The Family CURRENT
Published by Family Learning Organization
Fall 2014
Homeschool Music Curriculum:
No Experience Necessary
By Karen Morris
Why have a homeschool music curriculum? I think because most children like music.
Some say that music increases math and language arts
understanding. Children
with special needs sometimes respond more to music than spoken language. According to Howard Gardner music is one of the eight “intelligents.”
Homeschool Music Curriculum and Children with Special Needs
Music can help children memorize facts. Sing the ABC song. There are songs for how
many days each month has, history facts, and spelling rules. Learn math facts by chanting. Use songs to teach reading. Many songs can be found as an illustrated picture
book. One is I Knew an Old Woman Who Swallowed a Fly. Sing or read the book together. Use music to develop muscle control. Have your child do the movements to
Head, Shoulder, Knees, and Toes or other movement songs. Here are some of my ideas
for developing a homeschool music curriculum.
Listening and Singing
When your children are young, sing or play CDs. I didn't sing much but I played a lot
of Christian music when my children were young. They all would stop crying and listen. When my children were preschoolers I used a CD that had nursery rhymes. We
sang a lot and did finger movements. They liked Itsy Bitsy Spider and Where is Thumbkin. If you don't have CDs you can sing along with the internet. When my children
were first and second graders we sang songs about American history. We listened to
songs such as We Have Been Working on the Railroad and Dixie. We also sang patriotic songs such as America the Beautiful and The Star Spangle Banner. Another way to
teach music is to listen to different types of music. Your child will learn to appreciate
the different types. Listen to Blues, Jazz, Country, Asian, and Classical. You can listen
when you are eating lunch or during quiet time.
Art
You can incorporate art into your homeschool music curriculum. Have your child draw
Homeschool:
when he is An
listening
toormusic.
Askform.
your child to draw what the music means to him. Talk
overall plan,
"big picture"
A
yearly
plan
for
each
grade
level.
about what the music might sound like such as wind in the trees or an angry storm. AnTranscript forms. Mine change yearly, since I haven't found one I'm completely happy with yet.
other fun art
activity
is to make
instruments.
You can make a tambourine by placing
A list
of resources/textbooks
used each
year.
A place to record and keep track of grades
beans between
two
paper
plates
and
stapling
the
plates
together. A drum can be made out
A record of special projects, community service, field trips, and other non-curricular things.
of an oatmeal box. Shakers can be made out of coffee creamer jars and either sand or
Household:
beans placed
inside.
can
Monthly
budget,Xylophones
including what day
eachbe
bill made
is due. out of glasses and different amounts of
Record
of
user
IDs
and
passwords.
water. A paper towel and wax paper can make a horn. Look in the library for books on
List of home projects that can be updated when priorities change.
making music
instruments.
Record
of car maintenance done, including date and mileage. With five children driving, we have
seven vehicles. Keeping track of oil changes and tire rotations is impossible.
Menu planning form for a week and a month.
History
Master grocery list.
A home inventory. This never occurred to me until friends of ours watched their house burn to the
ground. It happens.
a list.
Your homeschool
music Make
curriculum
should include the study of the
composers. You
Address book. Having lots of military friends means changing lots of addresses. How nice it would
can find information
about
the
composers
from
many
different
sources.
Look
in your libe to be able to simply delete an outdated address and type in the new one!
brary for books and DVDs about famous composers. Many books and DVDs are geared
Work at home:
for children. My children liked
Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Many libraries also have
music CDs to check out. When you are studying a time period of history also study the
music of the time. What music was popular during World War II?
Field Trips
Another idea is to go on field trips. Go to the symphony. Many have
afternoon matinees that are geared for children. You could also go to concerts put on by your local high
school. Don't forget about marching bands and choir. A fun field trip that my children
went on was to a violin factory. They got to see how violins, cello, and violas were
made. The children also got to hear the different string instruments played.
No Music Experience?
I admit I do not have much experience with music. I do not sing or play a musical instrument. As you can see I relied on CDs and DVDs. Here are some other ideas to teach music when you do not have much experience. My older children took piano lessons from a
music teacher. For a while we were part of a co-op through our school district that had
music lessons. Private lessons can be pricey. See if your homeschool co-op has a music
teacher that will do several children on one day and will give a discount.
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Online Resources
Does your child want to play the guitar? Play Acoustic Guitar
(http://www.playacoustic-guitar.com/child-acoustic-guitar.html) has a discussion how to buy a child's
guitar. The site even has free guitar lessons. A homeschool music curriculum should
have some instruction on music instruments. Look in books to find pictures and read
about different types of instruments. You can also go on line to listen to instruments at
datadragon (http://datadragon.com/education/instruments/). Making Music Fun
(http://www.makingmusicfun.net/) is a free website that has information about composers, worksheets, and songbooks that are available to download. The website also has fun
games. A homeschool music curriculum can be fun and with a little help from other people can be easy to teach .
Copyright © 2009-2013 by Karen Morris Homeschool- Life-Situations.com - See more at: http://
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EXAMPLES OF MUSIC CURRICULUM
It’s amazing how many resources one can find online! For music history and theory
books, visit http://www.lampposthomeschool.com/electives/musicdrama/ or browse
around for more curriculum. In addition to music appreciation courses, consider investing in a musical instrument and music lessons with a private teacher, or find a teach yourself course or book online.
“I would teach children music, physics, and
philosophy; but most importantly music, for the patterns
in music and all the arts are the keys to learning.” ~
Plato
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10 REASONS TO STUDY MUSIC
1. Children who study music tend to have larger vocabularies and more advanced reading
skills than their peers.
2. Elementary age children who are involved in music lessons show greater brain development and memory improvement within a year than children who
receive no musical
training.
3. Children who study a musical instrument are more likely to excel in all of their studies,
work better in teams, have enhanced critical thinking skills, stay in school, and pursue
further education.
4. Music can assist active listening, which is beneficial in a range of things from taking part
in conversations to building more satisfying friendships.
5. Students learn the value of perseverance and sustained effort to achieve
and the reward of hard work!
excellence
6. Music study enhances discipline skills.
7. Music study helps the student explore his or her imagination, creativity, and power of invention.
8. Research shows that music is to the brain as physical exercise is to the human body. Music tones the brain for auditory fitness and allows it to decipher
between tone and
pitch.
9. In the past, secondary students who participated in a music group at school reported the
lowest lifetime and current use of all substances (tobacco, alcohol, and illicit drugs).
10. Learning and mastering a musical instrument improves the way the brain breaks down
and understands human language, making music students more apt to pick up a second or
third language.
PERIODICAL LIST
The Old Schoolhouse Magazine—www.thehomeschoolmagazine.com
Phone: 888-718-home
Home Education Magazine—www.home-ed-magazine.com
Home School Enrichment—www.HSEMagazine.com
A Christian Based Resource 800-558-9523
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*These reports are completed by parents and evaluated
by a Washington State certified teacher to document the
child’s academic progress according to state standards.
If you are unsure of the homeschooling laws in your state,
go to www.hslda.org or www.homeedmag.com
for specific state information.
“The only real mistake is the one from which
we learn nothing.”
~ Henry Ford
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KID’S PAGE
Homemade Musical Instruments
Making homemade musical instruments is a fun way to experiment with
sound! Make a shoebox guitar, a coffee can drum, or a tambourine. Here are
some ideas to inspire you! For instructions, look them up online yourself or
have someone help you. See if you can create a symphony and invite your
friends over to play!
Balloon Tin Drums
Fill a clean can with rice or lentils,
stretch a balloon over the top and
secure with an elastic band.
Water Xylophone
Fill the glasses with different
levels of water, and add food coloring
to further differentiate them.
Straw Panpipe
Pull out the scissors, drinking
straws, and some tape to make
this entertaining instrument.
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BOOKS
Academic Homeschooling: How to Give Your Child an Amazing
Education at Home - Tracy Chatters
Suddenly Homeschooling: A Quick Start Guide to Legally Homeschool
in 2 Weeks - Marie-Claire Moreau,Ed.D.
Learning Styles: A Guide for Teachers and Parents - Barbara K Given
A Child’s Garden: Enchanting Outdoor Spaces for Children and
Parents - Molly Dannenmaier
ONLINE RESOURCES
www.edhelper.com - free downloadable lessons
www.time4learning.com - economically-priced curriculum
www.kaboose.com - free lessons and craft projects
www.mentoringminds.com - books & CDs to purchase
www.lessonplanspage.com - math worksheets & science projects
www.patchproducts.com - educational games
www.besthomeschooling.org - articles about homeschooling
www.homeschoolfacts.com - state laws and support groups
www.schoolexpress.com - free lessons and membership for a fee
www.lessonplancentral.com - free lessons
www.applelandbooks.com - test practice and study guides
If you have found a particular book or resource to be helpful,
and it is not on this list, please send it to:
[email protected].
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PO Box 1750
Mead WA 99021
Copyright © 2014 by Family Learning Organization.
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reference as follows: “The Family CURRENT,
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