4 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Help Your Budding Composer Excel In The Homeschool

4 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Help Your Budding Composer Excel In The Homeschool

4 Absolute ‘Must Know’ Ways To Help Your Budding Composer Excel In The Homeschool

Do you have a child that is great at creating his or her own music? 

Even if you don’t think that they he/she is great at it, know that all great composers started somewhere and your child may have the potential to be one as well, even if he may just seem to be puttering around with musical instruments at this time. 

If he or she does have potential, then what should you do about it? 

And how should you go about helping him/her?

In this blog post, I will give you four easy strategies that you can incorporate to your homeschool routine right now and help your budding composer. Now remember, you don’t have to use all these strategies, just one or two will be sufficient. 

So let’s get started. 

 

Through The Study Of Music Theory

Learning music theory will help your child to analyse music written by the great composers of all time, and this in turn will help your child to learn about what works and what doesn’t work in music. 

Also learning music theory will help your child to put his or her compositions on paper, thus further enabling him or her to share the creations with the world. 

 

Learning Rhythm And Beat

Simply learning rhythm and beat alone can help your budding composer and here’s how. 

Creating new beats are an important component of composing and therefore learning about variations in beat, by listening to different beats in our own environment is a great starting point. 

Want to know more about how you can teach your child rhythm and beat in the homeschool? Then read my post 4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm & Beat In The Homeschool. 

 

Listening And Appreciating Music

Simply listening to different genres of music and reading about composers, and learning about the eras in music and instruments of the orchestra, are other great ways in which kids learn about everything related to music. 

This in turn will help them to focus on different styles and techniques, which will then no doubt not only influence their creations but also help to ‘fine tune’ and ‘polish’ their compositions, further. 

Don’t know how to incorporate music appreciation and history of music lessons into your homeschool routine? Then maybe these posts that I have written in the past can help you 4 ‘Unimaginably’ Easy Ways To Incorporate Composer Studies In The Homeschool and 6 Ways To Incorporate Instrument Studies In Your Homeschool. 

 

Singing

This is another great way to help your budding composer in the homeschool. 

Singing helps kids to focus on so many different aspects of music like tone, intonation, emphasis, dynamics, tempo, pitch and so much more, thus unknowingly training their musical ear and thus further fine tuning their ability to create. 

Even if you have no formal training in music, you will still be able to help to child become a better composer, by simply helping him or her sing. 

 

Now, that you’ve been introduced to some of the easiest strategies possible to help your child continue to create music, which one will you implement first in your homeschool?

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?

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

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

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!

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?

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

3 ‘Must Know’ Reasons Why Learning To Sing Is Important

Many people who are able to sing, discount that ability and they do the same with kids as well. 

I have seen and heard of many parents who don’t really pay attention to their kids’ ability to sing. 

What most don’t understand is that while it is important and even nice to be able to play an instrument, being able to sing gives kids and adults a huge advantage, when it comes to learning music. 

Surprised? Well, don’t be. 

Read on and let me explain. 

 

Helps Train The Ear

Yes, you read that right. Being able to sing helps train a child’s ear. 

Even a simple nursery rhyme goes high and low and simply being able to distinguish he differences and imitate it, goes a long way in helping to train the ear. 

By helping kids to understand the different nuances in pitch, volume and speed, we actually help to speed up the process of musical learning because they learn to distinguish the differences in the melodies and harmony. 

 

Boosts Musical Memory

This is a very important point. 

Often when children start sight reading music, they have to be able to read, understand and interpret things like timing and rhythm and keep to the beat. 

Unfortunately, not many kids are interested in music theory and since a knowledge of music theory is necessary for them to be able to decipher these aspects from a piece of sheet music, if they are able to hum or sing the tune, often a knowledge and ability to read the notes alone is sufficient. 

This is because they remember the tune and can hum it and therefore, can play with the correct rhythm even if they can’t understand and interpret the musical signs. 

Also being able to sign a song with the correct rhythm, beat and pitch, enables them to play by ear, because their musical memory is far ahead of most other kids who can’t sign and therefore, don’t remember enough of the tune to try to play it by ear. 

 

Helps Communicate Musical Ideas

Say your child cannot read and write music or even if he does, his knowledge may not be advanced enough for him to write down his compositions. 

Well, if he can sing then he can definitely still communicate his ideas for tune, pitch, rhythm, beat and volume by singing or humming and thus have someone else write down the music for his composition. 

 

As I have told you previously, many great musicians were unable to read or write a single note of music, yet that didn’t stop them composing and having their music published. 

The difference is that they were able to communicate their compositions to people who could actually write it down for them and thus, they were able to get their creations into the world and the ability to sing was one such way that they got those creations from out of their heads and on to paper. 

 

This is one of the reason that many of our music courses also encourage and help with singing. So, come take a free course and see what your child can learn. 

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?

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm And Beat In The Homeschool

4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm And Beat In The Homeschool

4 ‘Super Easy’ Ways To Teach Rhythm And Beat In The Homeschool

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.

Did you know that rhythm and beat make up a huge proportion of playing a musical instrument?

I mean anyone can play notes, but if they don’t keep to a specific beat and if the notes don’t have rhythm, do you think that we would like listening to it?

Did you also know that rhythm and beat can be taught by moms who have absolutely no knowledge or training in music?

Well, yes they can and in this post I’m going to tell you exactly how you can do that in 4 different ways. 

So let’s get started, shall we?

 

Clapping

Yes, it is as simple as that. Clapping in sync to a tune will automatically help your child to identify the pulse in the beat and then keep to it. 

Start with very easy tunes and then work yourself up to harder tunes. Think you can do that with your child? 

Have older kids who think that this is very childish? Then read my post 5 Important Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn To Clap. 

So what is the next easy method?

 

Tapping Feet

This is just like clapping for the hands but with your feet, isn’t it? Except you don’t tap the feet to one another, now wouldn’t that be funny?

If your kids are older and able to tap their feet to complicated rhythms then you should have them try a combination of tapping their feet and clapping their hands as well. 

 

Use A Metronome

Do you know what a metronome is? It is a device that helps keep time. 

Don’t have one and don’t know where to get one? No worries, here’s one I recommend. You can either buy it or try to get something similar second hand or for free. 

So how do you use it to teach rhythm and beat?

Set the metronome to a beat and ask your child to either clap her hands, tap her feet or follow the beat with chopsticks or some other objects.

Simple isn’t it?

As she becomes more proficient, you can increase the pace or decrease it and make it more complicated by asking her to tap her feet and clap her hands at the same time. 

Now to the most natural and interesting one of all. 

 

The Environment

Do you know that our environment is overflowing with different rhythms?

Can you think of any?

Think of a clock, windshield wipers, motors, washing machines, frogs croaking, crickets chirping, hearts beating. 

With really young kids, introduce them to some natural beats and then ask them to identify new ones. You will be amazed at the different rhythms they will recognize in our natural environment as well as at home. 

Once they are able to recognize these rhythms you can ask them to imitate each by clapping, tapping their feet or with chopsticks. 

With older kids you can simply skip the identification part and move to imitating the rhythms and beats. 

For bonus points you can create your own beat and ask your child to repeat it. 

 

Now over to you. 

What do you think of the ideas suggested above?

Can you think of any other ways to teach rhythm and beat in the homeschool?

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?

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

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

5 Absolutely Untrue Myths About Music Theory, That You Should Never Buy Into

5 Absolutely Untrue Myths About Music Theory, That You Should Never Buy Into

5 Absolutely Untrue Myths About Music Theory, That You Should Never Buy Into

Can you or your child play an instrument by ear?

Have you always felt that learning music theory is an absolute waste of time, or a bore? 

Well, if you have, you are not alone. 

And there might be a variety of different reasons that you bought into that idea. 

In this post, I will be sharing the most common myths I’ve come across, when convincing parents that their kids need to learn music theory. 

And I will be explaining why those myths are absolutely wrong. 

So read on, to find out more. 

 

‘Isn’t Learning Music Theory Just About Memorizing & Learning Notes, What Good Will That Do?’

No, it is much more than that. 

Music theory teaches rhythm, beat and composition. 

It teaches style and arrangement, all of which cannot be learned by being able to play by ear alone. 

Yes, there are many great musicians who couldn’t read a single note of music, but yet made it into the big leagues. 

Sir Barry Gibb and his brother of the BeeGees fame come to mind, but you have to remember, they were extremely talented and there were several other catalysts that propelled the BeeGees to the top of the music industry. 

 

Won’t Learning Too Much Theory, Simply Limit My Child’s Creativity In Music?

Again, no. 

On the contrary it will help him better understand very complex pieces of music, analyse them and create arrangements of his own, that are top notch.

 

Too Much Analyzing Does Not Translate To Anything

Yes, it does translate to a lot. 

Many of the greatest musicians of our time and before, learned from musicians that came before them. 

They did so by analyzing the music of the greatest composers of all time. 

This is an essential part of composition and does not inhibit creativity, rather it enhances creativity. 

Music Theory Is Too Hard, Too Boring And Just Not Worth The Effort

Yes, it can be hard and it can be boring. 

I myself, hated music theory as a child so I do understand the pain. 

That is one of the reasons, I have created music theory games and always look for different ways in which I can make it fun and engaging for my students. 

A knowledge of music theory is essential and with the right type of teacher and methodology,  it can be wonderful.

 

Oh It Will Only Take Away From Playing Time And Be A Waste

No, it is not a waste. 

It will make the learning process quicker, even though at the start it may seem like it is very slow. 

But, in the long run, your child will learn a lot more, be able to play more complex pieces, arrange music, and use his knowledge of chord progressions to create amazing melodies. 

 

Now, over to you..

 

Have you heard these myths in the past and did you buy into them? 

Have you heard different myths? 

Having read this post, are you convinced that music theory is essential? 

Want more justification? Then read my post on 5 Essential Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn Music Theory. 

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?

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

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

5 Essential Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn Music Theory

5 Essential Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn Music Theory

facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramyoutubeSee 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...

5 ‘Easy Peasy’ Steps To Teach Your Child To Read Piano Music

5 ‘Easy Peasy’ Steps To Teach Your Child To Read Piano Music

facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramyoutubeIn this post I thought I should give you the steps to teach your kids to read music notes in 5 easy steps.  You have to have some knowledge of music to be able to understand this and be able to teach.  This post is for the many...

7 Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Read And Write Music

7 Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Read And Write Music

7 Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Read And Write Music

One argument I often hear is that kids who can play by ear don’t need to learn to read or write music.

 

Have you heard that argument?

 

Have you bought into it?

 

Are you someone who can play by ear or can your child play by ear? If so, can you also read and write music or are you only able to play by ear?

 

In this post I will be discussing why even kids and adults who can play piano by ear, should learn to read and write music. 

 

So let’s get started. 

 

To Play Complex Pieces

Yes, your child may be able to play piano by ear, but as he grows will he be able to play really complex pieces of music, with all the chord progressions and with different arrangements?

While the correct answer to this question is – we will never know. 

The most probable outcome, based on past statistic is a resounding NO. 

Because playing really complex pieces by ear without actual knowledge of music theory is very rare. 

It’s not impossible but it’s improbable. 

 

Great Musicians Could Read And Write Music

Continuing on from the previous point, a very large proportion of great musicians could read and write music. 

And it was their ability to do so, that helped them get to the pinnacle of success. 

 

Helps With Music Analysis

Again, continuing on from the previous point, being able to read and write music, will help your child to analyze music with an underlying theoretical knowledge. 

This will help make sense of the music, the melodies, the rhythms, the chords and the technicalities, all of which, then help your child to create and become more proficient and play extremely complex pieces. 

 

To Express And Share Music

Playing by ear is a talent. But that alone isn’t enough.

Your child may be able to compose his own melodies as well. 

Now, if she is unable to write out those melodies, how will she share it with others. 

I know you will say she can just record her music and play it out and share it that way. Yes, that is true. 

But as you know it isn’t as simple as that and simply recording a tune can be very limiting. 

Whereas with a thorough understanding of theory, your child will be able to do so much more with her creations. 

 

To Diversify Learning

A solid understanding of music theory, and the ability to read and write music, will also enable your child to learn more instruments faster. 

And translate the knowledge gained with one instrument to another. 

Become A Better Performer

Learning to read and write music will immensely help your child become an even better player. 

Of course you have to understand, at the initial stages it will be very hard and it will look like your child is becoming worse, but that is because she is learning a totally new skill. 

After the tipping point is achieved however, you will see her improve by leaps and bounds. 

 

Helps To Engage And Develop All Parts Of The Brain

Research indicates, learning to read and write music, helps to engage all the different parts of the brain. Also it helps to improve hand eye coordination, improves math skills and so much more. 

So as you can see, there are many reasons why your child needs to learn to read and write music. 

 

What do you think?

 

Do you think learning to read and write music is very important?

 

Would you like to have your child learn to read and write music? Then sign up for my FREE piano lessons right now and have your child Reading Music Notes and Playing the Piano in just 5 Days. 

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?

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

FREE POETRY, PROSE & DRAMATIC ARTS COURSES

Sign up for FREE courses in British, European and American Literature courses for kids aged 4 and up.

Articles That Maybe Of Interest To You

5 Essential Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn Music Theory

5 Essential Reasons Why Your Child Needs To Learn Music Theory

facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramyoutubeSee 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...

5 ‘Easy Peasy’ Steps To Teach Your Child To Read Piano Music

5 ‘Easy Peasy’ Steps To Teach Your Child To Read Piano Music

facebooktwitterpinterestinstagramyoutubeIn this post I thought I should give you the steps to teach your kids to read music notes in 5 easy steps.  You have to have some knowledge of music to be able to understand this and be able to teach.  This post is for the many...