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In this enlightening episode, we explore how to seamlessly integrate music education into a Charlotte Mason homeschool. Music is a vital part of a well-rounded education, especially within the Charlotte Mason approach, which emphasizes a holistic and child-centered educational philosophy.
Key Topics Covered:
- Understanding the Charlotte Mason educational philosophy
- Importance of music education within the Charlotte Mason method
- Age-specific tips, methods, and resources for teaching music
- Practical strategies for creating a musical environment at home
- Encouraging a lifelong love and appreciation for music in your children
Resources Mentioned:
For all the details and links to the resources mentioned, visit our blog post: MusicinOurHomeschool.com/CharlotteMasonMusicEd
Tune in and learn how to create a rich musical environment that nurtures your child's creativity and appreciation for music, enhancing their overall educational experience.
Subscribe to the Music in Our Homeschool podcast for more tips and resources to enrich your homeschooling journey with the beauty of music education.
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How to Successfully Include Music Education in a Charlotte Mason Homeschool. E21
[00:00:00] I'm so excited to talk to you today about how to successfully include music education in a Charlotte Mason homeschool. We will talk about tips, methods, and resources. Music education is a vital part of a well-rounded homeschool curriculum, especially within the Charlotte Mason approach.
Let's start out by defining what is a Charlotte Mason homeschool in case you are not familiar with that term. A Charlotte Mason homeschool is an educational approach based on the principles and methods of the lady named Charlotte Mason. She was a British educator from the late 19th and early 20th centuries, and Mason emphasized a holistic and child-centered education, advocating for a broad curriculum that nurtures the whole person, not just the intellect. This approach prioritizes the use of living books, which are engaging and well-written texts over dry textbooks, and encourages [00:01:00] children to form personal connections with the material.
The Charlotte Mason method also includes narration where children retell what they have learned, promoting retention and comprehension. In a Charlotte Mason homeschool, learning is seen as a delightful and ongoing process. Nature study is a significant component, encouraging outdoor exploration and observation to foster a sense of wonder and appreciation for the natural world.
The curriculum includes subjects such as literature, history, art, music, and nature study presented in short focused lessons to maintain the child's attention and interest. Character development and good habits are also emphasized, integrating moral and ethical education into daily learning.
Overall, the Charlotte Mason approach seeks to cultivate a love of learning and a well rounded, knowledgeable and thoughtful individual. And [00:02:00] it is highly popular in the homeschooling world.
What did Charlotte Mason say about music education? Well, she placed a high value on music education, believing it to be essential component of a well rounded education.
She said music is a necessary part of education. She viewed music as a means to enrich the soul and cultivate a sense of beauty and appreciation for the arts.
Mason advocated for regular exposure to great music, considering it as important as exposure to great literature and art. She encouraged the study of composers and their works, suggesting that children should listen to classical music regularly to develop their taste and understanding of musical forms in history.
Her goal was for children to develop a love and understanding of music, not just technical proficiency. And that's exactly what music appreciation courses and curriculum are all about. [00:03:00] Mason emphasized that the core of music learning should be enjoyment first. She recommended creating an atmosphere of music in the home by frequently listening to and discussing classical pieces.
She believed training the ear to appreciate music should precede learning an instrument or music theory, and this can and should start at a very early age. Miss Mason's approach to music education also included practical engagement with music. She believed children should not only listen to music but also participate in it actively through singing hymns and folk songs and if possible learning to play an instrument, usually the piano.
This hands-on approach with music was seen as a way to develop discipline, coordination, and a deeper connection to this art form. By integrating music into the daily routine, Mason aimed to create lifelong appreciation and love for music and her [00:04:00] students, enhancing their overall educational experience and personal development.
So now we're going to talk about each specific age group and some tips, methods, and resources you can use for each. So for preschool and early elementary, ages three through seven, keep it simple and fun. At this age, focus on making music enjoyable. Use simple songs, nursery rhymes, chants, and simple rhythm games to engage young children.
Have routine and consistency. Integrate music into your daily routine. Sing during cleanup and bath time, for example. Definitely makes chore time more enjoyable. And exposure to different sounds. Introduce a variety of musical styles and instruments. Listen to great music. And purchase a set of simple instruments such as maracas, tambourines, rhythm sticks, and hand [00:05:00] drums.
Now for specific methods: for singing and finger plays. Singing songs together and clapping along helps develop rhythm and pitch. Finger plays are wonderful for teaching kids fun chants which develop language skills, help them explore their imaginations, and work on fine motor skills. Movement activities. Incorporate movement with music through dancing or marching to the beat. This will help the children feel the rhythm physically.
And storytelling with music. Use music to enhance your storytelling. Play, background music or use instruments to create sound effects while you're reading or telling stories. Now, if you'd like a link to all of these or a list of them, you could head over to the blog post that accompanies this podcast episode. You can find it at MusicinOurHomeschool.com/CharlotteMasonMusicEd.
And for resources for [00:06:00] preschoolers, I highly recommend KinderBach, which introduces children to simple songs to sing, fingerplays, as well as an introduction to piano for preschoolers. A course that I wrote called 10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Learn, which gives you some great, easy to sing folk songs to do with your child.
And another course I put together, the 100 Delightful Classical Music Pieces course. You can play a piece for an entire week before moving on to the next so that you and your child will get to understand each piece. And it will take you 100 weeks to get through the entire course.
Now we're moving on to elementary ages, ages eight through 12. So tips: start with introducing composer study. Begin by studying the lives and works of famous composers. Charlotte Mason recommended focusing on one composer per term.
Two is hymn study. [00:07:00] Introduce hymn study at this age by singing and learning new hymns. This can be a part of your morning time or family worship. Folk song study. Incorporate folk songs from various cultures to provide a rich and diverse musical experience, in addition to learning the folk songs of your own country and culture.
Methods for elementary music education: with the composer studies, listen to the music and read living books about their lives. There are so many living books, biographies in the library written for all different ages. Hymn studies. If you don't sing hymns at your church, you can start learning and singing them at home. And folk songs are also really easy to learn.
The resources: I have a blog post called MusicinOurHomeschool.com/books. And there are so many living books for music education that I list in that post. I have an online [00:08:00] course called Great Hymns of the Faith from Music in Our Homeschool that teaches you 10 different hymns, including the stories behind the songs, and includes videos and sheet music. And I also have a course I wrote called A Folk Song a Week that has 36 different folk songs in it with videos, sheet music, copy work, and coloring pages.
Moving on to ages 13 through 15.
Tips. At this age, you'll want to focus a little bit more on singing technique. Continue to sing, but add in more difficult songs that can increase the child's ability, stamina, and range. You might want to consider private lessons at this age for a more, for a more focused and personalized instruction in piano or guitar.
And another tip is to listen to live music. Listen to a piece at home for a while, but then go to a symphony concert, an opera, a musical, or a choir concert to [00:09:00] hear that piece performed live.
Methods: For music appreciation, study different music genres and their historical context. Discuss how music affects and reflects cultural and historical trends.
Add in composition projects. Encourage your child to compose their own music. This can start with simple melodies and progress to more complex pieces. And then for music history, be sure to explore the history of music, focusing on the different. musical periods of the Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern eras.
For resources, I have a whole set of Singing Made Easy courses, six different levels to help you learn new songs of the past and improve your singing technique. The courses include sheet music, videos, and audio tracks. I also have a course called Guitar Time with Ben, which is a beginning guitar course [00:10:00] for ages 10 and up in 10 lessons. And the 20th Century Music Appreciation online course is a simple-to-use music history course that takes you through the great composers, pieces, and musical styles of the 20th century.
Now on to high school music education in a Charlotte Mason homeschool, ages 16 through 18. Now it's time to learn music theory if your child hasn't already. It's the time to introduce music theory topics such as chord progressions and key signatures. Another tip is to specialize. Encourage specialization in an instrument or vocal training. And another tip is composition. Even simple composition is a great way to grow musically
Methods. Music history and literature deepen your child's understanding of music history, and the literature of the same time period by studying major works and their impact.
Number two is to join a [00:11:00] local group and perform with others. This can be a church praise band, a musical theater company, or a choir at your homeschool co op. If you can't find a group, start one yourself. And number three is to learn how to do digital music composition. There are numerous apps and computer programs for this.
And the resources for high schoolers: Books, read great living books and biographies of composers.
Two is my Beginning Music Theory for Teens course. It's a half-credit course to teach your child all the basics of music theory. And it's perfect to earn a fine arts credit. And my third resource for high schoolers is a course called the Charlotte Mason Inspired High School Fine Arts Course. It includes composer study, picture study, like art, and poetry study all together in this one full year course.
Now here are some general music education tips for all [00:12:00] ages. Create a musical environment in your home. Surround your home with music. Play a variety of musical genres and discuss them with your children.
Two, be patient and encouraging. Learning to appreciate uncommon music takes time. Be patient and offer constant encouragement. Short periods of listening are better than nothing. And the third tip is to lead by example. If you play an instrument or enjoy singing, let your children see you engaging in music. Your enthusiasm can be contagious. So in conclusion, integrating music education into your Charlotte Mason homeschool is not only possible, but can be incredibly rewarding by using the tips, methods, and resources I shared today. Create a rich musical environment that nurtures your child's creativity and appreciation for music. Whether your child is a preschooler just beginning to explore sounds or a [00:13:00] high school student delving into advanced composition, there are countless ways to make music an integral part of their education.
Embrace the joy of music and watch your child flourish academically, emotionally, and creatively. And until next time, keep the music alive.
Find all links and resources mentioned in this episode here: MusicinOurHomeschool.com/CharlotteMasonMusicEd
