William Bennett, former U.S. Secretary of Education, once stated that the arts “are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic …music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.” Studies have shown that music, as one of those fine arts, has helped students increase their academic scores and coordination while developing self-discipline. No matter what teaching method you use, adding music into your homeschool curriculum isn’t difficult.
If you have a preschooler, incorporating music into his day couldn’t be easier. Purchase or check out children’s CDs from the library and sing along together. Pull out some pots and pans and set them on the floor, allowing your preschooler to play his new “drums” to the beat of the music. You can help him make other instruments, such as a maraca, by simply putting dry beans into a small plastic container with a lid. For a more structured music time, check with your library to see if they offer a story and song time. Kindermusik and The Learning Groove are companies that offer group music experiences for preschoolers.
If your children are of elementary-school age, consider teaching them how to play the recorder. You can find fingering charts (even interactive ones) and free sheet music online that they can play. If other families are interested, you can organize a group of students to play together, forming a recorder band. The Classical Conversations curriculum uses a tin whistle instead of a recorder, but with either one, the students can learn to read music and follow the notes.
Homeschooling families that enjoy unit studies might consider working on a unit study about classical composers. You can find both biographies and pictures books about composers at the library, as well as music CDs featuring their work. If you spend a lot of time in the car traveling to activities, you have a perfect opportunity to listen to and discuss the music. You could even include a study about the symphony orchestra, what instruments are included, and how they are arranged.
Music can also be integrated naturally into your history lessons. For example, if your children are studying the middle ages, you can incorporate an assignment about the troubadours and minstrels who sang songs of courtly love. As you move forward on your timeline, you can move along with your study of music as well, discussing how and why it changed as well as the changes in the instruments used.
Students in the older elementary grades and up can take private or group music lessons to learn a particular instrument. Learning piano is a good place to begin even with young students, as it gives the child a good foundation in music theory that they can apply when learning any other instrument. To find a good music teacher in your area, begin by asking your local music or piano store for a recommendation. You can also check with other homeschooling parents to see if their children take lessons, and if so, from whom. If the price is out of your range, ask if the teacher will exchange the lessons in return for another service from you. Not every teacher will want to barter, but it doesn’t hurt to ask. You can also save some money by finding an upper level high school student or college student to teach your child, particularly if your child is just starting out.
If your child is a more experienced musician, search your town for a band, orchestra, or chorus that your child could join. Perhaps there is a homeschool group in your area; if not, see if there’s a community band or youth orchestra that your child could try out for. Be sure to also check with the schools in your area; sometimes private and public schools with a music program welcome homeschoolers to join them.
You can also add music to your homeschool lessons by attending concerts and musical performances. Check with local colleges, coffee houses, festivals, or community events to see what groups of musicians will be playing and when they’ll be there. Have your students research the group, the instruments, and the music; they’ll have a better understanding and appreciation for the music they hear.
Whatever method you choose, be sure to make music a part of your child’s education. A child who can sing or play an instrument grows in self-confidence, and it’s a skill that they can use their entire lives. Even if they don’t participate in making music but learn to appreciate it as an art form, they will grow as students and individuals. As the French novelist Victor Hugo (1802-1885) once wrote, “Music expresses that which cannot be said and on which it is impossible to be silent.”
Guest Blogger: Samantha Bell
Photo by rossination
Homeschooling Curriculum by SmartTutor.com
