6 ‘Innovative’ Ways To Incorporate Instrument Studies Into Your Homeschool Routine

One of the easiest ways that you can incorporate an appreciation for music and get your kids interested in music is to add instrument studies to your homeschool curriculum. 

So, in today’s blog post, I thought that I should go more into depth and show you how you can do this. 

Besides just giving you ideas on how to incorporate instrument studies, in this post I have also included downloadable printables. 

So without further ado, let’s start with one of the easiest ways to incorporate instrument studies…

Visit An Instrument Store

This is one of the least thought about methods, but the most fun methods that I have come across. 

If you have a specific instrument in mind, don’t feel shy to ask an associate for help and let your kids touch and feel the instrument. 

Some homeschooling moms like to learn about a specific instrument before walking into a store to get a live feel of it, while others like to walk into a store, check out all the different instruments and then let the kids come to a consensus on what instrument or instrument family they would like to learn about. 

Either way the next few ideas that I have shared should be of immense help to you as well. 

Watch An Orchestra Or Band Play

You can take in a live performance at a local community event or in the park during summer. 

Alternatively, you can also watch an orchestral or chamber music ensemble on YouTube. 

Again, you can start off by first deciding on a specific instrument your kids would like to learn about, or simply watch the performance and then decide later on. 

If you would like to go more into depth in learning about the orchestra and the different instrument families, then I’m sure your kids would love my printable on The Orchestra to guide them through the performance. 

Research A Specific Instrument 

Some homeschool moms I know love to start off their instrument studies with this idea first, before proceeding to the rest. 

You can start off by picking a single instrument like the Violin for instance, learn about the origin and famous composers who composed for the violin, the role played by the violin in the orchestra, the instrument family that the violin belongs to and much more. 

Don’t forget to download the printable on the Violin, to guide you and your kids through the process. 

Do A Show And Tell

This is an expansion on the previous idea. 

Once your kids have researched the instrument, it is now time for them to take it further by creating a presentation for the entire family. 

This works best if you can have each child pick a different instrument and research about it. 

In this manner, they can grow their knowledge through each others research. 

Ideally the presentation should cover aspects such as the origin and evolution of the violin, the composers who used it in their compositions, similarities and differences to other instruments in the same family. 

Of course, remember to increase or reduce the criteria for the ‘Show and Tell’ presentation, based and age and abilities of each child. 

Create A Lap Book About The Instrument

This is another variation of the ‘Show and Tell’ idea and should work beautifully for younger children in the family. 

Compare and Contrast The Selected Instrument With Another Instrument From A Different Family

This idea is only good if you haven’t already implemented the ‘Show and Tell’ idea. 

In this case if your child selected the Violin then she should learn the similarities and differences of the Violin and compare it to a Trumpet, or Piano or some other instrument (not another string instrument).

By doing so, not only will she have learned about the Violin but also the Piano or any other instrument. 

Alternatively if you have two or more kids, you can have them work individually, on a specifically selected instrument each, and then work together as a team on this particular idea. 

Create A Playlist Of Instrumental Music For The Selected Instrument

For instance, if the selected instrument is the Clarinet, then my first choice would be to listen to music by Kenny G, or if it is a piano, Richard Clayderman. 

There you have it, six different ways in which you can add instrument studies to your homeschool curriculum. I would love to know which one of the above ideas you will implement first and why?

Still can’t make up your mind about which instrument to choose? Then let me help me help you. Click here to learn about the Wind Family of Instruments and I’m sure you can find an interesting instrument to start this amazing journey with.