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The Ultimate Guide To Adding Art and Music Appreciation To Your Homeschool

This guide will help you get started with art and music appreciation in your homeschool. My hope is to help you overcome all the normal excuses. I hope it encourages you!

I don’t have time to teach art. I am so far behind in my core subjects. I have no talent in art. We will do some projects over the summer.

Sound familiar? In my years of homeschooling, I have heard many excuses from my friends on why they do not include art and music in their weekly routines. Truth be told, I thought some of the very same things until I realized that these two subjects are easily incorporated into our daily lives.

Why Include Art and Music Appreciation in Your Homeschool?

No matter what style of homeschool you use – textbook, classical, unschooling, or anything in between – art and music can be woven into your year. The study of great works of art, the listening to uplifting pieces of music, and the freedom to be creative in any subject can enrich and expand what we already offer to our children.

If this is your first time to journey into this world of art and music appreciation, you can find joy experiencing these subjects with your children and growing alongside them. I will share how we have done this in our family and how I have encouraged others to do so in their lives – homeschooled or not. Be open to the possibility that you can add some art and music into your homeschool day.

How To Make Time For Art and Music Appreciation: “I Don’t Have Time”

Music Appreciation

Music appreciation can easily by accomplished by picking two or three composers a year and pulling them up on your favorite digital listening platform. Start with the well-known masters such as Bach, Beethoven or Mozart. Choose a playlist and then regularly listen during your homeschool day or as your drive in the car to other activities. Each time you listen, you will quickly become more and more familiar.

Many times the children will easily recognize a composer and they will shout out how they heard this piece in a movie or during a cartoon. Some composers will not immediately be liked but you will find that after you get a ‘taste’ for a certain composer, their music will grow on you. If your children have not been exposed to classical music, it may take some time before they will enjoy the sound of it. Don’t give up. You might also like: The Best Way to Add Music to Your Homeschool.

Art Appreciation or Picture Study

Art appreciation, or picture study, can be a complement to your other subjects. I start by choosing an artist that goes along with the period of history we are studying. After selecting the artist, I find a source for viewing that artist’s work. The internet is a valuable an efficient source for finding a great quantity of artwork.

My two favorite choices are Mark Harden’s The Artchive artchive.com and Olga’s Gallery abcgallery.com. Another source is the library where we find art books, children’s biographies and videos that supplement our picture study. We study four to five different artists a year this way. It will not take long before your children are recognizing famous artwork when you are going about your daily life.

5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday

Set Aside Fine Arts Fridays!

Who doesn’t love themed days? Certainly not Taco Tuesday!! I’m sharing 5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday without overwhelming your homeschool schedule. Don’t miss Stef’s post full of Fine Arts Friday tips!

The Ultimate Guide to Fun Friday Activities for Kids – Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

Keep it simple and have fun!

How to Include Fine Arts When You Are Behind in Your Homeschool

Still wondering how to include fine arts in your homeschool? I will answer the reasons families put off a study of art and music appreciation. Here are some practical suggestions for weaving art activities into your more academic subjects.

Fine Arts Curriculum is an instant pdf download with helpful notebooking pages, links to resources, and an opportunity to earn High School credit!

Here are more details on a Fine Arts Credit for High School with A Homeschooler’s Quick Guide.

I’m So Far Behind In My Core Homeschool Subjects

Art and music need not be separate subjects or boxes to check off on your homeschool schedule. In our family, the art supplies are easily accessible and that reminds us to use them in many of our core subjects. Try some of these ideas and see how easy it is to be ‘art aware’ when you are working in language, math, science and history.

In the early grades, my children always enjoyed drawing a picture and then writing a story to go along with it. As they grew through the grades, their writing pieces would include an illustrated cover or a picture to illustrate the story.

Ideas for Math and Literature

To supplement our math lessons, we used picture books with colorful illustrations as a gold mine for things to count. As your read children’s literature, make sure to point out the beautiful illustrations and allow them to use that artwork to copy on their own. Copying great artwork is fun for children. Literature is full of inspiring artists like Eric Carle and Tomie dePaola.

Ideas for Science

During your science time, have you started a nature journal? We start a new one each year and fill it with sketches of objects we find outside or animals we observe in our yard and from our window. Any topic in science can be made more interesting by drawing what you are learning, making diagrams of experiments, including sketches of concepts and cutting pictures from magazines.

Ideas for History

History gives you the opportunity to draw maps, sketch an event, and draw, paint or color illustrations for reports. My younger students would draw a picture of a historical account. I would write a caption that my little ones dictated to me to go along with the artwork for their journals. You might also like Fun Activities for Your History Class.

I hope this helps you with some practical ideas for including artwork in your homeschool day.

If you think you have no inborn talent for art, we are here to help! This is the easiest objection to overcome. Very few of us are blessed with a background in art and music that would make us ‘experts’.

I Have No Talent in Art

Honestly, you do not need to be an expert. Just like any other homeschool subject we teach, if we don’t know about something, we find a resource and learn right along with our children. My best suggestion is to get out the paints, the colored pencils, the chalk pastels or what you have on hand and to play with the materials alongside your children.

It actually is a great experience for children to see their parents learning along with them. Model how to “mess up” and how to give new things a try. You may surprise yourself. View artwork together and share what you feel when you look at each piece.

I Am Not Familiar with Many Composers

Learn to enjoy classical music with your children. Share with then which compositions you like best and which ones you don’t care for. My children love to see me pretend to play the organ every time Bach’s “Toccota and Fuge in D Minor” starts playing. As time goes by, you will become your own expert and you will know what you like and don’t like. I have learned not to be intimidated by others and their opinions.

This is an area where there are no right and wrong answers. You have lots of freedom to just enjoy the experience.

We Will Do Some Projects Over the Summer

This excuse is really just a form of procrastination. How many summers roll by and you still have not done a single art project or viewed a single piece of artwork? What you waiting for? Sit down and make a short list of artists and a short list of composers for the year. Take it one step at a time and stay flexible.

It takes very little planning or time to give your family the opportunity to be exposed to great art and music. The effort you put into finding ways to use your art supplies in your every day routine are well worth it.

Incorporating art and music into your child’s life reaps immeasurable benefits. Problem solving skills, heightened awareness to the world around them, a sense of well-being, and increased motivation are all gained when you expose your child to great music, artists and creative opportunities regularly.

You need to provide the opportunity, the inspiration, and the enthusiasm. If you do, your children will be greatly rewarded by becoming well rounded in life as well as their homeschool subjects. Don’t let another year go by! There is no excuse.

We have so many resources here on the blog, in our fine arts series and in our membership. You can pick a grade and follow the flexible suggestions for each week.

Check out our art and music appreciation plans for homeschool!

Playlist for each grade can be found on Spotify and YouTube

Homeschool Fine Arts Curriculum for All Levels

You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Fine Arts lesson plans organize great art and music appreciation resources into the classical four-year cycle of history and seasons each week with a Charlotte Mason flavor. Here you will find homeschool fine arts curriculum for the whole family!

These lesson plans are available for Grades 1-12 and will offer families three different options for art study and a detailed plan for music appreciation.

family style fine arts curriculum for homeschoolers

If you don’t feel that a full year of fine arts appreciation is for you, you can also choose from a collection of unique art and music appreciation unit studies which typically last 6-9 weeks.

Each flexible and easy to use 32-36 week plan includes notebooking pages, coloring pages plus both Spotify and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

What is Picture Study? A Simple Guide for Kids (includes free printable art cards)

Homeschool Fine Arts Q&A: How Real Families Make It Work – We have received many questions, comments, and praise regarding the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum. But you know what it’s like buying homeschool curriculum! Us homeschool moms value word of mouth endorsements from our closest friends. Well we pulled together some of our Members (aka close online friends) for a little help answering questions. We hope these homeschool friends can shed some more light on the Fine Arts Curriculum and how it fits in their homeschool! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the Q&A session.

Fine Arts Fridays: Homeschool Lessons with Nana – Fine Arts Fridays and homeschool lessons with Nana are a creative way to add joy to your homeschool! Integrate homeschool art appreciation, music appreciation and hands on art lessons into your learning in a fun way.

The Beauty of Art, Music and Nature in Your Homeschool – My children have become acquainted with winter nature study, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Giotto within a few short months! Our Fine Arts Friday has become a fun and hands-on way of learning about great art and exciting time periods. Afterward, we head outside for our nature study and #outdoorhourchallenge. Fridays have become a rich, full day of beauty and learning like never before! Won’t you join us?

art and music appreciation for your homeschool

Homeschool Fine Arts Sample

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    More Fun With Homeschool Fine Arts for the Family

    Your time learning about famous artists and composers can be some the best of your homeschooling. Here are some more resources to encourage you:

    Composer biography pages by Stef Layton of Layton Adventures

    Composer Biography Pages by Stef Layton of Layton Adventures

    In addition to discounted fine arts titles, our You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive a fantastic pack of Composer Biography pages by Stef Layton. These printable pages include sections to add interesting facts, most famous works, your favorite piece and how the composer’s piece makes you feel.

    Includes these composers: Vivaldi, Bach, Handel, Haydn, Mozart, Beethoven, Schubert, Chopin, Schumann, Liszt, Wagner, Verdi, Brahms, Tchaikovsky, Debussy and a blank page to fill in for any other composer you are studying.

    You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive 50% off each fine arts title!

    This comprehensive guide has everything you need to get started with art and music appreciation in your homeschool.

    Written by Tricia and by Homeschool Fine Arts founder and curriculum author, Barbara McCoy.

    Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

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    What is Picture Study? A Simple Guide For Kids

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don’t miss the free, printable art cards to help you get picture study started!

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards, below, to help you get picture study started!

    What Is Picture Study?

    Picture study is a wonderful way to introduce children to all types of masterful art. The simple act of taking time observe and discuss provides an opportunity for children of all ages to engage in fine arts.

    Simple Steps for Picture Study

    1. Choose the painting to be viewed.
    2. Have the child sit quietly and just look at the painting.
    3. After a time of looking, hide the painting from view and ask your child to tell you what he remembers about the painting. Have him list the literal objects he sees in the painting like trees, people, animals, mountains, rivers, etc.

    That’s it. It’s as simple as that.

    To extend the activity for older students, you may have them sketch the painting from memory.

    Homeschool fine arts plans include picture study in every year plan. Each week has a clickable link to an online image that you can use in your picture study.

    If you are having trouble with your children narrating back what they see in the painting, you can go over some vocabulary with them so they have the words to give you.

    Here are some ideas to get you started.

    Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards, below, to help you get picture study started!

    Questions To Ask In Picture Study

    What kinds of lines do you see?

    • sharp
    • thick
    • jagged
    • heavy
    • choppy
    • vertical
    • diagonal
    • fuzzy
    • thin
    • curved
    • graceful

    What kinds of textures do you see?

    • rough
    • smooth
    • hard
    • shiny

    What shapes do you see?

    • circles
    • rectangles
    • triangles
    • squares

    What colors do you see?

    • bright
    • dark
    • strong
    • reds/oranges/yellows
    • blues/greens/purples
    • browns/whites/grays

    Download Your FREE Printable Art Question Cards

    Get Your Free Art Cards!

    Subscribe to get your free printable Art Cards.

      We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

      Homeschool Fine Arts Curriculum for All Levels

      You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Fine Arts lesson plans organize great art and music appreciation resources into the classical four-year cycle of history and seasons each week with a Charlotte Mason flavor. Here you will find homeschool fine arts curriculum for the whole family!

      These lesson plans are available for Grades 1-12 and will offer families three different options for art study and a detailed plan for music appreciation.

      fine arts curriculum for grades 1-12

      Each flexible and easy to use 32-36 week plan includes notebooking pages, coloring pages and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

      Read a full review of the Fine Arts Curriculum and and learn how to use this resource family-style.

      Here are some homeschool mom tips for making fine arts fun!

      You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members receive 50% off each fine arts title!

      Many times people ask me just what is picture study. Here are some simple steps that have worked for our family for many years. Don't miss the free, printable art cards to help you get picture study started!

      By Barb McCoy, founder of Homeschool Fine Arts Plans and the Outdoor Hour Challenges.

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      Homeschool Fine Arts Q&A: How Real Families Make It Work


      Chalk Pastel Art started sharing art tutorials online in 2010. Nana has become like family to many of us who have brought her into our homes over the years to our tables and gotten our fingers dirty together. The You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse Membership has been an incredible resource to artsy and non-artsy types around the globe!

      Interested in the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum? We asked our members to help answer some common questions.

      Nana continues to add to the 800+ library of art tutorials Chalk Members can access, while just this past year a new product has hit the proverbial “store room shelves”. In 2021, You ARE an ARTiST took over and edited Fine Arts Curriculum. This art and music curriculum is slightly different from the tutorials we’ve grown so familiar with Nana!

      The first difference you will immediately notice, Nana is skipping school!! Actually, she is busy creating more video tutorials for Chalk Members! The Fine Arts Curriculum is Nana-less. It’s also not chalk project based. So if your students weren’t fans of the “messy” chalk art, (gasp, didn’t we tell you about wet wipes?!) they just might enjoy this program more of looking at masterpieces and listening to melodies.

      Fine Arts Curriculum is an instant pdf download with helpful notebooking pages, links to resources, and an opportunity to earn High School credit!

      Art Credit For High School

      We have received many questions, comments, and praise regarding the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum. But you know what it’s like buying homeschool curriculum! Us homeschool moms value word of mouth endorsements from our closest friends. Well we pulled together some of our Members (aka close online friends) for a little help answering questions. We hope these homeschool friends can shed some more light on the Fine Arts Curriculum and how it fits in their homeschool! So grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the Q&A session.

      The You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse membership for homeschool families.

      Homeschool Fine Arts Q&A with Chalk Members

      Don’t take our word for it – take our members’ words for it! We sent out a few repeat questions we’ve been answering around social media. Here are their answers …


      Question: Is this just another thing I have to struggle to add to the school schedule?
      Sandy: I’m not an artsy person so the idea of teaching my kids “fine arts” was intimidating to me until I started using this curriculum. Each lesson has several ideas for picture study and resources to review so it was easy to implement. My kids look forward to fine arts Friday every week! ~ @Homeschooling.SuperHeroes

      Question: Can the whole family participate or is this just high school focused?
      Jamie: We have children with age ranges from pre-K – 14 (and a toddler). As we study the artwork of famous artists, it’s a family affair. Even someone as young as three can observe fine art with or without word usage. While studying artwork in unison, we tailor the given notebooking pages to each child’s writing level. We have a few who can’t write yet, however, they can discuss the painting. This opens up wonderful conversations for everyone. 
      ~ @TreasuringtheTinyMoments

      Interested in the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum? We asked our members to help answer some common questions.
      Photo by Erin Vincent



      Question: Will it flow with other subjects?
      Tricia: We love to use one fine arts title for the whole family. This makes things easy because, for example, we can say that Wednesday afternoons are our designated homeschool fine arts time. It is open and go. Older ones have notebooking pages, younger ones can simply listen in and/or view the art piece of the week. Because we are a fine arts family – with piano lessons and, in the past, drama troupe and choir, we choose the title that matches our history studies. It all complements so well and adds such BEAUTY – and joy to our homeschool! ~ @YourBestHomeschool

      Question: We only need half a credit, can we shorten the curriculum?
      Stef: I appreciated the go-at-your-own-pace approach to this curriculum. My high school son picked from the list of artists and composers who he wanted to study. We only needed half a credit because he also played an instrument. This curriculum was the perfect way to fill the other half credit he needed. Plus he tried out playing some pieces from the works we listened to together. Printing the planners were a great help organizing the when and who was being studied. Easy fun (half) credit! ~ @LaytonAdventures

      Question: We are already Chalk Members, is this another Membership to buy?
      Amy: I am glad Chalk Members get 50% off Fine Arts. We didn’t want to cancel our membership just for Fine Arts. We still enjoy all of Nana’s new tutorials and live events.

      Interested in the Homeschool Fine Arts curriculum? We asked our members to help answer some common questions.

      Help Getting Started with Fine Arts Curriculum

      We hope these insights into other homeschool rooms have helped you make the decision to try Fine Arts Curriculum! Here are a few more helpful posts that might answer any other questions you have about the curriculum.

      Stef Layton

      Stef started homeschooling her boys in 2008. She quickly adopted a hands-on learning homeschool style and graduated her oldest tactile learner in 2021. Stef started the Hands-On Learning column in Homeschooling Today magazine. The Laytons currently reside in the foothills of Colorado where Stef also teaches yoga. The family loves to hike trails, stand-up paddle board, and chase sunsets. Stef shares travel and homeschool tips on IG at @LaytonAdventures.

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      The Ultimate Guide To Fun Friday Activities For Kids

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      The Popularity Of 4 Day Homeschool Weeks

      Do you implement or have you ever considered a four day homeschool week? Just like there is a trend towards four day work weeks, many homeschoolers keep Fridays free of structured learning and instead, have “Fun Fridays”.

      5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday

      Fun Friday Activities For Kids

      Who doesn’t love themed days? Certainly not Taco Tuesday!! I’m sharing 5 Tips to Start Fine Arts Friday without overwhelming your homeschool schedule.

      Fine Arts Friday is an easy way to incorporate the You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Curriculum. I know, you’ve already booked August and you’re doing ALL. THE. THINGS. I was right there with you signing up for every activity, co-ops, and sports. Trying to be a homeschool superhero. You don’t have to exhaust yourself (and your children) with one more monster size obligation.

      fine arts Friday for homeschool
      Meet #FineArtsFriday Friends!

      Fine Arts Fridays: Art and Music Appreciation

      For fun Friday activities, Stef says, “Knowing every Friday we were going to spend a bit of time on art helped my youngest, with delayed fine motor skills, mentally prepare while also keeping my oldest, who has a library of sketch books, happy.”

      Fine Arts Fridays: Homeschool Lessons with Nana – Fine Arts Fridays and homeschool lessons with Nana are a creative way to add joy to your homeschool! Integrate homeschool art appreciation, music appreciation and hands on art lessons into your learning in a fun way.

      The Beauty of Art, Music and Nature in Your Homeschool – My children have become acquainted with winter nature study, Vivaldi, Corelli, and Giotto within a few short months! Our Fine Arts Friday has become a fun and hands-on way of learning about great art and exciting time periods. Afterward, we head outside for our nature study and #outdoorhourchallenge. Fridays have become a rich, full day of beauty and learning like never before! Won’t you join us?

      Homeschool Hymn Studies

      Homeschool Hymn Study: Weaving Beauty Into Learning – With a homeschool hymn study, you are weaving beauty into learning! Dawn Peluso’s hymn studies are a great way to learn history, music and God’s Word.

      A Beautiful Easter Hymn Study for Your Homeschool – Join us for a beautiful Easter hymn study for your homeschool and video art lessons to match! Music and art help us all to connect learning with a special holiday plus build sweet memories together as a family.

      A Merry Christmas Hymns Study – Whether you homeschool as normal through December, add in Christmas activities, or trade all your homeschool curriculum for ‘Christmas School,’ a Christmas hymns study can be an enjoyable part of your school day. It is a beautiful opportunity for the family to learn and worship together.

      Thanksgiving Hymn Favorites: Learning Activities for Your Homeschool – A season of thankfulness and gratitude would not be complete without sharing thanks to God for all of our blessings. One of our favorite ways to celebrate during this time of Thanksgiving is with hymn studies. Many songs help us to remember our gifts and sing our gratitude to God. Here, I’ve included Thanksgiving hymn favorites for you to enjoy, along with learning activities for your homeschool.

      Make Your Homeschool Art Museum Field Trip Extraordinary

      Homeschool Field Trips

      5 Ways to Make Your Homeschool Art Museum Field Trip Extraordinary – A homeschool art museum field trip has been on our list for years. This year, we have already been to one and have another planned for next semester. Here are 5 things I’ve learned about how to maximize the educational experience and family fun on your field trip to the museum.

      The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips – you don’t necessarily need to leave your home to have access to things. There are so many resources you can use to enrich your homeschooling, right online! Virtual Art Museum Field Trips are one of those things!

      Why You Should Take an Art Museum Field Trip – It is one thing to study a piece of art or an artist with a book or an online artist study. It is quite another to see a piece of art in person – and to see, up close, the actual brush strokes by the artist. That is one reason why you should take an art museum homeschool field trip. And here are a few more reasons you should go.

      Van Gogh Experience for Homeschoolers – Our entire family definitely felt immersed in Van Gogh’s beautiful works of art. Especially in the immersion room after walking through the galleries! The Van Gogh Experience would also be a great homeschool field trip or educational opportunity to celebrate your Van Gogh studies. This is a great way to experience the paintings and works of this famous artist. We had a wonderful time!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Nature Study in Your Homeschool

      Discover the beauty of art and nature study in your homeschool and help your children explore the simple joys of the outdoors. There is so much to marvel about in God’s great creation! The Beauty of Art and Nature Study in Your Homeschool.

      How to Use the Outdoor Hour Challenges for Homeschool Family Nature Study – When getting started in homeschool nature study, here are some simple ideas to consider for your outdoor time.

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Bears: An Art and Book Study for Your Homeschool – Delight in a bears art and book study for your homeschool! This is a beautiful combination of art, nature study, and living books to grow a gentle learning adventure about the world around us.

      Nature Study Crafts for Kids: Easy Activities for Learning and Fun! Nature study crafts for kids are a hands on way to learn. What beautiful and easy activities for learning and FUN! Let us show you how.

      Spring Homechool Nature Study with Art – Perfect for commemorating spring, Nana’s spring homeschool nature study with art explores all creatures great and small and all things bright and beautiful! These nature-inspired art lessons are easy and fun for the whole family!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Gameschooling for Fun Friday Activities

      Whether stuck inside or adding fun to your Friday learning, here are some great ideas and some encouragement to get you started! The Game Homeschool is a great overview with a giant list of games for learning!

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Homeschool Art Lessons For Hands On Homeschool Learning

      Julie says, “As with every chalk pastel lesson we use in our homeschool, I adore how the boys never tire of this type of learning. Using art to learn is such an interactive teaching strategy.” – Skeletal System Activities: Everything You Need for Learning and Fun!

      Nana has art lessons to complement every subject you can think of for your Fun Friday:

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Homeschool Fine Arts: Art and Music Appreciation for Families

      You ARE An ARTiST now offers family style and grade level Fine Arts Curriculum. High school students can earn one full Fine Arts Credit. Which is super exciting! This curricula is much different than the traditional Chalk Art Lessons with Nana we have all come to love. While Nana is filming more art tutorials for Clubhouse Members, this curricula is an instant PDF download, so you can go at your own pace! Pick whichever grade you like, and if you’re anything like me with one child dipping toes in three different grades … friend, you’ve got yourself some options. Pick the topic / time period that matches up well with other core curriculum.
      Clubhouse Members can purchase Fine Arts at 1/2 price – must be logged in for discount.

      Here are more details on a Fine Arts Credit for High School with A Homeschooler’s Quick Guide

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      Each fine arts curriculum offers additional art appreciation books, music, and podcasts that you can use as you have time available. They also encourage you to incorporate hands-on famous artists’ and composer art lessons with Nana. These plans pull together affordably priced materials along with internet links so you can have a reasonably priced art and music appreciation program. There are 32-36 weeks planned at each level, and this allows your family plenty of flexibility to complete the curriculum in one homeschool year.

      If you don’t feel that a full year of fine arts appreciation is for you, you can also choose from a collection of unique art and music appreciation unit studies which typically last 6-9 weeks.

      Enjoy these fun Friday activities for kids! By making memories having fun, learning can be so very rewarding! We are BIG fans of this type of homeschooling.

      More Kids Activities For Education And Fun

      What other fun Friday activities would you set aside a Fun Friday for? Of course, any holiday is always a fun time to learn something new:

      With You ARE an ARTiST Complete Clubhouse membership, you can enjoy access to all 800+ of Nana’s video art lessons that complement the lovely learning in your homeschool. And, with Clubhouse membership you can choose to receive 50% off the Fine Arts titles and 50% off membership to our sister site, Homeschool Nature Study.

      Homeschool Fine Arts Resources Bundle

      Two winners! We are giving away two bundles! Two winners will receive the bundle of resources that go with the grade of Fine Arts they are using. (Fine Arts Title not included). Resources include the suggested art appreciation books, music appreciation books, art application books for the Homeschool Fine Arts grade.

      Enter to win via the rafflecopter widget, below:

      a Rafflecopter giveaway

      Homeschool Fine Arts Sample

      Get your FREE sample of homeschool fine arts, below:

      Get Your Fine Arts Sample!

      Subscribe to get your free week of art and music appreciation.

        We won’t send you spam. Unsubscribe at any time.

        Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Your Best Homeschool and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

        Posted on

        The Ultimate Guide To Art Appreciation In Your Homeschool

        Building a love for beautiful art is something that happens over a period of time for our children. This guide has everything you need for engaging art appreciation in your homeschool.

        When we first started homeschooling, art appreciation appealed to me, but I didn’t know where to start. Sometimes you just need to dive in and give it a try and that is exactly what I did with my children.

        Even though I had no real background in this subject, I did have a passionate interest in paintings and art history. I had a desire to learn more and along with my children we learned together as the years went along.

        What did we do to get started? What method helped us get our feet wet with art appreciation? How did we progress slowly through the years? What things have stuck with us?

        Homeschool Art Appreciation: Getting Started

        • Use a series of artwork from one artist and that will help define for your children the artist’s style. Pick four paintings you like and share those one at a time.
        • Picture Study or Narration: Closely observe and enjoy one painting at a time, increasing your child’s awareness of what it means to have a “style”. View the artwork together and have your children tell you what they see in the painting. Many people call this narration or picture study. Most paintings have some sort of story to tell. Encourage your children to try to guess the painting’s story.
        • Keep the artwork you are studying in plain sight for a period of time. Make the painting your computer’s desktop background or have a print of the painting in a prominent place where you spend time each day.
        • After you have studied two or more painters, begin to compare and contrast the artists. How are they different and how are they similar? Over time this will help your child learn more about the periods of art history. But in the beginning, just make casual observations.
        • Come up with a way to review the artists from time to time. Keep your prints in a notebook, binder or folder. Pull them out at the end of each term and spend a few minutes going over the various paintings and artists. This is a fun time for children once they start to accumulate a number of artists. Keep the mood light and do not make it like a test.

        When my children were younger, I chose an artist where their style was particularly apparent and easy to see. We studied Mary Cassatt, Vincent Van Gogh, Pablo Picasso, Pierre Renoir and a few others. These artists appealed not only in subject matter but in showing a distinct style.

        These early years were focused on gaining an interest in art and not so much in learning about art movements or art history. The viewing of artwork and then perhaps learning the title of the painting and the artist’s name were about all we did for art appreciation.

        If your child has an interest or you are starting your program of art appreciation with older children, of course you can add in a little more depth by reading a biography for the artist or perhaps making a drawing of the painting you are studying.

        I would create a folder that was not fancy. I would print out four prints on a sheet of photo paper and then slip it into a clear sheet protector. Those would go into a three ringed binder.

        I also used Dover coloring books to go along with the artist’s paintings as a quick follow up for an artist if the children were interested and had a desire. We kept everything very casual and positive.

        As they got older, we would attach the art prints in a spiral sketchbook. They would print the title under the print along with the author’s name. Again, keeping it simple and enjoyable.

        Art Appreciation For Young Children

        Art is a thing of the spirit, and we need to teach it in ways that affect the spirit. We realize that the ability to appreciate art and interpret it is as universal to all people as intelligence, or imagination, or the ability to form words to communicate. But that ability needs to be educated. Teaching the technical skill of producing pictures isn’t the same as appreciating art. To appreciate, children need to have a reverent recognition of what’s been created. Children need to learn about pictures: they need to learn about them a line at a time, and as groups, by studying pictures for themselves rather than by reading about them.

        – Charlotte Mason, volume six, page 214 (More in Charlotte Mason Homeschool Art Appreciation)
        • Study one artist at a time.
        • Study at least four prints one at a time, using careful and casual observation.
        homeschool high school

        Adding Depth To Your Study for Older Children

        • Follow up with learning the name of the painting and the artist’s name, if desired.
        • Store the prints in a three-ringed binder or in a spiral sketchbook and review at the end of each term.

        Hands-On Activities For Art Appreciation In Your Homeschool

        Follow up with a coloring page from a Dover coloring book or an art lesson with Nana! Or you can simply sketch a part of the painting or the whole thing.

        Remember that your goal is to spark a love for great artwork. This goal is one that can be achieved using any artist that suits your family. Here are some websites that I find helpful for viewing artwork

        The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips is your extensive guide to why, how, and where to find virtual art museum resources.

        Art Appreciation Online

        The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Art Museum Field Trips – There are so many resources you can use to enrich your homeschooling, right online! Virtual Art Museum Field Trips are one of those things!

        ABCGallery.com – A large, online art collection

        A Fine Arts Homeschool Curriculum For All Ages

        Art and music appreciation are subjects that if not given priority, fail to be done in our home. (It’s probably safe to assume that is true for many homes.) It seems like every year I plan on adding art appreciation to our long list of subjects and at the end of the year I realize that once again I haven’t done it. It’s been so helpful to find a Fine Arts Curriculum that does all the work and organizing for me!

        You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Curriculum offers art and music appreciation plans for grades K-12. Minimal prep plans for your fine arts needs! A review from The Curriculum Choice

        One of the reasons I have need a fine arts curriculum to help me is because I know next to nothing about art. It should be simple enough to add in picture study to accompany history. But that would require me to actually know which artists and paintings are most significant. Sure, I could probably research, learn and figure some things out. But thankfully I’ve discovered the You ARE An ARTiST Fine Art Curriculum that was written by someone much more knowledgeable than I, and has already done the work for me.

        YOU ARE AN ARTIST FINE ARTS CURRICULUM

        You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts is an art and music appreciation program that works seamlessly into your homeschool studies.

        The You ARE An ARTiST art and music appreciation program has 12 yearly plans based on a chronological 4-year history cycle. These are divided into the stages of learning of the classical trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). 

        There are options for every grade level and each plans includes notebooking pages, coloring pages and YouTube links for art tutorials and listening to classical music.

        fine arts

        Find out more about our Fine Arts Curriculum HERE.

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        The Best Way To Add Music To Your Homeschool

        It does not take a lot of musical expertise to teach your children to learn and to love music! These are simple and effective ways to add music to your homeschool.

        The Benefits Of Music In Learning For All Ages

        If you ask me what I ate for breakfast yesterday or what is on my grocery list for this week, I probably won’t remember. However, if a song I listened to in my childhood starts to play, I will probably remember the lyrics.  

        It does not take musical expertise to teach your children to love music! These simple tips will help you add music to your homeschool.
        Photo by Amy Law

        Music is powerful both emotionally and educationally. Studies have shown that music study in children can increase academic performance, memory, language skills, social skills, self-discipline, and emotional skills. Pair that with the fact that music education can be fun, and you have a winning combination.

        For our family, music education is a time that we can come together and learn and grow as a family. It is a fun time that involves listening together, singing together, and maybe even a bit of silly dancing together. Having those shared learning experiences helps create family bonds and fond memories.

        The Best Way To Add Music To Your Homeschool

        I love listening to music, from silly kid’s songs to contemporary praise music and those old classic hymns. However, I do not have the gift of musical talent, and when I first started homeschooling, I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to teach music to my children.

        It does not take musical expertise to teach your children to love music! These simple tips will help you add music to your homeschool.

        I quickly learned that it does not take a lot of musical expertise to teach your children to learn to love music! While we have added performance music classes to our current schedule, I taught them music appreciation through various easy-to-use resources for years.

        First, simply listen to a variety of music together as a family. It seems so simple, but they learn so much just through exposure. At times we would listen to whatever struck our interest; other times, we would focus on different genres of music, and other times we would listen to the same hymn in different styles.

        Second, learn about the different composers and artists composing and performing the music they hear. You can use the internet to search or read various biographies about them.

        Finally, whenever possible, expose them to live music. Our state symphony does a great children’s series that is reasonably priced and full of different visual effects. However, in most places, you can find lots of local music. Check with your local community college or university to see about concerts; look for free outdoor concerts in the summer.

        Outdoor concerts can be an excellent start for young children because they have more freedom to move around and not be as quiet as might be expected at an indoor concert.

        *Outdoor concerts can be an excellent start for young children because they have more freedom to move around and not be as quiet as might be expected at an indoor concert*

        Homeschool Music Lessons For You

        As you introduce your students to new music, new artists, and new composers, it can be very beneficial to have some easy lessons to help you teach them about music. Not only does it take the time planning off your plate, but if you are anything like me, having a plan means I am more likely to get it done.

        The new art and music appreciation courses are a stress-free way to incorporate music appreciation into your homeschool.

        The courses are designed by grade level, and each course introduces students to a variety of art and music appreciation. For music, the younger grades listen to music from a particular composer or era, including suggested reading to learn more.

        As students get older, the lessons include notebooking pages and timelines. There are also art lessons related to the music lesson included in some of the weeks.

        Classical Music Appreciation Lessons for All Ages

        *Clubhouse members get a 50% discount on all fine arts titles!

        High School Music Lessons

        There are writing assignments and more in-depth reading assignments for the high school level courses to make it rigorous enough for high school credit (while still simple for the parent). As with most high school courses, the grade levels are suggestions, and you can use them for any year of high school.

        While the lessons are created by grade level, you could easily turn them into family-style classes, especially the elementary and middle grades selections. You can have the whole family read and listen together.

        There are also family-style units that focus on one artist and one composer. These are a great way to start your studies!

        It does not take musical expertise to teach your children to love music! These simple tips will help you add music to your homeschool.

        Additional Resources For Music In Your Homeschool

        As you learn about different composers and listen to their music, you can add even more fun to your lessons with Nana’s Composer Chalk Pastel Lessons, included in the You Are An Artist Complete Clubhouse Membership.

        You can even turn that composer study into a complete unit study, like this one from Beethoven.

        One of my favorite parts of studying music is teaching my children beautiful hymns! They are a great way to include music in your homeschool. You can use these free hymn studies, and Nana also has a hymns course in the You Are an Artist Membership.

        You can see more fun ideas for hymn study with The Art of Hymn Study!

        It does not take musical expertise to teach your children to love music! These simple tips will help you add music to your homeschool.

        Dawn is a passionate follower of Jesus, wife to Chris, and homeschool mom of four. In her spare time she loves to read, hike, and write on her blog Schoolin’ Swag. She enjoys reviewing curriculum and helping moms find the right fit for their family.

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        Homeschool Music Activities For Students With Special Needs

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        The Value Of Music For Students With Special Needs

        As I tried to find the perfect words for this post, memories of my early walk into motherhood stirred my heart and mind. I thought about the struggles. I thought about all the special people brought into my life. I thought about all the evaluations, diagnoses, and therapy visits. My mind sifted through all the research and all the resources.  

        I was brought to that place as a budding special needs homeschool mom, feeling overwhelmed, with a plethora of materials in my lap. I vividly remember searching for effective ways to help my little learner. During this time of reflection, I asked myself, “What really worked for my son? What did he love? What engaged him during the learning process? What helped him remember?”

        The answer was simple: anything interest led combined with a multi-sensory approach. Music being highly beneficial in so many ways. Music played a key role in his academic learning and still does.  It’s an incredible tool for out of the box learners.  

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        Music and Academic Learning In Your Homeschool

        As a mom who homeschools an out of the box learner, I too have to think outside of the box. I realized this when I was presented with a sound based intervention that stimulates the auditory system. This intervention uses altered music monitored by a professional. Through this experience, I discovered that research based music intervention actually exists to help students with a variety of diagnoses from autism, developmental disabilities, and down syndrome.  

        At our very first private therapy visit, my son’s speech language pathologist encouraged an evaluation for sensory processing disorder. After meeting with an occupational therapist, we mapped out a plan for an in home activity called Therapeutic Listening. I do have to say that after she used all those big words I didn’t quite understand, I was very skeptical. She explained to me all the different ways that music intervention would help my son. She then modeled how to implement Therapeutic Listening, five days a week, twice a day for 20 minutes. I shared with her that I needed some time to process all of this information.

        I went home (still skeptical) with paperwork in hand, a list of materials, and discussed this plan with my husband. We decided it was best to try this sound based intervention. Within one week of Therapeutic Listening, we noticed a dramatic change in my son’s sensory processing. It was a miracle. To find a detailed description on Therapeutic Listening, needed materials, and how it benefits children with learning differences, click here for more information about therapeutic listening.

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        Below are helpful links relating to music therapy. You will find academic products, ways to integrate music, and free resources for special needs children.

        How Music Helps Students with Special Needs

        It’s a Snap! 4 Ways to Use Music With Special Needs Students

        Involving music is a fun and enjoyable way to learn. After seeing the fruitful benefits in my son, we have included music in our home for all of our children.  It is such a natural way to learn. Not only does a charming song assist in retaining facts and language development, it also creates a time of bonding.

        How fun is it to watch little toddlers squeal with delight as we sing together.  What pleasure it brings to a mother’s heart when her two busy boys march around the house, singing in unison, “I’m in the Lord’s Army, Yes, sir!”.

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        Music Activities For Homeschooling Students With Special Needs

        “Recent scientific studies have uncovered a startling new fact about the effect of certain types of music on a child’s brain. While children listen to music of the Baroque period in particular (Bach, Vivaldi, Handel), the brain scans reveals instant and spontaneous lengthening of fibrous brain cells. These cells quickly become amazingly active and stretch out-reaching to connect with other cells. Baroque music, unlike any other styles of music, is responsible for this remarkable development.”

        A Charlotte Mason Companion Personal Reflections on The Gentle Art of Learning by Karen Andreola

        You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Fine Arts Graded Art and Music Curriculum for all ages

        Homeschool Fine Arts, Fine Art and Music Appreciation

        As a mother who does not have professional training or a background in music, I began researching music appreciation in Karen Andreola’s book, A Charlotte Mason Companion.  

        I took great comfort in Ms. Andreola’s reassuring statements, “appreciation of classical music had nothing to do with playing the piano or learning any other instrument” (p. 200)  and “classical music appreciation need not be taught by a professional music teacher, that it can be done by a parent who has no particular background or training in music. As with so many subjects in our home education process, I have been learning along with my children, and have always found it rewarding.” (p. 201).  

        One of my favorite aspects of home education is that it provides an abundant opportunity to learn alongside my children, even in music. Research determined that listening  to classical music is beneficial for the brain, specifically listening skills and concentration. What joy for a special needs mother to find that a myriad of studies also concluded that music kindles both sides of the brain!

        Homeschool Music Activities For Students With Special Needs

        You ARE An Artist, Art and Music Appreciation Studies

        After these wonderful discoveries, we dove into You Are An Artist, Art and Music Appreciation Unit Studies.

        These Charlotte Mason inspired studies are family friendly and simple to navigate. The units arrive equipped with an overview on how to implement music into our everyday life and homeschool routine. This quickly encouraged a life style immersed in music appreciation. With direct links to biographies and music, the exposure to talented composers derived in a natural way, lending itself to multi-sensory learning for all of my children, including my son with special needs. I loved that the note booking pages offered an arranged place for my son to write and draw with minimal distractions. They also provided a nice space for note-taking, sketching, and tracking music. Perfect for a busy mother of eight.

        Signing Time With Rachel Coleman

        I am forever thankful for Signing Time with Rachel Coleman. I remember the day I first saw Signing Time in action. My son was completely nonverbal at the time and I was 36 weeks pregnant with my daughter. My little family at that time moved across the states for my husband’s new job position. While visiting family, I paid close attention as my niece watched the program. She was only two years old, and I was amazed at how many signs she knew, just by watching the Signing Time DVD’s. Impressed, I asked my sister-in-law all about this multi-sensory resource.

        Rachel Coleman’s story immediately touched my heart. I instantly purchased the videos, hoping it would help my son communicate. Complete with tactile, auditory, and visual learning, Signing Time encouraged communication! After using Signing Time for a few weeks, I witnessed his first language awaken. The repetition of signs in a multisensory fashion, helped my son and I learn sign language in an effective and engaging way. Rachel Coleman’s strategies to reinforce American Sign Language proved effective with appealing music and catchy songs. We still know “Do You Know the Colors of the Rainbow”, “Days of the Week”, “Alphabet Song”, and the “Pizza Song”!

        The music truly helped (even my children now!) ingrain the signs into our memory. My son learned the alphabet, numbers 1-20, colors, days of the week, food items, and so much more all through Signing Time. This program also helped with potty training at age two! Signing Time also builds vocabulary and encourages reading skills (as the written words are displayed). I have personally found that using Rachel Coleman’s videos actually encourage verbal communication! Check out their free dictionary, evidence based resources, and subscriptions here.

        4 Weeks to Read

        I purchased this program as a supplemental resource to do in addition to a reading program we are using. I also purchased this reading curriculum for one of my sons who showed signs of reading readiness.

        4 Weeks to Read curriculum includes Lesson Manuals, a Teacher’s Guide, and Flashcards. The books are in full color and numbered, easing a child into the beginning reading process. That’s not all! 4 Weeks to Read implements music! The music aided in memorizing the sounds, identifying letters, vowels, and the two vowel rule. The simple and repetitive songs helped fill gaps and prepare literacy skills. My four year old listens to the songs in this program.  While coloring or playing, I hear him randomly sing the songs we are learning, “When two vowels go walking…..”! Click here to listen to the music that is included in 4 Weeks to Read. You will also find digital downloads and everything this program offers!

        Additional Resources For Homeschooling Learners With Special Needs

        The additional resources listed below we have used or are currently using in our homeschool. They all offer either a hands-on learning experience and/or short, effective daily lessons.

        Pride Reading Program

        Pride Reading Program is an Orton-Gillingham curriculum that incorporates reading, writing, spelling, and comprehension. Sky writing, sound tiles, games, and finger writing on your palm are a few examples of their multi-sensory approach.

        Spelling U See

        Designed by Dr. Karen Holinga, a talented homeschool mother of twelve years, Spelling U See gently moves a child through the spelling process in a natural way. The daily spelling lessons are short and effective with a lot of repetition. My children have always enjoyed copying nursery rhymes and songs. See how we implemented Spelling U See and Eric Carle’s famous book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar

        Adding beautiful color combined with tactile, auditory, and visual learning brought a breath of fresh air into our homeschool for all of my children.  With Nana's lessons and affordable materials, getting started with chalk pastels was so easy.

        Chalk Pastel Art

        Adding beautiful color combined with tactile, auditory, and visual learning brought a breath of fresh air into our homeschool for all of my children. With Nana’s lessons and affordable materials, getting started with chalk pastels was so easy. To read how my son benefits from painting with Nana, https://treasuringthetinymoments.org/blog/6/

        Handwriting Without Tears

        This is an exceptional program to teach handwriting. This program uses hands on manipulatives and strategies that meet a variety of learners. All of my children start with Handwriting Without Tears to learn how to write their letters. My older children use their cross curricular workbooks to practice cursive.

        Math U See

        Math U See offers videos that teach math concepts, manipulatives, workbooks, songs, and repetition to meet the needs of students. Many math resources are available on their website.

        Sight Words

        This is a program that brings learning sight words to life. Each sight word arrives with eight multi-sensory activities. My son with learning differences loved this program and now my five year old loves it just the same. Sign language, word searches, dab and dot, play dough, and so much more are all incorporated!

        These homeschool music activities are a wonderful fit for students with special needs. Multisensory and appropriate for all reading levels, these activities make learning accessible for all students.

        More Learning for Special Needs Homeschoolers

        You will also be encouraged with these resources for your homeschool!

        Jamie Gault

        Jamie is the author of A Brown Bear’s Language Arts Study, a literature-inspired homeschool mom of eight, and a former educator. She enjoys a bookshelf bursting with colorful picture books  and children’s stories of all genres. Indulging in a read aloud with all of her children around her is one of Jamie’s favorite moments of her days. Be sure to find Jamie on Instagram and visit her blog, Treasuring the Tiny Moments Homeschool, to be encouraged by all her learning adventures with her wonderful family.

          

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        Homeschool Music Curriculum for High School

        This homeschool music curriculum for high school is easy and suitable for fine arts transcript credit. Everything you need to get started.

        There are so many benefits of studying music and great composers in high school! Here is the homeschool music curriculum for high school that makes it easy and suitable for fine arts transcript credit.

        …music appreciation is different from playing an instrument in the same way that being a natural actor is different from enjoying a Shakespeare play, or being able to paint is different from enjoying a painted picture. I think that all children, not just the musically inclined ones, should learn to appreciate music.

        -Charlotte Mason

        Benefits of Homeschool Music Curriculum For High School

        Why would you study music and composers in high school? With these studies, your high schooler can:

        • Grow a real love for wonderful music
        • Connect with art of all kinds
        • Discover a better understanding of how to express feelings and thoughts
        • Earn a fine arts credit!

        You just may find that your high schoolers will make music and art appreciation their own. Your high schoolers might not push these studies aside when they get busy – but carve out time for them! Time to slow down and to listen.

        Fun Example of John Willliams Composer Study

        Here is an example of our homeschool music curriculum for high school with a study of composer John Williams. Enjoy this fun medley of John Williams compositions. It is guaranteed to put the tunes in your head for the rest of the day. Besides, it is designed by a clever young man who really worked hard a putting a great medley together. This may also give you some ideas if your high schooler is studying videography.

        How to Use You ARE an ARTiST Homeschool Music Curriculum for High School

        • Our fine arts homeschool plans for high school can be enjoyed independently by your high schooler.
        • Schedule a composer of style of music to be listened to for a period of time.
        • Very few supplies needed. You can use the Classical Music Start Up Kit.
        • One afternoon a week, your high schooler can focus on one composer.
        • Your student uses the Listening Log included in the plans to record answers and thoughts. Remember, there are no right or wrong answers. It is perfectly acceptable for your student to write that he thinks that a certain selection of music is ‘annoying,’ if he has taken the time to listen and to respond.
        • Your high schooler then uses the log sheets to then write a biographical summary of the composer and to respond to the music he listened to. This is a written narration.
        Fine Arts Curriculum for High School - There are so many benefits of studying music and great composers in high school! Here is the homeschool music curriculum for high school that makes it easy!

        With our homeschool music curriculum, think of all of the great music you can listen to in those short, few minutes each week. It adds up over the course of a year and a lifetime and is well worth the effort!

        View a Sample of Grade 11 Fine Arts Appreciation HERE.

        More Fine Arts Resources for Your Homeschool

        You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members enjoy ALL Homeschool Fine Arts Plans at 50% off! —

        You ARE an ARTiST’s plans pull together affordably priced materials along with internet links so you can have a reasonably priced art and music appreciation program. There are 32-36 weeks planned at each level, and this allows your family plenty of flexibility to complete the curriculum in one homeschool year. The plans are listed by grade, but you can also use Grades 1-8 family-style if you have multiple children at home.

        This homeschool music curriculum for high school is easy and suitable for fine arts transcript credit. Everything you need to get started.

        Written by Barb McCoy and updated by Tricia Hodges

        Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodge and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.

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        Classical Music Appreciation Homeschool Lessons For All Ages

        There is no right or wrong way to start classical music homeschool lessons! Learn the simple steps towards a love of classical music and great composers!

        This is everything you need to get started with classical music appreciation lessons in your homeschool.

        There is no right or wrong way to start classical music homeschool lessons. The most important thing is that you start! Learn the simple steps to building a love of classical music and a knowledge of great composers.

        Of course, music appreciation has nothing to do with playing the piano. It’s often been thought that ‘learning music’ can only mean that. So it was assumed that children who showed no special talent for playing the piano were simply not musically inclined and wouldn’t like concerts. But music appreciation is different from playing an instrument in the same way that being a natural actor is different from enjoying a Shakespeare play, or being able to paint is different from enjoying a painted picture. I think that all children, not just the musically inclined ones, should learn to appreciate music. It’s been proven that only three percent of children are actually tone-deaf. If children are started early, it’s amazing how even those who seem to have no musical ‘ear’ can develop one, and can learn to listen to music with understanding and enjoyment.

        -Charlotte Mason, Volume 6, page 218

        How to Get Started with Classical Music in Your Homeschool

        Sometimes the challenge of composer study is making the time to listen long enough that we recognize them as we go about our everyday life.

        There is no right way to listen. Some authors try to convince you that you can’t use your computer to listen or you can’t use headphones or you have to do nothing else but listen during our music appreciation time. This is not true.

        There is no right or wrong way to start classical music homeschool lessons! Learn the simple steps towards a love of classical music and great composers!

        The Goal for Homeschool Classical Music Appreciation

        Your goal is to offer time for listening to music on a regular basis, tell a little about the composer that you think the children might be interested in and then listen together. This is a perfect opportunity to work on narration skills with your children. After you listen to a piece, ask your children what they thought of it.

        Starting when your children are young is the best way to develop an ear for classical music, but don’t despair if your children are older and you still want to give them the opportunity. It is never too late. Author Barb McCoy’s husband never listened to classical music until they started homeschool composer studies in the Charlotte Mason style. He now recognizes and appreciates many different composers.

        Not a day goes by that you can’t take a few minutes to listen to a great composer. It takes just a little planning ahead and then seizing the opportunity to listen and get to know one composer at a time.

        Questions To Ask In Your Homeschool Music Appreciation Lessons

        You might choose one official music appreciation time each week with our Homeschool Fine Arts plans. Listen to the composer intently. Set aside all other activities and listen to the musical selection. Try to listen with no other distractions. This could be the one time during the week that you aren’t playing the music as background music. The music is the focus of your listening time.

        Here are some questions to ask your children after listening to a selection:

        • Was the music loud or soft?
        • Was it fast or slow?
        • Could you hear any particular musical instruments? (piano and violins are usually easy to hear)
        • Did the music remind you of something? Did any pictures come to mind?
        • What emotions did the music bring up into your heart? (happy, sad, angry, etc.)

        Just like we have our children narrate a selection from their literature or history reading, you can teach your children to narrate their expressions after listening to a piece of music. I think it actually adds to enjoyment to stop everything and listen to a piece of music with our whole hearts and minds.

        Resources for Homeschool Classical Music Appreciation

        Composers Hands On Art Lessons in the You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse – Nana’s Composers video art lessons are a perfect complement to learning about a composer!

        Composers Hands On Video Art Lessons

        • Symphony Conductor
        • Beethoven
        • Mozart
        • Copland
        • Handel
        • Beatles
        • Jazz
        • Vivaldi
        • John Williams
        • Francis Scott Key
        • and more lessons coming!

        Hymns Homeschool Art Lessons

        Celebrate favorite hymns and hymn study with Nana’s continuing hymns art lessons in the You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse. 20+ hymns celebrate these timeless favorites from Amazing Grace and How Great Thou Art to Easter, Thanksgiving and Christmas hymns, like:

        Preschool Art and Music Curriculum for Your Homeschool – This preschool art and music curriculum for your homeschool has everything you need to foster an early love and appreciation of art and music.

        Our Homeschool Fine Arts Plans use these resources to make composer study and music appreciation easy!

        Classical Music Start Up Kit – the perfect CD sets to introduce your homeschool family to the general overview of classical music. I have learned to fit in our listening as we go about our daily homeschool routine. We listen to the music in the car while we are driving to our appointments or errands. I put the music on when they are working on art projects. I listen to the music during the day while I work on the computer. You would be surprised at how many times you can find to listen to one or two of the selections each day. It is wonderful alongside our classical music appreciation homeschool lessons.

        Getting to Know the World’s Greatest Artist series – Our very favourite homeschool resource for Art Appreciation for the elementary years is Mike Venezia’s Getting to know the World’s Greatest Artists book series.

        Homeschool High School Fine Arts Credit

        Have a high schooler? Earn a fine arts credit with our high school level fine arts plans for 9th-12th grades!

        Art and Music Appreciation Homeschool Curriculum for Grades 1-12

        More Music Appreciation Resources for Your Homeschool

        You ARE an ARTiST Clubhouse members enjoy ALL Homeschool Fine Arts Plans at 50% off! —

        You ARE an ARTiST’s plans pull together affordably priced materials along with internet links so you can have a reasonably priced art and music appreciation program. There are 32-36 weeks planned at each level, and this allows your family plenty of flexibility to complete the curriculum in one homeschool year. The plans are listed by grade, but you can also use Grades 1-8 family-style if you have multiple children at home.

        There is no right or wrong way to start classical music appreciation in your homeschool lessons! Learn these simple steps to instill a love of music.

        Written by Barb McCoy and updated by Tricia Hodges

        Growing a love of art at You ARE an ARTiST is a multi-generational passion! Tricia is Nana’s daughter and a mama of five children. Nana shared her first chalk pastel art lessons with her grandchildren around Tricia’s kitchen table. Homeschooling since 2000, Tricia has seen the fruits of home education with three homeschool grads so far! She shares the art and heart of homeschooling at Hodgepodge and is author of the book, Help! I’m Homeschooling! She and her husband, Steve, are also owners of sister sites Homeschool Nature Study and The Curriculum Choice.