46: Simple, Creative, and Achievable Homeschool Music Education Goals for the New Year

Kick off the New Year with an enriching approach to music education in your homeschool! In Episode 46 of the "Music in Our Homeschool" podcast, host Gena Mayo shares simple, creative, and achievable music education goals to keep the rhythm alive in 2025. 

Whether you’re a homeschooling veteran or just getting started, this episode is brimming with practical tips designed for busy homeschool moms. Gena, a homeschooling mom of eight and experienced music teacher for over 30 years, breaks down the SMART goal framework—Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound—to make adding music into your homeschool feasible and fun.

Learn how to incorporate music lessons effortlessly with examples like dedicating 10 minutes a day to classical music or integrating music theory into your math curriculum.

Gena also highlights the importance of setting up a dedicated music corner in your home so everything is accessible and ready to go, creating seasonal music activities, and making music education a family affair.

Don’t miss Gena’s special recommendation to explore the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership and online courses to streamline your music lessons. (MusicinOurHomeschool.com/membership)

This episode is a must-listen for anyone striving to make music a vibrant part of their homeschool routine. Tune in to discover actionable steps that ensure music education remains a joyful and integral part of your children's education.

See links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/homeschool-music-education-goals/

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

Simple, Creative, and Achievable Homeschool Music Education Goals for the New Year (E46)

[00:00:00] Welcome back to the music in our homeschool podcast. This is Gena Mayo. And today we're diving into a topic that feels perfect for this season of fresh starts and new beginnings, setting homeschool music education goals for the new year. If you're a homeschool mom who's feeling tired and overwhelmed, and who of us isn't, this episode is for you.

You're not alone, and I'm here to help you find simple, creative, and achievable ways to incorporate music education into your homeschool in 2025. Before we jump in, let me remind you about the online courses and the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership that I've created for homeschool families. These courses are designed to make your life easier while giving your children a quality music education right at home. They're flexible, engaging, and perfect for families just like yours and mine.

So let's start with the [00:01:00] why. Why should we set specific goals for music education in our home school? The truth is that music often gets pushed to the back burner. There are math lessons to complete, and essays to write, and science experiments to set up.

But please hear me, music is more than an extra. It enriches our children's lives, helps them develop discipline, creativity, and emotional expression, and it connects them with history and culture in a unique way that nothing else can. By setting goals in your homeschool, you create a roadmap. You're less likely to forget about music or to let it slide. And even if you're juggling a lot, small intentional steps can lead to huge progress. 

Now let's talk about how to set music education goals. I've got some simple techniques to help you. 

First of all, start small and be specific. Don't overwhelm yourself [00:02:00] with grandiose plans. instead pick one specific goal to start. For example, I will do one music appreciation lesson per week from the Music in Our Homeschool Plus Music Lesson Calendar of the Month Or, we will spend 10 minutes three times a week listening to classical music. Or, each child will learn to play one new song on the piano this month.

These bite-sized goals are manageable and won't add stress to your day or to your homeschool as a whole. You may have heard of the SMART goal framework. S M A R T stands for Specific, Measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. And that is the best type of goal to have. 

Specific. Instead of saying, we'll study music this year, say, By February we will complete the first three lessons of the Guitar Time with [00:03:00] Ben beginner guitar course.

Measurable. How do you know when you've succeeded? Maybe it's finishing a course, or learning a song, or attending a live performance. 

Achievable. Be realistic about what you can accomplish given your family schedule and your children's ages. 

Relevant. Align your music goals with your broader homeschool vision.

And Time-bound. Be sure to set that deadline to keep yourself motivated. 

Now another technique to use to set goals is to integrate your music education into other subjects. Look for ways to connect music to what you're already teaching. Are you studying American history? Then add the A Folk Song a Week or American Music for Elementary courses to complement the history that you're learning.

Are your kids learning fractions in [00:04:00] math? Then add the Beginning Music Theory for Elementary course. It's part of the Premium Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership, and it has rhythm exercises to reinforce the concept of fractions. 

Or are you doing a state study for geography this year? Then add in the State Songs of the 50 U. S. States to make each state come to life when you study it. Music doesn't have to stand alone, it can complement your current homeschool curriculum. 

Another suggestion is to make it a team effort. For example, your family goal could be to learn and perform a patriotic song together for the 4th of July or a Christmas carol together by next December.

One year I learned to play the recorder along with my two youngest children. It was really fun and this kind of group goal fosters connection and accountability. So once you've got your goals set, the next step is to make sure that they actually happen.

And here's some [00:05:00] creative ways to ensure that music education happens this year. One fun thing is to set up a music corner. Dedicate a small space in your home to your music education. Keep the instruments, the sheet music, the headphones, whatever you need for the goals that you have set, have it all accessible. And when everything is in one place, it's so much easier to dive in.

Number two is to incorporate music into your routine. So tie music to a part of your day that's already consistent. For example, you're eating breakfast together? Then that could be the time that you play your classical music. 

Or do you do Morning Time together? Then do a 15-minute music lesson from the music lesson calendar of the month while you're doing your morning time together. Or do you meet together as a family every evening? Have a family sing along as part of your evening routine. 

A third idea is where my Music in Our Homeschool courses really come in [00:06:00] handy. They're ready to go, require no prep, and they're designed for busy homeschool moms just like you, whether you know anything about music or not. Whether it's a lesson on the composer Igor Stravinsky, or you're learning to sing in rounds, or you want to do a deep dive into Baroque music. The courses provide structure, flexibility, ease, and fun.

Number four is to set up a listening challenge. Challenge your family to listen to music from different genres, cultures, or time periods. You could create a bingo card with categories like a piece by Mozart, or a jazz standard, or a song in a foreign language, or use the Music Lesson Calendar of the Month and see who in your family could check off the most days' lessons.

Number five is to plan seasonal music activities. Take advantage of the seasons to make music more engaging. One of my most popular courses is Music [00:07:00] Lessons for Holidays and Special Days because we have lessons for almost every holiday of the year. And a lot of special days, too, like Dr. Seuss Day and Harry Potter's birthday and National Saxophone Day. Tie your music studies to holidays or to the weather and keep things fresh and fun. 

Before we wrap up, I just want to encourage you, if you're feeling overwhelmed, remember that music education doesn't have to be perfect. Even small efforts can make a big difference. Maybe your kids will learn one single song this year. Maybe they'll discover a love for a composer or genre that they had never heard of before. That's a win. 

And don't forget to give yourself grace. Homeschooling is hard work and you're doing an amazing job. If you need support, my online courses are here to help you. You're not in this alone. 

Thank you so much for joining me today on the Music in Our Homeschool podcast. I hope you're feeling inspired to [00:08:00] set some music education goals for the new year. Remember, small steps lead to big progress, and incorporating music into your homeschool can be simple and rewarding. 

If you've enjoyed this episode, please share it with a fellow homeschool mom who might need a little encouragement too.

And don't forget to check out the online courses at Learn.MusicinOurHomeschool.Com. Until next time, keep making music a joyful part of your homeschool journey, and keep the music alive.

See links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/homeschool-music-education-goals/