Here are our daily and weekly rhythms for adding the beauty of music to our home and hearts.
Our Music education includes singing hymns and folksongs, Hoffman Academy piano lessons and practice sessions, composer study, ukulele practice and sing alongs. We exercise to music and we listen to music while we write. At bedtime, my husband sings his favorite songs to the children.
Music is the divine way to tell beautiful, poetic things to the heart. -Pablo Casals
Singing: Folksongs, Hymns
The Great Family Songbook for Piano and Guitar by Dan Fox and Dick Weissman
Children's Songbook of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
The Melody Book by Patricia Hackett
Hymns of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints
Instruments: Piano, ukulele, bells, drums, recorders, triangle, and various other simple instruments
Hoffman Academy (online piano lessons)
I have been enjoying being part of this community for several years and see that it works for my children and their personalities. The lessons are free with practice sessions, games and extra materials if you join as a member. It is affordable and a blessing to my family.
Composer Study
Sometimes I use the Composer Study Packets by Sonya Shafer. Her packets include:
background on the composer
audio recordings
listen and learn prompts
list of additional resources to find for older students
I get a recording of the composer's piece and we listen in the background of other activities, but during composer study we focus on just listening. Then, we discuss with artful thinking habit prompts. I like a bit of background about the composers.
“Let the young people hear good music as often as possible, . . . let them study occasionally the works of a single great master until they have received some of his teaching, and know his style.” —Charlotte Mason
Check out this free lesson from SQUILT.
As we listen to a classical music piece we can consider four different questions:
1. What is our personal response? (feelings, images, thoughts)
2. What instruments do we hear?
3. What musical patterns do we hear? (dynamics, tempo, repeating, melody, harmony)
4. What can we create from this? (hand signs, dance, art, puppet show of the story we hear, copy rhythms)
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