I have wanted to write this post for so long but life always gets in the way, especially this time of year.

Today, I’d like to tell you about why our family loves SQUILT for homeschool music appreciation…. especially during the holidays!

Do you homeschool during the holidays? There are many different approaches to homeschooling through the holiday chaos. Some folks choose to take a break while others power through. Where do you fall on this spectrum?

Our family tends to slow things down in an attempt to savor every last drop of the holidays. In fact, this year we are slowing down so much that we aren’t homeschooling any longer, we are hyggeschooling. (You can read more about that in the latest episode of The Homeschool Sisters Podcast.)

During the holiday season, we abandon much of our curriculum and turn our attention to the things we love most including nature, art, games, books, and music. We enjoy tons of holiday specials and we bake and craft until our hearts are content. Once the holiday dust has settled, we return to a more typical routine. I don’t worry about this holiday slow down because I know that learning happens all the time.

SQUILT Makes Music Appreciation Incredibly Fun Yet Super Simple

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!

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!

But in all seriousness, we love 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).

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.

SQUILT during the holidays

There are currently two volumes of SQUILT Christmas Carols. Each volume contains five lessons.

Each lesson includes in-depth coverage of one Christmas Carol. Your children will learn about the history behind the carol and will listen to several versions. As they do, they will discuss dynamics, rhythm, tempo, and instrumentation. Notebooking pages and supplemental activities are included as well.

These unit studies have become a Christmas tradition in our home. We use them every single year.

SQUILT Live members will be enjoying a month of Nutcracker fun during the month of December

During the month of December  2017, SQUILT LIVE! will be devoted to learning all about The Nutcracker. Students will learn about the music with fun listening maps, activities, and more.

My children had their first SQUILT Live lesson yesterday and they loved it!

They loved it so much that they were sad when it was over. 

I kid you not.

Thankfully, I happened to have Tchaikovsky Discovers America at the ready, and so we listened to that on our way to our afternoon hike.

Do you love music appreciation?

Here are some related articles:

• The Best Art and Music Games for Your Homeschool
• Music Appreciation in the Early Years
• Amazing Music Appreciation Books for Families
• Study Christmas Carols with SQUILT
• Kenny Chesney Copywork: Waiting for Noise
• 12 Things My Kids Have Learned From Kenny Chesney

Now, it’s your turn. Tell me: How do you instill a love of music in your home? Share here!

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Caitlin Fitzpatrick Curley

Cait is a school psychologist, mom to three amazing children, and an unexpected homeschooler. She loves nature, good books, board games, strong coffee, and dancing in her kitchen. You can read about all of these things and more at My Little Poppies.

Cait co-hosts The Homeschool Sisters Podcast and is co-founder of Raising Poppies, a community for parents of gifted and twice-exceptional children. Cait is also founder of the Family Book Club at My Little Poppies, a fantastic community of book-loving parents and the Gameschool Community at My Little Poppies, a vibrant community of gameschoolers.

Cait is a contributing writer for Simple Homeschool and GeekMom. Her work has also appeared on The Huffington Post, The Mighty, and Scary Mommy. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter, Instagram
and G+.

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