Music appreciation for home schoolers

October 10, 2007 10:21 AM

I'm looking for resources for a home school music appreciation curriculum. I'd like to start at 'the beginning' (what is music, what are its origins) and work my way up to present day music. The age range is 7-9 years old. I would prefer not to buy a package, but if there is one that is particularly good, I'm not totally against the idea.
posted by GernBlandston to Education (7 answers total)

That's a tough one. Maybe you should focus on music of the past 200 years since the sheer volume of music history might prove a little bit much for the tots. Introduce them to some blues records and simple instruments. Try to get their heads around the concept of music notations. I

nstilling a love of music is a great thing and as Bob Marley said "catch them before they grow." But it's no small undertaking because "Music history" is the distinct subfield of musicology and history spanning som 50,000 years. just concentrate on making it fun and interesting. Good luck!
posted by Student of Man at 11:49 AM on October 10, 2007

It's been a few years since I read it but I remember "The Well Trained Mind" by Wise Bauer had a small but good chapter on music. Their entire philosophy is to teach chronologically, so you would study medaeval music while also studing medaeval times and creating illuminated manuscripts etc, etc. Their webpage has a few links you may find interesting. They have more print resouces listed in the book. Classical kids is a great series aimed at kids (I love Beethoven lives upstairs).
posted by saucysault at 11:59 AM on October 10, 2007

Why not start at "now" with music they may be familiar with, working backwards from there, rather than trying to find a nonexistent "beginning" that will serve only to indoctrinate them into a canon?
posted by rhizome at 12:04 PM on October 10, 2007

Also, Thinkquest.org Has a lot of material. Sift through, take some notes and condense. Then think about an appropriate presentation method. Buy a blackboard for their rooms and leave clef notes on for weeks a time,rotating as they grow comfortable with it. If they have an iPod fill it with Stevie Wonder (kids love it) Ray Charles Ella Fitz. Neville Bros.

Things they might enjoy songs from bluegrass luminaries I imagine books on the subject aren't cheap, but your local library might have them aplenty. Remember make it fun, don't force them, maybe the sublime-immersion approach like sticking names of artists and study points on the fridge magnets Start listening to old stuff yourself (you'd be surprised) etc. Phew* I'm out of ideas.
posted by Student of Man at 12:08 PM on October 10, 2007

Wikiversity has a section on Music Appreciation too.
posted by slavlin at 7:47 PM on October 10, 2007

I was homeschooled for several years when I was young, and helped my sister homeschool as well. One resource that is particularly fun is an old Disney cartoon/recording called "Toot, Plunk, Whistle". It covers the origins of music and goes into some of the basics. Disney also has an Introduction to Instruments that's pretty neat. While not technically a curriculum, they are very engaging and offer basic information that is appealing to children in the age group you're working with.
posted by I_love_the_rain at 12:30 AM on October 12, 2007

Oh, and there's other Disney projects that focus on music appreciation. Peter and the Wolf is a great introduction to classical music, and both Fantasia movies offer beautiful music set to vivid imagery. :-)
posted by I_love_the_rain at 12:32 AM on October 12, 2007