciated the simple music theory lesson that was incorporated on the CD.  

From Maestro Classics:

When the Mudville Nine are almost certain to lose the game, Mighty Casey takes his turn at bat, and the fans hold their breath as each pitch is thrown.
The upbeat, jazzy music performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra is highlighted by cheering crowds, vendors hawking their wares, the cheers of spectators and the sounds of the ball being hit, which bring the story to life.
A 24-page activity book, included with the CD, contains the complete Ernst Lawrence Thayer poem, amazing facts about baseball, sheeet music, as well as games and puzzles

Maestro Classics is giving this CD to one of my lucky readers!

{I hope you read the rest of the post before you skip down to the giveaway!}

The pictures below show you the recipe for "March Sundae" which teaches children about the form of the march on the CD.   Each of the Maestro Classics CDs comes with a great insert with lots of ideas for teaching... you can make the listening as passive or as active as you want.  I usually choose a listening first without the guide;  after a few days have passed we then listen again with the guide. 

Listen to excerpts from the CD on the Maestro Classics website.   

When we first listened to the CD I found Casey at the Bat, a great book that has the original ballad with fun pictures.  My son loved to sit with the CD player and the book.

Last week we found Casey Back at the Bat, by Dan Gutman.  (We love his sports books, by the way).  This witty sequel to Casey at the Bat is the perfect read-aloud!    

It's amazing to me how everything just "comes together" in our learning.  Baseball, music, literature, math, history, geography - they all presented themselves through a simple lesson facilitated by Casey at The Bat, by Maestro Classics.

Did you know that you can also purchase a lapbook (through A Journey Through Learning) of Casey at the Bat  (designed specifically to go with the CD!)?

UPDATE!  A Journey Through Learning is ALSO giving away a copy of their Casey at the Bat lapbook  to this giveaway winner!    

Now for the fun part!  Maestro Classics is giving away a copy of Casey at the Bat to one lucky reader.  To enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me why you want to win this CD.

2. Subscribe to Homegrown Learners (via GFC or email in my sidebar) and leave me a comment.

3.  Like Maestro Classics on FB (when they get to 3,000 likes they will be having a $9 CD sale - this is a good deal!) and leave a comment.  

This giveaway will be open until Sunday,  May 20 at midnight.