How to Easily Incorporate Music Into Your Homeschool

Music has never been a priority in our homeschool. It was one of those subjects that we would get to if we had time. My family enjoys music, but we are not ‘musical’ people. However, I do want my children to gain some kind of musical knowledge as they grow up – whether it be learning to play an instrument, studying different composers, or learning about music history.

That’s why I’m excited about the new music curriculum, 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation, by Gena Mayo.

This curriculum is a perfect way to introduce children to composers and music styles from the 20th century. A huge plus for our family is that it can be used with a wide range of ages – this is a big factor when considering a curriculum for our family because we have 7 children ranging in age from 12 down to 2.

The 36-page ebook is delivered in digital format to make it easier to follow the links to hear and watch the music. You will find 21 lessons, which can be taught to students in grades K-12 in only minutes a day. Also included are 2 notebooking sheets so the students can record what they are learning.

There are many ways you can utilize 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation. It can easily be used by a homeschooling family (and not just when you are studying America or the 20^th Century!).  The curriculum was specifically written for kids in Kindergarten through 12^th grade – so it’s a great option if you have a wide range of ages. 

It’s a very easy curriculum to implement.  Just do one lesson a week, or space it out over two weeks if you really want.  On Monday you can read about the composer/style and listen to one piece. On the other days of the week, listen to other pieces. All of that information is included in the curriculum. Depending on your students’ ages, have them fill out the included notebooking pages as well.

If you like to homeschool with the Charlotte Mason method, you can take this curriculum and spread it out even longer. Just pick one composer and listen to his music all month! There are some incredibly amazing pieces of music in the 20^th Century; they are worth listening to over and over!

And, of course, this curriculum works great for use at a homeschool co-op. If you would like to do that, please contact the author for a license. The purchase of the ebook provides use and copies for only one family or classroom.

You can even get a half credit for high school by using 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation (plus additional reading from the included bibliography) for five hours a week for one semester.

Take a look at the Table of Contents to see and what each lesson covers:

 
Table of Contents:

Introduction to 20^th Century Music

Lesson 1……………………………………………………………….John Phillip Sousa (Marches)

Lesson 2……………………………………Scott Joplin (Ragtime) and Fats Waller (Stride Piano)

Lesson 3………………………………………………………………………………..……..Blues

Lesson 4…………………………………..….Jazz (Dixieland, Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington)

Lesson 5…………………………………… ……George Gershwin (Folk Opera: Porgy and Bess)

Lesson 6…………………………..…………..Gian Carlo Menotti (Amahl and the Night Visitors)

Lesson 7…………………………………..….….George Gershwin (Rhapsody in Blue and songs)

Lesson 8…………………………………………..……………………………….Big Band Music

Lesson 9…………………………………………..……………………………….…..Charles Ives

Lesson 10…………………………………………………..……………………….Aaron Copland

Lesson 11………………………………………………………..…………………….Ferde Grofe

Lesson 12…………………………………………………..….…….Musical Theater Before 1965

Lesson 13……………………………………………………………….Rock and Roll Beginnings

Lesson 14………………………………………………………..…..Irving Berlin and Cole Porter

Lesson 15………………………………………………………..……….…Jazz (Bebop and Cool)

Lesson 16…………………………………………………Folk Music (Woody Guthrie and others)

Lesson 17…………………………………………….…………………………..Leonard Bernstein

Lesson 18………………………………………………………..…………………..John Williams

Lesson 19……………………………………………………………….……….………John Cage

Lesson 20…………………………………………………………………………….…Philip Glass

Lesson 21…………………….Musical Theater after 1965 (Stephen Sondheim and Stephen Schwartz)

Appendix……………………………………………………Further Study and Notebooking pages

About the Author

Gena Mayo is a homeschooling mom of 8 children. She has been married to her best friend Michael for 17 years. She has always homeschooled her kids, and her oldest in now in high school, but still homeschooled!

Gena studied music in college, earning a Bachelor of Music Education (choral emphasis) from Baylor University and a Master of Music in Vocal Pedagogy from Texas Women’s University. She taught for 5 years in the public school system (junior high choir and elementary general music) and has taught early childhood music and movement classes for babies through 7 years old since 1998. In recent years she has also taught private voice lessons, musical theater classes, and a high school voice class.

Gena has extensive performing experience: in musicals, choirs, show choir, opera, and as a contemporary Christian soloist, pianist, and worship team member at church. She has a passion for teaching music for all ages and truly enjoyed writing this 20^th Century American Music Curriculum and teaching it last year at her kids’ homeschool co-op.

Gena is also a blogger and has been blogging at I Choose Joy! (http://ichoosejoy.org) since 2005. You can find lots of homeschool helps, reviews, and giveaways there.

She plans to continue this Music Appreciation series by writing Lessons in 20^th Century European and South American Music Appreciation, Lessons in 20th Century Popular Music Appreciation, Lessons in Baroque Music Appreciation, Lessons in Classical Music Appreciation, and Lessons in Romantic Music Appreciation.