7 Super Simple Ways To Incorporate Music Lessons In All You Do At Home

7 Super Simple Ways To Incorporate Music Lessons In All You Do At Home

by | Oct 4, 2022

7 Super Simple Ways To Incorporate Music Lessons In All You Do At Home

Did you know that, whether you have had any formal training in music or not, as a parent you can incorporate music lessons at home with very little trouble?

Well, you can. 

Most parents irrespective of musical knowledge are really surprised and don’t even believe me. But I love to explain to them how easy it is and watch that light bulb go on. 

So let me do that again in this post, and imagine the light bulb go on in your head as well. 

 

Play Music In The Background

Do you have a playlist on on your iPad, or a favourite list on YouTube? 

Do you have an Amazon/Spotify or Apple subscription, then just pick a playlist and get started. It doesn’t matter what music you play as long as you play it. 

Don’t think that simply playing music will help or have no idea how to get creative? 

Then read my blog posts 5 Ways To Use A Musical Playlist To Learn Music Appreciation, and 9 ‘Shockingly’ Simple Ways To use your Amazon Prime/Apple Music/Spotify To Add More Musical Joy To Your Home.

 

Recognize and Repeat Common Beats In The Environment

Do you know that the natural environment we inhabit as well as the artificial environments we have built, all have their own beats? 

Think of your heart, that is a natural beat. 

Think of the flow of water down a stream, do you hear the rhythm?

How about the sound made by a woodpecker? 

What about the sound made by a clothes dryer?

Recognize these beats and rhythms when at home and out on hikes and nature walks and imitate those sounds. 

Want to know more about how you can teach rhythm and beat at home without too much hassle? Then read my post 4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm & Beat In the Homeschool. 

 

Blend It Into History Lessons

Do your kids learn history? For example if they are learning about the civil war, then research the types of music and composers of that time, create a playlist and listen to the music of that era. You can even do this with musical instruments and research what instruments were invented during that time and listen to music played with those instruments. 

 

Blend it Into Geography Lessons

Same as the above. Let’s say your kids are learning about Austria, then research the names of some great Austrian composers, create a playlist and listen to the music. Why not go a step further and learn about the composers themselves? 

Want to learn more about how to blend music into other subjects your kids learn? Then read my post 5 ‘Innovative’ Ways To Blend Music With Other Subjects. 

 

Dancing And Skipping

Use the playlists that you have already compiled or have found online and create dance and skipping routines. Why not take it a step further and learn to dance? 

Think learning to dance costs money? 

Think again. Read this post, I wrote a while ago and find many free online dance classes – Top 10 Dance Classes On YouTube. 

 

Reading Stories To Tunes

This is a really fun one to do with all ages, however, in my experience it is the little ones who enjoy it the most. 

Pick a tune that you can easily sing and then read a story out loud to that tune. 

 

Singing, Creating Your Own Lyrics Etc

Now take it all a step further. 

You can sing any song, anytime of the day, but why not have kids create their own lyrics and put it to different tunes. 

Why not sing to each other instead of speaking to each other? 

 

Now that you have learned so many different strategies to incorporate music lessons in all you do at home, I would really love to hear which one you will start off with today. So please comment below. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

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3 ‘Ridiculously Simple’ Ways To Incorporate Music Education In To The Unschooling Lifestyle

3 ‘Ridiculously Simple’ Ways To Incorporate Music Education In To The Unschooling Lifestyle

by | Jul 26, 2022

3 ‘Ridiculously Simple’ Ways To Incorporate Music Education In To The Unschooling Lifestyle

Most unschooling parents tend to think of piano lessons or any specific instrument lessons as very structured, and therefore may not always be a good fit for their kids. 

However, I’m here to say that, it is not always true. There are many different ways in which, music lessons can be incorporated in to the unschooling lifestyle without actually following a thorough and structured program. 

In this post, I will introduce all those three methods to you. So here goes. 

 

Keeping A Lot Of Instruments 

Yes, simply keeping a variety of musical instruments around the house has helped numerous unschooling parents to introduce music in the homeschool and to get older kids into instrument studies, without too much trouble.

Just having the instruments around, arouses curiosity in younger kids, who start to play with the instruments and older kids often find their way to online music lessons very easily with little urging from their parents. 

Want to know more about how you can add musical instruments to your home, without breaking the bank? Then you should read my blog post, 9 ‘No Fail’ Ways To Fill Your Homeschool With Instruments. 

 

Music History, Composer Or Instrument Studies, Movie Musicals

Keeping books around the house or simply borrowing books that teach about the history of music (such as the different eras in music), or composers, or musical instruments is one way to get your kids interested in music. 

Want to know more about incorporating history of music, composer and instrument studies to your unschooling lifestyle? Then I think you will like my posts 6 Ways To Incorporate instrument Studies To Your Homeschool, Composer Biographies For All Ages, and 4 Unimaginably Easy Ways To Incorporate Composer Studies.

Another very effective, but unfortunately ignored method is through watching movie musicals. This method not only results in much family fun, but also helps kids to appreciate music unknowingly. Thus, again, fitting in perfectly with the unschooling lifestyle. 

Don’t know where to start with Movie Musicals? Then read my blog post on 7 ‘Must See’ Musicals and Top 12 ‘Must See’ Musicals Categorized By Age. 

 

Incorporating Music Into The Daily Routine

There are many different ways in which, you as a parent can add music to your unschooling lifestyle.

Clapping while listening to songs on the radio or songs in your playlist, are one big way of introducing your kids to rhythm and beat. 

Singing is another great and yet very easy way to introduce your kids to music. Dancing is yet another healthy and physical way of appreciating music.

Need more ideas on how you can add music to your unschooling routine, then continue on and read these posts for even more ideas. 4 Ways To Incorporate music In The Homeschool, 5 Ways To Use A Musical Playlist To Learn Music Appreciation, 6 Ridiculously Simple Ways To Bring Music To Your Homeschool Without Private Lessons, 7 Ways Unschoolers Can Incorporate Or Encourage Kids To Appreciate Music. 

 

Now that you’ve read this post and got an idea of how you can incorporate music education to the unschooling lifestyle, do you have any questions for me? 

What is the first thing you will attempt to do to introduce your kids to music? 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

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Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

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3 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Teach Music Appreciation In The Homeschool

3 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Teach Music Appreciation In The Homeschool

by | Jun 28, 2022

3 ‘Ridiculously’ Simple Ways To Teach Music Appreciation In The Homeschool

If you have been reading my blog for a long time then you know that I’m a huge advocate for parents who have never learned any music, to teach their kids music in the homeschool. 

And as you know, I’m always looking for ways to give people tools and resources to introduce music in the homeschool and in this post, I’m going to do just that. 

Listening Activities

Yes, it is as simple as that. 

Use your playlist and play music in the background at all times. 

Don’t know where to start? Then read my blog posts on 9 ‘Shockingly’ Simple Ways To Use Your Amazon Prime/Apple Music/Spotify To Add More Musical Joy To Your Home, and 5 Ways To Use A Musical Playlist To Learn Music Appreciation.

 

History Of Music Activities

Learn about composers from a specific country when learning geography or learn about a specific era in music when learning history, or learn about 18th century musical instruments, when learning 18th century literature. 

Basically blending music learning with other subjects is one of the easiest ways in which, you can teach your kids music appreciation. 

Here are some posts that can help you understand the specific steps. Read them all, but choose only one to focus on and then get it done before you move to the next strategy. 

5 ‘Innovative’ Ways To Blend Music With Other Subjects Learned In The Homeschool, and 4 ‘Unimaginably’ Easy Ways To Incorporate Composer Studies Into Your homeschool Curriculum

 

Introducing Different Instruments

Fill your home with musical instruments. Don’t know how to do that without breaking the bank? Then read my post 9 ‘No Fail’ Ways To Fill Your Homeschool With Instruments. 

Take online music lessons. These don’t have to be expensive neither do they have to be comprehensive, try it out for fun and then see what happens. 

Don’t know where to start? Read my post 5 Best Elementary Music Courses For Kids. 

Borrow books from the library or go on field trips to instrument stores or performances and bring instrument studies to your kids. 

Here’s how you can do exactly that without too much hassle. 6 Ways To Incorporate Instrument Studies In Your Homeschool.

 

So what do you think? Are these strategies very easy? Which one will you be incorporating in your homeschool today? 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

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Click Here

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5 ‘Amazing’ Ways To Teach Tweens Music Appreciation With Peter & The Wolf

5 ‘Amazing’ Ways To Teach Tweens Music Appreciation With Peter & The Wolf

by | Jun 19, 2022

5 ‘Amazing’ Ways To Teach Tweens Music Appreciation With Peter & The Wolf

See below for a Free Printable Pack to go with the post.

Surprised?

Yes, Peter and the Wolf is not only for pre-school aged kids or primary aged kids. 

You can use Peter and the Wolf to get tweens as well as teens into music appreciation. 

I know, I know, you simply can’t imagine how you are going to do that. 

That is why I am going to focus specifically on tweens today and explain how you can use Peter and the Wolf to get them to appreciate music. 

You will be able to use some of my ideas to engage teens as well, so read on and don’t forget to download the worksheets I have made available to enable them to take their learning to the next level. 

 

Movement And Moods

Peter and the Wolf consists of several different movements and each movement provides a continuation for the storyline. 

Ask your tweens to listen to each movement and discuss its mood, and how that mood is portrayed through the different instruments used, the pace, pitch and volume of the movement. 

 

Compare And Contrast

You can take the above activity a step further by comparing and contrasting two movements with each other in terms of pace, pitch, volume and movement. 

Compare the moods of the two selected movements and how the instruments used portray the mood from one movement to the next. 

 

Composer Study

Carry out an in-depth research study of the composer in terms of his birth country, early childhood, musical education, contemporaries, contribution to music, different compositions and much more. 

 

History Of Music

Ask your tweens to carry out a research study into the modern era in music (because that is the era that Prokofiev belonged to). 

You can use the printables I have made available to take their learning in this area to the next level. 

 

Field Trips And More

Add a field trip or two to a local instrument store, or a live performance of Peter and the Wolf to add to your tween’s learning experience. 

 

What other ideas can you think of?

Please comment below and let me know. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

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12 ‘Not To Be Missed’ Musicals For Teens

by | Jun 14, 2022

12 ‘Not To Be Missed’ Musicals For Teens

See below for a Free Printable Pack to go with the post.

This post contains affiliate links.

If you click a link and purchase something, I may earn a small fee from the said company/manufacturer/seller or individual, from who you make the purchase.

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you will no doubt have become accustomed to me continuously telling you how fantastic movie musicals are for integrating music learning into your homeschool. 

While I have in fact provided movie musical lists for pre-schoolers, primary schoolers and tweens, I haven’t still given you a top twelve list for teenagers. 

 

So without further ado, I thought I should give you the list in today’s post. 

 

I have also included printables to enable your teenagers to up level their learning and music appreciation. So, don’t forget to have them download and use it. 

– Hairspray – Your teenage daughters’ hearts will skip a beat watching Zac Efron playing the role of Link Larkin, in this marvellous musical.

– Footloose – Can you imagine living in a town where music and dancing is banned? I’m sure neither can your teens. So this is no doubt going to be a hit with them.

– Phantom of the Opera – This chilling story of a masked madman living beneath a Paris Opera House is both thrillingly murderous and warming as well when love prevails.  

– Evita – This is a ‘must see’ story of a poverty stricken girl, growing up to be the wife of Argentinian President and worshipped by her people. While they are at it, you can have your teenagers learn about that time in history in South America. 

– Chicago – This musical set in the great ‘Windy City’ of the murderous mistresses, is one t hat I simply can’t get enough of.

– Les Miserables – With a stellar cast, the novel, made into a broadway and then a movie musical is one not to be missed.  

– Rent – New York city before gentrification, the AIDS crisis of the 80s, LGBTQ issues and more, who can say ‘no’ to this wonderful musical? 

– Moulin Rouge – Have you ever seen modern pop songs performed in the context of 1899? I guess not. That is exactly what Moulin Rouge does, and thus, became one of the most stunningly beautiful musicals of all time. 

– Cats – Based on T.S. Eliot’s whimsical poems, this Andrew Lloyd Webber musical is a definite ‘must see’.

– Unsinkable Molly Brown – Another heart warming ‘rags to riches’ story, that takes feisty Molly Brown from poverty in Missouri, to the elegant palaces of Europe.

– Jesus Christ Superstar – This is a rock opera featuring Andrew Lloyd Webber’s music about Jesus’ final days leading up to the cruxifixction. 

– A Chorus Line – This movie showcases, one day in the life of seventeen dancers, all vying for spot, in the ‘chorus line’ of a broadway musical. 

 

If you can’t find these movies on Netflix, or would like to build your own library of Musicals, then my post 7 ‘Unbelievable’ Ways To Add Musicals To My Homeschool, will definitely help. 

 

Want to take your kids’ learning to the next level? Then download these printables and help them learn to appreciate music through these musicals.

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

What are you waiting for?

Click Here

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5 ‘Super Easy’ Steps To DIY An Instrument Study Unit

5 ‘Super Easy’ Steps To DIY An Instrument Study Unit

by | Jun 2, 2022

5 ‘Super Easy’ Steps To DIY An Instrument Study Unit

See below for a Free Printable Pack to go with the post.

Do you know that it is not at all difficult to DIY a musical instrument study unit in your homeschool?

No, you don’t need to be a fully trained music teacher to do it. 

You just need to know a few basics and you can have as much fun creating the unit for your kids, as they will, when they complete the activities. 

Ok, ok, I hear you. 

You don’t have time, don’t know where to start and don’t want to get into making printables and searching through tons of videos on YouTube. 

Just hear me out. 

In this post, I will give you all the necessary tools and the guidance and all you have to do is make a few decisions and voila, you will have created your own DIY instrument study unit. 

Ready to get started? 

 

Pick An Instrument

The first decision you have to make is to decide on an instrument. 

There are dozens of instruments to choose from, so if you are finding it difficult to make a decision, figure out which instrument family you will like to choose from, string, percussion, brass or woodwind. 

Once you’ve done that, narrow the search down and pick one instrument to focus on.

 

Collect Printables

Now that you’ve decided on the instrument, do a quick search and look for some free printables, you can use. 

Teachers Pay Teacher is a good site to check, however, I have saved you the trouble and provided you with a printable (suitable for all ages). 

Check it out. 

 

Create A Playlist

Yes, it is as simple as that. 

Create a playlist of songs that are performed on the instrument of choice. 

For instance if you chose the clarinet, you can listen to music by KennyG, or if you chose the violin, you can listen to music by Vanessa Mae, for the piano Richard Clayderman or Yanni might be a good choice. 

Now, you get the picture don’t you?

 

Decide On Activities

Based on the age group of the kids, you have to now decide on the activities that would best suit them. 

Here are three categories to help you. 

Hands On Activities – Like a homemade flute or guitar. 

Research Activities – Obviously this is better for older kids, who can actually research about the origin of the instrument, famous players and much more. 

Field Trips – A trip to an instrument store, or attending an orchestral performance for instance (again, this would vary greatly depending on the age of the child). 

 

Blend, Blend, Blend

Yes, blend music with other subjects like science, history or geography. 

Let’s say your kids are learning about China for geography, so why not then learn about Chinese musical instruments? 

Get it? 

 

That’s it. 

So what do you think? 

Can you DIY an instrument study unit in your homeschool? 

Don’t forget to download the printable I have made available. 

Karen Cadera

Karen Cadera

Founder/Creator

Mom, Teacher, Minimalist, Zero Waste Enthusiast, Multi Pod.

My daughter loved the games, but there were also worksheets and videos. The weekly lesson plans were complete, and I never questioned what I should be doing next.

Lisa Tanner

Homeschool Mom

Play Piano Today!

Teach your child to play piano, today.

Yes, in as little as 30 minutes I can show you how to teach your child to play the piano, for FREE.

What are you waiting for?

Click Here

This program reminded me (and allowed me to teach my son) how to read music. To me, that was the most important thing that we learned together. Of course, it was very rewarding for me to watch my son play the piano with both hands at the same time, while reading sheet music. His favorite parts of the course were actually playing the songs and doing the worksheets provided.

Carrie M.

Stay At Home Mom

Download the FREE Instrument Studies Worksheets

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