87: The 15-Minute Music Method- How to Finally Make Music Happen in Your Homeschool

Have you ever felt guilty for skipping music in your homeschool because the day was just too full? You’re not alone. In this inspiring episode of the Music in Our Homeschool Podcast, Gena Mayo shares the simple but powerful approach that has transformed music education for thousands of families—the 15-Minute Music Method.

Discover how just 15 minutes can:

• Make music consistent without overwhelming your schedule
• Keep kids engaged and excited
• Build meaningful connections with history, geography, literature, and more
• Bring joy and confidence back into your homeschool

From real-life stories of overwhelmed days with eight kids at home to practical tips you can start tomorrow, this episode will encourage and equip you to make music happen. You don’t need more time—you just need the right method.

Tune in today and find out why the 15-Minute Music Method works!

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/15-minute-music-method/

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

87: The 15-Minute Music Method- How to Finally Make Music Happen in Your Homeschool

Speaker: [00:00:00] Hello, harmony heroes. I'm Gena Mayo and welcome back to the Music in Our Homeschool podcast. This is the place where we discover how to make music and fine arts, not just possible in your homeschool, but joyful, meaningful, and absolutely doable. Today's episode is one I've been excited to share for a long time because it's really the heartbeat of everything I do through Music in Our Homeschool. We're diving deep into what I call the 15-Minute Music Method.

Now, don't let the simplicity of the name fool you. This little idea has transformed the way thousands of families approach music in their homeschools. It's changed how I taught my own kids, and I believe it just might be the solution you've been looking for if you've ever felt overwhelmed trying to add music and fine arts into your already busy homeschool days.

So grab your tea or coffee, maybe a notebook if you'd like [00:01:00] jotting down ideas, and let's explore how 15 minutes can make all the difference.

Speaker 2: If you are a homeschooler looking for ways to easily and affordably include a quality music education in your homeschool, you've come to the right place. This is the music in our homeschool podcast. I'm Gina Mayo, homeschooling mom of eight, a music teacher for over 30 years.

Speaker: Let me start by taking you back to when all eight of my kids were still at home and I was in the thick of homeschooling. Our days were packed. There were math lessons to get through, phonics practice, history read-alouds, science experiments that seemed to spill all over the kitchen counter, endless laundry, and the constant need to get everyone to their activities on time.

I loved music. I was a music teacher before I became a homeschooling mom. I knew the value of music, but honestly, it wasn't happening. Every day, I'd say, we'll get [00:02:00] to some music appreciation tomorrow, and tomorrow became next week. Next week became next month, and then sometimes we wouldn't touch it for a whole semester.

And the guilt was real. I knew that music wasn't just some extra subject, it's brain building, character-shaping, and joy-giving. But I couldn't figure out how to fit it in without it becoming just one more burden. And that's when it hit me. What if I stopped thinking music had to be this big production?

Could it just be 15 minutes? I had just started reading about the Fly Lady and she said, "You can do anything for 15 minutes, except complain." And I thought, could I transfer that to music education, too?

The first time I tried it, I remember telling my kids, okay, we're going to do a quick music lesson. Just 15 minutes. Their eyes lit up because they knew it wouldn't drag on forever. [00:03:00] And mine did too because I knew I could actually keep that promise. And you know what? It worked. We listened to a piece of music, we talked about what we noticed, everyone wrote or drew something about it, and 15 minutes later, we were done.

And I thought, that's it. We actually did it. The relief was incredible. Music no longer became the thing I felt guilty about skipping. It was now the thing that we always easily had time for. That's when the 15-Minute Music Method was born. Now you might be thinking, why 15 minutes? Why not 10 or 20 or a whole hour?

Well, here's the beauty. Fifteen minutes is long enough to make some real progress, but short enough that you'll actually do it. Two, it's sustainable. You don't need to rearrange your whole day. Three, kids stay engaged, no whining, no zoning out because the lesson is over before their attention [00:04:00] span runs out.

And four, the magic is in the consistency. Fifteen minutes once a week or a few times a week really adds up. Hours over a month and years of meaningful exposure by the time your kids graduate.

I also realized something else during that season. When we put music on the calendar, like a core subject, math, history, science, reading, everything changed. Suddenly. It's no longer optional. It wasn't, we'll squeeze it in if we have time. It had a time slot like math and reading did, and because it was only 15 minutes, no one complained. Including me.

In fact, it became one of the highlights of our day. So when I tell families now about the 15-Minute Music Method, that's my encouragement. Make it visible. Write it down. Treat it as valuable, because when your kids see you [00:05:00] prioritizing music, they will value it too.

I will never forget an email I received from a mom who said, "For years, I felt like a failure because I could never make music stick in our homeschool. I'd buy books and CDs, and they'd sit untouched. But when I joined your membership and started the 15-minute music lessons, something shifted. My kids were engaged, and I finally felt successful. Thank you for making it doable." That's why I keep sharing this message. Music doesn't have to be overwhelming. It can be joyful and simple.

So what does a 15-minute music lesson actually look like? Let me paint a few pictures for you. You could listen to Tchaikovsky's Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy and talk about the instrument, the celesta, and how it makes that magical sound, and then let your kids color a Nutcracker-themed page while you play the music again.

You could sing a folk song like Shenandoah [00:06:00] together, and then look up where that river is on a map. That's music, geography, and history, all done in 15 minutes.

You could pull out one of my holiday lessons like Music Lessons for Veterans Day or the 15-Minute Music Lesson for Thanksgiving. Watch short video clips and talk about what makes the music related to that holiday.

Or you could explore a world music lesson. Maybe listen to a Chinese instrument that you've never heard of before, or the African djembe and practice patting those rhythms yourself.

It's that simple. But those little experiences add up to a big impact.

Another mom shared with me that her kids were studying American history and they added in the State Songs of the 50 U.S. States course. She said, "It made our history lessons come alive in a way I never expected."

That's one of my [00:07:00] favorite parts of the 15-Minute Music Method. It naturally connects with other subjects, whether you're doing history, geography, literature, math, science, Bible study, music can tie in beautifully with all of them.

Let me share a few of the courses that I have at Music in Our Homeschool that are designed specifically with this 15-Minute Music Method approach.

There is a course called 15-Minute Music Lessons, and it's the foundation, with a variety of ready-to-go lessons on composers, holidays, and musical styles on a variety of musical concepts, including different instruments.

There's Learn Classical Music with Cartoons because kids and adults love cartoons. It's the perfect hook for introducing famous composers and their pieces.

We have Intro to Musicals where your kids can learn about [00:08:00] Broadway shows in short, engaging bites.

We have American Music for Elementary and World Music for Elementary to give a cultural and historical perspective.

All of my courses are structured s o you could sit down, press play, and go, with no prep required. If I'm honest, when I first started teaching music at home, I made it too complicated. I thought we needed to cover all the composers, all the styles, every technical detail. That's just not realistic in a busy homeschool. So I simplified it and it gave us freedom. I could actually enjoy music with my kids instead of stressing over whether we were doing it fully and comprehensively. That's my encouragement for you. You don't have to teach everything. Just get started. 15 minutes really is enough.

Here are a few practical ideas for fitting the 15-Minute Music Method into your [00:09:00] homeschool. Pick a time that works. Maybe it's during your Morning Time when you're all gathered together on the couch. Maybe it's during lunchtime. Or even right before bed.

Use ready-made lessons. You don't have to reinvent the wheel. That's why I created Music in Our Homeschool Plus, my music and fine arts membership for preschool through high school, so that you can just press play and go, because I have chosen each lesson for you to do during the week on the Music Lesson Calendar of the Month.

The third practical idea is to mix it up. Rotate between composer studies, folk songs, musicals, world music, and holiday music. Keep it fresh. That's another thing I do on the Music Lesson Calendar of the Month.

Four. Don't aim for perfection. If your toddler is squirming or someone needs a bathroom break, it's okay.

You can just pick up where you left off.

And number five, celebrate small [00:10:00] wins. Even one 15-minute music lesson a week is more than most kids get in music education.

So if you've been waiting for the perfect time to start music in your homeschool, this is it. Not next semester, not when things settle down and get easier. Start tomorrow. Take 15 minutes, open up a lesson and enjoy it with your kids. Head over to the companion blog post to this podcast episode, and you will see links to all the courses and all my free 15 minute music lessons that you can try out.

Because the truth is you don't need more time. You just need the right method, and I promise you the 15-Minute Music Method works. Thank you so much for joining me today. If you'd like to experience the 15-Minute Music Method in your own home, head over and join the Music in Our Homeschool Plus membership.

Even the basic [00:11:00] membership gives you access to the Music Lesson Calendar of the Month. It's full of press play and Go lessons designed to make music simple, consistent, and joyful. You can learn more at MusicinOurHomeschool.com/membership. Until next time, my harmony heroes keep bringing beauty, creativity, and joy into your homeschool.

Just 15 minutes at a time.

Find links to all resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/15-minute-music-method/