6 ‘Not To Be Missed’ Ways To Teach History Of Music To Teens

In my opinion teens are at the right stage in which they can really enjoy and gain much from learning music appreciation, through history of music studies and in this post, I’m going to suggest six different activities that you can implement in your homeschool to engage them. 

Remember, to download and use the worksheets I have made available so you can take their learning to the next level. 

Ready? Let’s get started. 

Research Era

As a first step it is important for your teenagers to pick a specific era in music to focus on. 

Next they can research about the entertainment during the era, styles in music, major contributors to music and the instruments that were prevalent during the era. 

Political Events And Music

Your teenagers can research how political events of the era influenced and inspired music? How it affected the livelihoods of musicians? 

What role did musicians play in the political events and much more. 

Professions And Music

Ask your teenagers to research the different professions that were prevalent during the era that they selected and the role played by musicians. 

Did musicians play an important role in society at the time? Were they well paid? Was it lucrative? What type of education and sponsorships did they require to make it to the top? What influence did musicians have in society at the time? 

Playlists

Nothing can be easier and more engaging than creating a playlist of songs from the selected era, listening to the playlist and then comparing and contrasting the different songs in the playlist with one another in terms, of instruments used, harmonization, melodies and much more. 

Composer And Instrument Studies

Use the playlists that were created as a part of the last activity and have your teenagers undertake a research study of the composer, their life and works, the instruments that were used during the era in music, the origin and evolution of the instruments, how instruments from that era contrast with instruments from the modern era and much more. 

Movies, Musicals And Museums

Yes, what can be more fun than immersing your teens in the selected era, by having them watch movies that are set in the selected era, musicals that are set in the given era and going to the museum to expand their understanding of the era and gain a visual, auditory and kinaesthetic experience? 

Thus, increasing the retention rate and making the learning more whole and immersive.

Do you think your teenagers would love these activities? 

Which one do you think they will want to try out first? 

Comment below and let me know. 

Don’t forget to download the worksheets I have made available with this post.