28: 10 Ways to Use the Music in Our Homeschool Plus Membership to Add Value to Your Homeschool

Are you a homeschool rebel looking to enrich your homeschool curriculum with engaging and flexible music education? In this episode of the Music in Our Homeschool Podcast, I, Gena Mayo, explore "10 Ways to Use the Music in Our Homeschool Plus Membership to Add Value to Your Homeschool." Whether you’re just starting out with music in your homeschool or looking to expand your existing homeschool courses, this episode is packed with practical tips and resources tailored to meet your family's unique needs.

We dive into how you can utilize the Music Lesson Calendar of the Week to structure your homeschool music lessons effectively. You'll also discover the value of our comprehensive music theory courses, designed for learners of all ages—from elementary students to high schoolers preparing for advanced studies. If you have kinesthetic learners, don’t miss our active music lessons, which include hand clapping games, singing games, and solfege hand signs, perfect for hands-on learning.

I also share how the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership can help your high school students earn their fine arts credit, a crucial component of a well-rounded homeschool education. Plus, we’ll explore how the membership aligns with Charlotte Mason’s educational philosophy, offering Charlotte Mason-inspired music lessons, composer studies, hymn and folk song study, and more. Whether it’s our live monthly music lessons on Zoom or our new art lessons, there’s something here for every homeschool family.

Don’t miss this opportunity to make your homeschool music education more dynamic and personalized. Listen in and find out how you can keep the music alive in your homeschool with the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership!

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/ways-to-use-music-membership/

Please follow/subscribe to the podcast and leave a 5-star review and comment if you liked this episode! Find all courses at https://Learn.MusicinOurHomeschool.com ,free music lessons here: https://MusicinOurHomeschool.com/FreeMusicLessons , and lots more links here: https://linktr.ee/genamayo !

Transcript

10 Ways to Use the Music in Our Homeschool Plus Membership to Add Value to Your Homeschool (E28) 

[00:00:00] Are you a homeschool rebel like me? You know you are a unique person and your kids are unique, so you don't always want to follow a curriculum just as written. Today I want to share 10 ways you can use the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership to add unique value to your particular needs and the desires in your own homeschool.

 Number one is to use the Music Lesson Calendar of the Week. This is the basis of the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership. And last week I spent an entire podcast speaking about it. So I encourage you to go back and listen to that podcast if you aren't familiar with this amazing tool that so many homeschoolers are loving. But it is not the only way you can use the membership. 

So let's talk about the other nine ways. Number two is the music theory lessons. Music theory, if you aren't already [00:01:00] familiar, is things about note reading and rhythms and all those things about when you look at a piece of music, how do you play it? That's music theory. 

Lots of other things I teach in the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership, but I do have three music theory courses. Beginning Music Theory for elementary students are for those who are just getting started with this concept. My youngest daughter and I filmed the lessons together and kids will learn about notes of the treble and the bass clefs and rhythms, tempo, dynamics, intervals, and more.

There are two different courses for older students, Beginning Music Theory for Teens and Advanced Music Theory, which is very similar to an AP music theory course, and will prepare students for the freshmen music theory weed-out class in college. 

Number three are the active music lessons. [00:02:00] Do you have a kinesthetic learner who needs to move often?

Then you'll love some of the lessons that are included in MIOH Plus such as Hand Clapping Games, Singing Games, and Sight Reading with Solfege Hand Signs. These are so fun for those kids who learn best by using their bodies. 

Number four are the singing lessons. It was such a blessing a few years ago to receive a phone call from Andrew Pudewa. His mother, who had passed away, was an incredible voice/ singing teacher, and she had created a program to be used at home called Singing Made Easy. He had previously been selling it through IEW, but wanted to separate it and offered it to Music in Our Homeschool for us to sell it exclusively. 

What a joy. I jumped at the chance and I love the way his mother, Marcia teaches the lessons. It's so similar to the [00:03:00] way that I teach. MIOH Plus includes all five 

levels 

of Singing Made Easy as well as Christmas Carols Made Easy. If you want a beginning singing lesson course for ages three through adults, here you go.

Number five are the instrument lesson courses that are included in the membership. After getting Marcia's Singing Made Easy courses, I decided to hire two experts to create beginning instrument courses for learning to play the guitar and the recorder. So also included in the membership is Guitar Time with Ben and Recorder Time with Mr. Jerry. 

Another beginning instrument course is in the works, but it's a secret right now. So stay tuned and yes, members will get this new course automatically added to their membership. 

Number six is high school fine arts credit. If you've listened to me for a while, you know that I believe that every single high [00:04:00] schooler needs to have a fine arts credit on their high school transcript.

It doesn't matter what their goals are after high school, whether it's college, straight to a job, marriage, military, or anything else, the fine arts credit helps them become a more well-rounded person and will add much to their lives. See Seven Top Reasons Fine Arts in Your Homeschool is an Absolute Must, Plus How to do It, episodes 14 and 15 of the podcast for more information.

Are you a Charlotte Mason homeschooler? Then you'll love that number seven is that the membership includes Charlotte Mason style music lessons too. Much of what is included in the MIOH Plus membership actually fits Miss Mason's thoughts about music education. We have folk songs with the courses 10 Songs All Preschoolers Should Know and A Folk Song a Week.

We have [00:05:00] composer study in the live music lessons of the month which all have replays that you could go back to, as well as Learn Classical Music with Cartoons and Composer Study with Ten Lesser-Known Composers. And we have hymns study in the course Great Hymns of the Faith. Plus, I have two courses called A Year of Charlotte Mason Music Lessons and the Charlotte Mason Inspired High School Fine Arts course.

Number eight is to participate in the live music lesson every month. One of the joys I have is to create a new music lesson every month and teach it live through Zoom. It's so much fun to interact with the students and to answer their questions about the composer or the musical concept I'm teaching about.

Whereas most other music lessons of the membership are around 15 minutes each, the live music lesson each month is about 30 to 45 minutes long. 

Our ninth [00:06:00] idea is to learn to paint with the monthly art lessons. Starting in May 2024, I added art to the membership. Each month we learn to paint a new acrylic painting together. I love painting myself and it's been a joy to see how students and parents have responded to this new feature of the membership. 

Number 10 is to pick a course and go through that. The final way I'll share that you can use the membership is to pick one of more than the 50 courses and resources that are included in the Premium Membership and go through that with your student.

What are some of the options that I haven't already mentioned today? Well, there's World Music for Elementary, American Music for Elementary, and Music Lessons for Holidays and Special Days. And all three of those courses are included in the Basic membership. 

We have courses that are great to go along with literature you might be reading, such as 10 Weeks of [00:07:00] Shakespeare, Songs from Pa and Laura, and Music Lessons of Hobbits, Elves, and Dwarves.

There are even some courses that aren't music-based. We have a year long elementary world geography course called My First Amazing Journey Around the World. There is a craft, science experiment, book club, and camp idea course called Rainy Day and Summer Camp Fun. 

And specifically for homeschool moms, I have some courses like Music 101 for Homeschool Moms Workshop, Music Playlists for Homemaking, Use Music to Grow in Your Faith, and the Tune Up Your Homeschool two-hour music space setup challenge workshop.

So in conclusion, you can make the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership work for you. It's so flexible. And I'm always ready to listen if you have suggestions for how to make it even better. Please send me a message. Look in the show notes for the [00:08:00] place that says "Send Gena a message." Or feel free to email me at Gena@MusicinOurHomeschool.com and that's Gena with an e, and until next time keep the music alive.

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/ways-to-use-music-membership/