Let’s chat about homeschool music…
When I was a little girl, I loved the Sesame Street episode featuring Itzhak Perlman.
To be honest, I wasn’t captivated by Perlman. I had no clue he was a world-famous violinist.
It was the little girl with Perlman who held my eye and my heart.
She wasn’t much older than I was at the time. And she made magic happen with her violin.
I wanted to do the same.
So, I asked my mom if I could play the violin. And the long and the short of it is that she told me to try piano first because we had one sitting unused in our living room.
But there was no cool Sesame Street piano video, I wanted to play the violin.
Being the stubborn soul that I have always been, I refused.
I wish I had learned to play an instrument as a child, but my musical experience includes nothing more than a brief stint with the recorder in grade four.
The Best Music Resources for Your Homeschool
I wanted my children to have a different experience, and so as soon as they showed interest, I signed them up for piano lessons with an absolutely amazing gift-of-a-teacher.
Still, I want to include music appreciation in our homeschool routine, because I think the arts are so important.
Our favorite music appreciation resource: SQUILT
I adore music but I do not have a music background. I’ve never played an instrument (unless you count my brief stint with the recorder in fourth grade).
Our family has used SQUILT in our homeschool for several years now, and we love it! As someone with no musical background, I am not at all intimidated by the content and I love learning alongside my kiddos.
Check out My Little Poppies Course Offerings:
- The Lazy Homeschooler’s Guide to Unit Studies
- How to Rock THE MOST IMPORTANT PART of Your Homeschool Day
- Gameschooling 101: How to Add More Play to Your Homeschool Day
What is SQUILT?
SQUILT is super fun, super EASY music appreciation for homeschoolers. I have absolutely zero musical training and I adore this program.
The best part? SQUILT allows you to learn about music your way.
This means that you can:
- Learn by musical era
SQUILT offers lessons on Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern musical eras. - Learn by composer
SQUILT offers shorter volumes that are focused on one composer at a time. - Learn by season
SQUILT offers lessons on The Nutcracker and also a Christmas Carol unit study… and more holiday content is coming soon!
- Learn with flashcards and games
SQUILT’s Meet the Instruments program is fantastic. My kids love it!
SQUILT: Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time
I’ve said it before, and I’ll probably say it again, but Mary Prather had me at “super quiet” because the truth is we don’t get a lot of that in our home!
SQUILT is an easy-to-use music education program. You do not need to have a music background. The only thing you need to do is to have internet access and the desire to learn alongside your children.
Draw what you hear with SQUILT
One of our favorite SQUILT activities is the “Draw What You Hear” practice. Students listen to a piece all the way through without talking. They picture the music in their mind and focus on how they feel as they listen. Then, students listen to the piece again and they draw what they hear.
We try to do this activity daily, and Mary makes it easy. SQUILT Live members have access to monthly listening calendars!
This is such an easy way for parents -even those with no musical background- to instill a love of music in their home.
Fantastic resources for homeschool music
Here are two other resources we have used and enjoyed in the past:
I get a lot of questions about our homeschool curriculum choices…
You can read more here:
- Gifted Homeschool Curriculum: 2nd, 3rd, and 5th grade
- Homeschool Curriculum: How to Ditch the Schedule and Embrace a Lifestyle
- 2017-2018 Homeschool Curriculum (1st, 2nd, and 4th grade)
- 2016-2017 Homeschool Curriculum (K, 1st grade, and 3rd grade)
- 2015-2016 Homeschooling Curriculum (Pre-K, K, and 2nd grade)
Amazing music books for your homeschool
I am continually amazed by the growth I see in my children when I add high-quality picture books to our existing curriculum.
- Amazing Music Appreciation Books for Families
- A Month of Performance Books!
- A Musical Month of Books!
Do you love music appreciation?
Here are some related articles:
- Study Christmas Carols with SQUILT
- Kenny Chesney Copywork: Waiting for Noise
- 12 Things My Kids Have Learned From Kenny Chesney
Gameschooling with awesome art and music games
Here are some of our family’s favorite art and music games:
Gifts for the music lover in your life
- Educational Stocking Stuffers: Art and Music
- The Best Gifts to Inspire Art, Creativity, Play, and Imagination
Do you want to see our homeschool in action?
I get a lot of questions about our curriculum choices. You can read more here:
- Homeschool Curriculum 2017-2018 (1st, 2nd, and 4th grade)
- Homeschool Curriculum 2016-2017 (K, 1st grade, and 3rd grade)
- Homeschooling Curriculum 2015-2016 (Pre-K, K, and 2nd grade)
Be sure to follow My Little Poppies because we share snapshots of our homeschool day… and all of our favorite resources!
Do you love to homeschool with books?
You are invited to join the {Virtual} Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a private Facebook Group for parents who love to read fantastic books to their children… and chat about them!
Do you love to homeschool with games?
You are also invited to join the My Little Poppies Gameschool Community, a private Facebook Group for parents who wish to add more play to their family and/or homeschool routine.