Music -- the often overlooked art
Music is one of those topics that we homeschool moms know we should teach our children. But whether it's because of our own lack of knowledge, a tight homeschool budget, or just a crowded schedule, music study often gets pushed to the back burner. This lens will help you painlessly educate your children about classical music through a unit study or lapbook approach.
A Plan for Teaching Music
Personally, I am a Charlotte Mason (CM) styled homeschooler. The CM way to study a composer is amazingly simple!CM recommended studying one composer in depth for one entire academic term (6-12 weeks). You simply expose your children to that artist's music over and over during that term so that they come to associate the pieces with that artist. The listening can happen anywhere, anytime -- while doing household chores, while on the road, while playing. Additionally, you can read a good biography about the composer. That's it!
Learn About the Orchestra
A classic tool for learning the instruments is Peter and the Wolf, a musical composition with narration to explain the story told through the music. Kiddie Records has converted old records into MP3 formats. You can listen to Peter and the Wolf there for free! And to make a mini-book of the instruments heard in the music, use this printable from the Dallas Symphony Orchestra.
Bernstein Favorites: Children's Classics
This is a great value as it has both Peter and the Wolf and the Carnival of the Animals.
Amazon Price: $7.98 (as of 07/09/2009) 
Used Price: $4.54
Story of the Orchestra : Listen While You Learn About the Instruments, the Music and the Composers Who Wrote the Music!
Amazon Price: $12.97 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $7.54
The Story of the Incredible Orchestra: An Introduction to Musical Instruments and the Symphony Orchestra
Amazon Price: $12.48 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $0.47
The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (Book & CD)
Amazon Price: $16.50 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $3.59
Instruments of the Orchestra
These fantastic links all deal with the orchestra -- instrument families, orchestra seating charts, sounds the instruments make, etc.- FREE Orchestra Mini-book Templates
- These mini-book templates are ready to print and assemble. And they are all free! To fill in the books, you can use the printables at Montessori Music (next link).
- Montessori Music
- Printable cards of instruments and composers.
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra Instrument Chart
- pictures, text, and sound files
- Dallas Symphony Orchestra Seating Charts
- Orchestra seating charts for Baroque, Classical and Modern; also printable!
- New York Philharmonic
- Instrument Storage Room -- pictures and names; good for younger children
- SanFrancisco Symphony Kids
- Interactive Orchestra Seating Chart -- smaller pictures and text descriptions; good for older children
- Young Person's Guide to Orchestra
- Listen to these excellent audio programs that will teach about the instruments of the orchestra.
- Brass Instruments Uncoiled
- This printable will make a great layer book!
- Arts Alive Instrument Lab
- In this Instrument Lab you can listen to and "virtually" handle all the instruments of the orchestra.
- Symphony Starter Kit
- Produced by the Utah Symphony Orchestra, this PDF includes information on instrument families, what to listen for, and concert etiquette.
- Instruments Printable Minibooks
- Scroll down to the I for Instrument section for these free printable minibook templates.
- Instruments Dominoes
- Printable game for matching the instruments with their names.
- Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra Teacher's Guides
- This link has some great printables related to the parts of the orchestra, but my favorite resource is the Stand Up Orchestra -- printable conductor and musicians to color, cut out, and arrange according to the diagram included. What a great hands-on way to learn about the orchestra! Make a diorama with the figures or use them to act out narrations.
Online Games
about the instruments of the orchestra
These are really fun online games that will teach your children the instruments of the orchestra as they play.- Instruments of the Orchestra
- An online game of matching the instrument to its sound.
- The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra
- by Benjamin Britten for the Weill Music Institute at Carnegie Hall. This online game is amazing -- both fun and educational. If you log in, you can return later and contine the same game. Children ages 8 and above could probably play alone. Younger children would need a lot of help.
- Conductor Game
- Another version of matching sounds to instruments.
Listen Online
Audio fun for learning about music!- Classics for Kids
- This is an excellent radio program about many composers, types of music, instruments, etc. Look in the archives of past shows for something that interests you. This truly could be the foundation of your music study as you learn about each composer and his music.
Most wonderful news! The Classics for Kids programs are now being issued as Podcasts! That means you can download them and SAVE them forever! Get them here. - Kiddie Records
- Look in 2005 March week 10 for Rusty in Orchestraville -- a great old record converted into MP3 format! It's adorable!
- Opera for Everyone
- Free MP3 downloads of four famous operas. Best of all, there are commentary audio clips that explain what you are about to hear in each section!
- Musopen
- A small collection of music files in the public domain. Search by style or composer.
- Classical MP3 Files
- Another small collection of free MP3 music files of many of the most famous composers.
Music Lapbook Pictures
- Wisdom's Way of Learning
- This blog entry features a music lapbook complete with photographs and explanations.
- Jimmie's Music Lapbook
- The music lapbook we made with many of the links on this page.
- Learning Legacy
- This is more than a lapbook! It's a lapbook mounted on a display board. This is worth a look.
Music Related Images
These links will lead you to free images, clip-art, and coloring sheets to use for your music unit study.- Educational Technology Clearinghouse
- Music related black and white images from old books. Each image comes in GIF format in three different sizes.
- MUSIC COLORING PAGES & CLIP ART
- Two pages of black and white line drawings of all the basic musical instruments plus some general musical designs.
- Music Coloring Pages
- Some silly, cartoon type images along with plainer, more realistic ones.
- Bry-back Manor Music Clipart
- Just two pages, but nice line drawings suitable for coloring.
- Music Clip Art
- General music images plus several composers.
- Discovery School Music Clipart
- composers, instruments, other
- Bay Area Symphony Coloring Book
- Printable Coloring Book -- cartoon type illustrations
- Classical Composers Photo Archives
- Loads of black and white jpeg files of composers!
Coloring Books
Children can color as they listen to the classic music!
Musical Instruments Coloring Book
Amazon Price: $3.95 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $1.29
Musical Instruments Stickers (Dover Little Activity Books)
Amazon Price: $1.50 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $0.98
The Big Book of Music Games
Brimming with active learning games and reproducible board games,learn facts about famous composers with trivia games and identify familiar instruments through bingo games
Amazon Price: $15.63 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $11.71
Notebooking Pages
free printables
If notebooking is something you use in your homeschool, you'll want to download these free notebooking pages. Use them during your music study to record biographical information about the composers or to write descriptions of the music you hear. Or create your own notebooking pages with the graphics and images linked above.
- Notebooking Pages
- Free printable notebooking pages for Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn, Bach, and general music themes.
- Homeschool With Index Cards Notebooking Forms
- Look for the Classical Music Listening Guide; it's a free PDF notebooking page.
Other Free Music Resources
- Keciro Homeschool's Music Downloads
- Here are links to free downloads of crossword puzzles, a go fish card game, bingo, and wordsearches.
- Music Theory
- Learn the basics of music theory with these interactive online lessons.
- Online Classical Radio
- Listen to Classical Radio even if your area doesn't have a station. Listen online to one of these choices.
- Learn Music the Fun Way
- Free computer games to download. Three different games for learning how to read music.
Baroque Period
Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach
Baroque music is very rich and textured, especially in comparison with the music that came before it. During the Baroque Period, both opera and the orchestra came into being. Three of the most important contributors to music at this time were Vivaldi, Handel, and Bach.- Handel Unit Study
- Cindy Downes shares an extremely well planned unit study on her Oklahoma Homeschool website.
- Classics for Kids -- Vivaldi
- Four Vivaldi programs and a nice activity sheet with listening map for Spring.
- Vivalid's Spring MP3
- free MP3 downloads! Primavera = Spring
- Canadian Arts Alive
- Great PDF resources: Complete Composers' Life and Times for Handel and a Teacher Kit of lesson plans for Vivaldi and the Four Seasons.
- Handel Handles Interviews
- This cute idea for a Handel bulletin board could be adapted into a mini-book with quotes from the composer. Use your own hand for a shapebook pattern.
- Homeschool Share Miscelaneous Lapbooking Printables
- Look under C for Composer for applicable templates.
- Bach Composer Study
- Plan a Bach composer study or unit study with these resources.
Music of the Baroque Period
Bach
Learn about Baroque Composers
Classical Kids: Hallelujah Handel!
another in the Classical Kids series
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $5.75
Handel at the Court of Kings (Great Musicians Series)
These biographies of composers written by Opal Wheeler consistently get rave reviews! Written especially for children, these books will make the time periods come alive and put a human face on the music you are listening to. There are also accompanying CDs which have the music referenced in the books. Used together, they offer a great composer study.
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $51.49
Mr. Bach Comes to Call
another in the Classical Kids series
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $4.20
Sebastian Bach, The Boy from Thuringia (Great MusicianS Series)
a biography by Opal Wheeler
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $60.78
Classical Period
Haydn, Mozart, and Beethoven
The Classical Period of music ranged from 1750 to 1820. The music had a considerably simpler texture that that of the Baroque Period. During this time, Mozart and Haydn developed the grand forms of symphony, opera, string quartet, and concerto.- Classics for Kids -- Mozart
- Six different programs related to Mozart.
- Teacher Resource Kits for Mozart and Beethoven
- PDFs produced by Arts Alive Canada. Also on this page are links to biographical PDFs for Beethoven and Haydn. The material is very thorough yet appropriate for children.
- Mozart Coloring Page
- This is a simple coloring page from Crayola with Mozart's profile and some biographical text below.
- Homeschool Share Miscelaneous Lapbooking Templates
- Look under C for Composer for applicable templates.
- School Express Beethoven Unit
- This unit includes information on Beethoven life from childhood through his adult life. The unit includes: criss cross, word finds, spelling, multiple choice and more.
- Beethoven Lives Upstairs Unit Study
- A unit study based on the book by Barbara Nichol.
Summary: A young boy who is grieving his father's death corresponds with his uncle about the peculiar tenant who has moved in upstairs. In the opening letter of the book he writes "something terrible has happened. A madman has moved into our house." Eventually, he comes to understand and appreciate Mr. Beethoven and even misses him when he moves away.
The unit study includes lessons plus printables.
Music of the Classical Period
Learn about Classical Composers
Mozart's Magnificent Voyage
another Classical Kids CD
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $6.39
Mozart Finds a Melody
This picture book is intended for K-3 audiences. It is a fictionalized version of Mozart wrote his "Piano Concerto no. 17 in G Major." For a preview of this book, see Google Books.
Amazon Price: $17.05 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $7.16
Mozart, The Wonder Boy (Great Musicians Series)
an Opal Wheeler biography
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $34.81
Beethoven Lives Upstairs
another of the Classical Kids series
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $4.24
Ludwig Van Beethoven (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers)
The Getting to Know the Word's Composers is another well known and well respected series. If you prefer more of a non-fiction approach rather than the narrative biographies, these books would suit you well.
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $2.10
Romantic Period
Mendelssohn, Schubert, Tchaikovsky
The Romantic Period saw the development of telling a story through musical compositions. Composers began to express their cultural identity through their music by adding elements of folk songs into symphonies.Many new instruments became part of the orchestra during this time as well.The Romantic era was a golden age for virtuoso performers, so much of the music is very demanding in its technical execution.
- Classics for Kids -- Mendelssohn
- Four programs related to Mendelssohn.
- Schubert's Party: the Melody Musician
- Look for the Teacher's Guide download box in the center of the screen under the lovely interactive timeline.
- Another Scoop of Schubert
- If you can stand a terrible pun, this bulletin board may be a great idea for a mini-book. Use an ice-cream cone shape book and put in facts about the composer.
- Arts Alive
- Teacher Resource Kit about Schubert as well as a Complete Composers' Life and Times of Tchaikovsky. These are excellent PDF resources.
- Homeschool Share Miscelaneous Lapbooking Templates
- Look under C for Composer for applicable templates.
- Tchaikovsky Composer Study
- Plan an entire term of composer study or simply a unit study about Tchaikovsky.
Music from the Romantic Period
Learn About Romantic Composers
Tchaikovsky Discovers America
Amazon Price: $12.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $4.25
Tchaikovsky (Famous Children)
Amazon Price: $7.99 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $1.75
Tchaikovsky
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $21.97
Schubert (Famous Children Series)
Amazon Price: (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $14.77
Modern Period
Gershwin, Copeland
- Classics for Kids -- Gershwin
- Four programs.
- Classics for Kids -- Copland
- Fanfare for the Common Man; Don't forget to look for the PDF activity sheet to go along with the programs.
- Classics for Kids -- Copland
- "Hoe-Down" from Rodeo; Don't forget to look for the PDF activity sheet to go along with the programs.
- The Aaron Copland Collection
- Resources about Copland from the American Library of Congress. A timeline, musical sketches, photographs, and more.
- Arts Alive
- Look for the Complete Composers' Life and Times. There is a PDF about Gershwin.
Music from the Modern Period
Learn about Modern Composers
George Gershwin (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $2.02
Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue W /CD
Amazon Price: $14.93 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $7.92
Aaron Copland (Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers)
Amazon Price: $6.95 (as of 07/09/2009)
Used Price: $2.64
Guestbook
I welcome your comments, suggestions, and questions.
ilovemusic wrote...
Hi Jimmie, I really appreciate your approach to classical music teaching. I hope that many, whether in the homeschooling movement or in regular schools, will be able to take advantage of your sage advice!
Posted April 06, 2009
marsha32 wrote...
thank you...when I am done you will find my Kansas lapbook lens at http://www.squidoo.com/KansasLapbook
Posted January 31, 2009
dkdaniel wrote...
Besides being a violinist, composer, and music producer, I also teach violin (on the college level). I can't speak with more enthusiasm for and support of what you are doing with homeschoolers. May I suggest that you add Pachelbel to your list of Baroque composers? There is a YouTube video on my site, which you are welcome to add here, that uses my interpretation of Pachelbel's Canon in D. Bravo on a superb lens! Love and Blessings, Daniel
Posted September 10, 2008
Renee wrote
Thanks so much for all of this! I use amblesideonline and we are doing Bach now, wanted some info on the orchestra! Found way more;) Blessing to you!!!
Renee
www.homeschoolblogger.com/coramdeojourney
Posted September 07, 2008
Stephanie Jones wrote
This is a fantastic website with tons of great links! I'm an elementary general music teacher & I was amazed to find things I've never seen before!
Posted September 01, 2008
Melissa wrote
Thank you so much! What an incredible list of resources. You sure made my work easier!
Blessings!
Posted August 31, 2008
John wrote
Great Lens! Music education is really important and I can imagine it would be really hard as a homeschool mom or dad. If you have time, please see my little blog on picking a trumpet out for a student. Thanks again!
Posted August 13, 2008
LilliputStation wrote...
Wow, Jimmie! You've done a lot of work on this lens since the last time I was here. BTW, I just found out that Classics For Kids is now available as a podcast! My kids love that show. And now we can download it to listen to in the car.
Posted August 06, 2008
by Jimmie
(more)
