Incorporating Music into Homeschool Curriculum
Music in homeschool isn’t relegated to a tiny portion of the day labeled “fine arts.” Use these ideas to infuse your homeschool with music!
Including Music in Homeschool
Music isn’t just for music lovers. Here’s why you should include music in your homeschool day:
Music Helps Memory and Focus
Listening to calming classical music while studying is linked to improved memory and focus.
This may be because music drowns out irregular background noise, which can distract some students.
Music also has a calming effect, lowering stress levels and enabling students to focus better on the task at hand.
Music Boosts Creativity and Problem-Solving
Writing music and improvising are creative arts, but did you know that simply listening to music can boost your creativity and problem-solving abilities?
Music Increases Mental Health
Playing or listening to music is a relaxing activity that can reduce stress and boost mood.
Music Helps with Other Subjects
Music has a direct correlation to other subjects.
Early learners benefit from the phonemic awareness that springs from songs with rhythm and rhyme schemes.
Music theory involves counting, patterns, and ratios. Music is math in motion!
Music is the product of culture. Music history enhances our knowledge of civilizations past and present.
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How to Incorporate Music in Homeschool
As a homeschooler, you have many options for incorporating music into your curriculum.
Music Class
Let’s start with the most obvious.
You can enroll your student in an online or in-person music class, or teach them yourself.
Here are some great resources for teaching your kids music yourself. All of these books have audio components as well.
Helping Your Child with Music
Helping Your Child with Music is a book by Dorling-Kindersley. It covers the basics of music theory for first through fifth grade.
Meet the Great Composers
Meet the Great Composers is a book series that has 20-minute lessons on the great composers throughout history.
Teaching Music to Children
Teaching Music to Children is a wonderful book specifically designed for teachers without music training.
Music Class Playlist
Music Class Playlist was created by a music educator to expose students to various genres, from Motown to musicals. It contains 36 lessons.
Playlist: The Rebels and Revolutionaries of Sound
So many music appreciation books are targeted at elementary-age children or adults. What about people in the middle?
Playlist is fantastic because it is specifically for middle school and high school students.
The artwork is fascinating, and the backstories of classical composers are entertaining and informative.
Do you need more ideas? Check out these 15 Music Books for Kids.
Music Lessons
You can sign your child up for music lessons to learn a particular instrument. (Read here about online music lessons.)
Music lessons often integrate music theory into instruction time.
Typically, lessons are once a week. Your child would practice their instrument during your homeschool day.
Music History
Every civilization has a cultural history.
The music, art, and writing they create reflect their values and culture.
By studying the music of the past, you can further delve into the history of a people or place.
Integrate music history into your history lessons, listening to songs from that period, learning about great composers, and learning about various instruments.
Music as a Memory Aid
Have you ever noticed you remember commercial jingles for years (even those you wish you could forget)?
That is because music has a structured pattern with rhythm and melody, which helps the brain organize and store the information.
You can incorporate music in homeschool by setting information to music. The alphabet song is a good example, but think bigger!
Use songs to memorize math facts or skip count multiples.
Memorize songs for the list of presidents, the states and capitals, and historical facts and dates.
Grammar rules, definitions, and parts of speech adapt well to tunes.
You can set the elements of the periodic table or the bones of the human body to music.
Even if you aren’t a songwriter, a quick YouTube search will yield memory-aid songs others have created.
Music as Entertainment
We automatically turn to TV, movies, and video games for entertainment. Why not music?
It is captivating to watch a band or orchestra play. Seek out ways to hear live music.
If you live near an orchestra, they may have shows especially designed for students.
These weekday performances are often shorter, and tickets are reasonably priced.
If live music is not an option, YouTube has many videos of classics played by today’s musicians.
You can also try the Maestro Classics. This set of 10 CDs has stories set to famous pieces of music played by the London Philharmonic.
It’s a music class and storytime in one! The set is pricey but worth every penny.
Music as Background
Even if you can’t spare a minute from your homeschool day, you can always play music as you go about your day.
Be intentional about what you play. Remember that music is like food. You only like what you have been exposed to many times.
Although your kids may clamor for their favorite musicians, you can help them appreciate music from various cultures and genres.
Are you looking for ideas? DK’s Music: A Definitive History has a visual history of music with standout songs to add to your playlist.
How to Incorporate Music into Your Homeschool
Your kids are lucky! As a homeschooler, you have the freedom to weave music into your entire homeschool day (if you so choose).
Take advantage of music’s benefits as a natural mood booster and memory aid.
Furthermore, remember that making and listening to music is one of life’s joys.
By incorporating some of these ideas of adding music to your homeschool curriculum, you can sprinkle more joy into your homeschool day.
