The last few weeks I have been building a case about the importance of arts education within our homeschool schedule and our family’s lifestyle. Hopefully by now, you are eager to hear of ways to incorporate the arts within your homeschool. So, let’s get started with music first of all.
1. The obvious resource often used is private music instruction. In most areas instruction in voice, piano, violin and other instruments is readily available.
2. To encourage your child to develop an interest in music, incorporate into your home. Buy high quality CD’s of great classical favorites and let your child’s ear GORGE on the beautiful sounds made my classical compositions. Don’t lecture about them, at least not at first, but make it a part of your lifestyle.
3. Take your child to concerts of various kinds with a special emphasis on concerts that feature wonderful classics or music from a particular time period in history that you may be studying.
4. Invite a musician into your homeschool group and ask them to tell about their experiences with creating and performing music. Ask them to explain the instrument they play and why they chose that instrument.
5. Look for local youth choirs both homeschool and/or community related which offer high quality instruction in vocal performance and feature music classics of all eras.
6. In your study of history, incorporate the study of a specific composer’s life and music.
7. Investigate various community orchestras and bands that your student can participate in.
8. Enroll in a music history class at the local community college.
9. Sing in the church choir.
10. There are some great biographical CD’s out there based on various composer’s lives which also incorporate the composer’s various compositions. These are fascinating and are easily put on an Ipod to be listened to on the go.
11. If your student is new to music instruction and is a bit hesitant or reluctant to start, spark their interest by doing some of the above mentioned activities in groups so that it is not only educational but also social.
12. View Francis Schaeffer’s “How Should We Then Live”
Next week, I will do the same type of thing with art. Please be sure to contact me if you have any questions.
Faith and Courage,
Lori Lane
Lori is married to the love of her life John and together they have four sons ranging in age from 23 down to 10. She is the author of “Beginning With The End In Mind”, a frequent speaker on home education, family and the arts, as well as serving as the Executive Director of The Artios Academies. (www.artiosacademies.com) You can see some of the pictures of their home in the central Colorado Rockies by visiting Lori’s website at www.theendinmind.net where you will receive encouragement for the journey.
