Music in the Home

Chari Bryan is a homeschooling mother who edits The Catholic Family Home Newsletter. She has designed her own classical music study curriculum which is described in her personal notes below. Her article follows. I hope you find it exciting and practical to use in your home or school.

Jody

Chari's Notes

We pick a composer...any...we decide together, and get a juvenile biography from the library and read the book and listen to their music, also from the library...for about 6 weeks...having the information from their life stories really put it into perspective for them. We have SO much fun!

First, this...a fun thought!

Time required to listen to all the music of...

1. Beethoven, 5 days

2. Mozart 8 days, 10 hours

3. Haydn 14 days, 14 hours

4. Handel 12 days, 15 hours. Schubert 5 days, 14 hours

6. Bach 7 days, 7 hours

Classical Music Study

by Chari Bryan

From infancy, our children have been exposed to lullabies, classical music, children's folk music and, of course, the music of The Church. All of them love music, and are usually humming familiar tunes by the age of one. And so last fall, it was decided that it was time to study classical music with more structure. I developed a "curriculum" tailored for our family's needs and abilities. It has been working so well!

We take one composer and study him (or her!) for about six weeks. We can, (and have!) taken longer, if the preference is there. We read one or more biographies, either obtained from the library or purchased in the children's section of a bookstore. If your library does not carry a book that you desire, they can usually order it with the interlibrary loan program. An excellent set we have discovered is Composer Highlights, "an educational coloring book series," found in the catalog resource following this article. It has a good biography of the composer as well as pictures to color. I make photocopies of a few pictures for each child to color while I read the biography or when they have some "free" time between subjects. This keeps the book in reusable condition for when the little ones are ready to use it.

During the six weeks, we listen to the composer's music. We listen at breakfast or lunch, or perhaps while folding clothes. The two younger girls are often found choreographing a ballet recital. We find many discarded record albums of classical music in thrift stores for a dollar or less. (Yes, we still have a record player.) Even new cassette tapes of classical music can be found affordable at discount stores or bargain tables. Most public libraries have cassettes and/or CDs to borrow. We get some good variety this way. Ask your librarian. The library may also have videos about specific composers or classical music in general. We have been borrowing a series called, "Concerts for Young People", hosted by Leonard Bernstein. It is old, but the lessons taught are good. And let's not forget the family favorite, The Classical Kids series of audiotapes and one video. They even have teachers' guides, though we have not used or seen them. Basically, each tape consists of a story about a composer, with the composer as the main character. There are usually a few children co-starring and LOTS of selections of that composer's music throughout the story. These are great for mealtimes (it really quiets the house down!) and the car. "Beethoven Lives Upstairs", "Tchaikovsky Discovers America" and "Mozart's Magnificent Voyage" are just a few of the choices. A word of warning: not all composers lead perfectly moral lives (why is that?). It is a good idea to read the biographies to your children, editing and explaining as necessary. The "Composer Highlights" series appears to be rather tame and focus on the positive attributes of a composer's life.

Live music cannot be left out of these studies, if at all possible. Keep your eyes and ears open for music concerts. Although we live in a small town, we have been able to attend a few concerts this year at a nearby college. Even the little ones get a kick out of being up close to the musicians. Our toddler has been "conducting" for about half his life! If you live near a university or college, get on their mailing list. Many concerts are free or there are often a few free seats set aside for homeschoolers or students in general. That is how we have been able to attend this year. Just ask, somebody might be able to work something out for you. We studied Tchaikovsky in November-December. We were then able to attend a ballet of The Nutcracker, as well as read several books about The Nutcracker, Sleeping Beauty Ballet and Swan Lake. We even borrowed videos of each of these ballets from the library. We are on our fifth composer now and have definitely benefited from this exposure.

We have had lots of family closeness and the common knowledge makes for good conversations. We have studied a bit of history and geography, and even plotted some dates on our homemade timeline and places on our maps. We have had many discussions regarding religion, especially about the Reformation. The children become accustomed to hearing music that lifts the soul. Even before starting this study, our 4 year old would beg for "ballet music". As the study moved on, I noticed the music did a lot to help calm the inner turmoil with which she seemed to be born (!). And at piano lessons, both the older children have actually recognized composers' pieces or styles. In fact, just recently my son has improved in his abilities and his desire for practice. I really feel it has been this exposure.

We enjoy this "curriculum" so much. We plan to continue until we run out of composers. And then, we can start over again! In closing, let me present a quote I found in another article just after completing this article. "Can we find any better formation for the soul than music?" -----Plato

Resources: Music in Motion, call for catalog, 1-800-445-0649 and Friendship House, 1-800-791-9876.

Written by Chari Bryan, originally in THE CATHOLIC FAMILY HOME, a free newsletter in support of raising Catholic families.  Contact bryans@snowcrest.net for more information or to request permission to reprint article.

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