The Magic of Music Appreciation

          It is a chilly morning, the first of many to come I hope.  My small brood all snuggled in blankets on the couch and ready for our morning time. Today we are trying out a new way to study classical music. I am curious how the kids will take it since we usually just listen to a piece of music and then do a small discussion before moving into our books.  As I start looking at the lesson closely I realize that need some copies and the kids need writing materials, so I announce that they get their items and quickly return. A few 'ughhhs' and moans escape. I made them leave their warm little cocoons for a minute. (oh the travesty!) It doesn't take long before they are back in their still warm spots on the couch ready to go!

          After we begin our morning time and start the Music appreciation part, I explain what they are to do on their worksheets, what sounds; tempo, rhythm, and mood to look for. Obviously this is new to them so I carefully detail what each word means. You can see their faces begin to focus and hone it on what they need to do. Intrigued, we begin the first music selection. 

         Let me just say that one minute they were slightly interested, and then the next, their faces completely lit up!! Maybe it was the amazing piece of music we were listening too, or maybe it was the fact they had to imagine what the song was about. They wrote details on their note-booking sheets, drew pictures, and might I add...drew a scary looking creature as their idea of what this music represented! 

         The composition was fun. It was PERFECT for October! It was magical and really opened their eyes to a classical piece of music that has my 14 year old begging to watch the play! This is one of the reasons I am glad we home school. My children aren't too busy with other work to take some time and listen to the classical music that inspired many popular movies and plays worldwide. They get an in-depth study of the song and the composer behind it!! 

         Today, we used the lesson "In the Hall of the Mountain King" from Squilt Music.  I got this lesson as part of Pam Barnhill's Back to School Too bundle, which I love as well. We will be adding more SQUILT Music lessons to our Morning Time now that I've seen how user friendly, and family approved this lesson was! 

Do you incorporate music into your homeschool?