How Not being Musical is Not a Handicap
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Music study is NOT my forte… I love listening to music, but actually studying music, yep, that is not my strong suite. But through picture books I have learned so much more than I could ever have imagined! So if you are not musically inclined, and especially if you are, come with me and let’s become better at studying music alongside our children.
Alongside
The key to success for teaching my children something that I am not good at is to not teach it. It is to learn about it alongside them! And honestly, everything is more interesting if I am there alongside for the ride rather than trying to lord it over them. I love learning and discovering new things. Music is one of those subjects that regular school killed any desire for in me. Music class was such a chore that other than listening to music it all became very discouraging. Until I had kiddos who needed some music appreciation…
Music Study
When I first discovered Charlotte Mason I loved the fact that her philosophy of education was all encompassing. At first music was a little overwhelming to me, as I had no training, and no knowledge about composers, etc… Even learning nursery rhymes was difficult. I could teach my children French ones but the English ones were not in my repertoire, lol! Wee Sing Nursery Rhymes and Lullabies came to the rescue and we would listen to that on a loop in the car. It boosted my confidence a little and finally I launched into music study with the help of Mater Amabilis. But it was still too much for my kiddos and for me.
M is for Melody
Around the same time we were doing a poetry deep dive using the book R is for Rhyme: A Poetry Alphabet by Judy Young, illustrated by Victor Juhasz, following a curriculum designed by Elizabeth Foss. It was wonderful and easy to use. And I was able to learn alongside my children without having to take a master class in poetry beforehand. So I tried to find a similar book for music. And there it was! M is for Melody: A Music Alphabet by Kathy-jo Wargin, illustrated by Katherine Larson! Oh it was so wonderful to finally, after years of music listening, be able to appreciate and understand music better.
What we did
We took M is for Melody apart, one letter at a time, and tied in the study of music with various instruments and composers/musicians. In each lesson we also worked on writing enrichment skills and learned to identify music styles and recognize instruments. We kept a Music Notebook that included our favorite music pieces, names and biography of the composers/musicians encountered as well as songs heard, copied by hand. For each letter we completed three different categories: “Read It”, “Discuss It”, and “Do It”. This quickly led us to discover composers through picture books! You know I couldn’t stay away, lol! We did music study once a week, easy with 26 letters, and we really enjoyed it. We all learned so much!
What it started
In a way it ignited A Daily Picture Book, as I discovered that learning about a composer, singer or musician and listening to them was a very enriching experience. It was accessible to all, no matter the level of musical knowledge, and did not take hours of preparation for me. Remember how Bach’s Big Adventure by Sally Ketcham, illustrated by Timothy Bush is credited for being the start of it all? Well, it truly is. Creating a relationship with the artist through picture books has developed in us a love of their music. Now that we “know” them personally we can appreciate their music and enjoy it better because of this knowledge of the artist.
Creating deep, meaningful relationships
The very first goal on my Rule of Six is to help my children create deep, meaningful relationships with their studies. Here is exactly that, happening live in my living room every time we pick up a composer, musician or anyone else’s biographical picture book. These artists come to life and some lodge themselves in our hearts while others just pass by, of course, but at least we are now acquainted with them. And the ones that find their way into our hearts will be lifelong friends.
A Music Study Notebook
Creating a Music Study Notebook has helped us to deepen these relationships as often we have to dig a little deeper. The content of these Notebooks is very simple, it is a narration of the picture book and what we have learned about it. Often an illustration is included, but not always. We have learned to copy sheet music and have occasionally included a page here or there. And of course we follow our Notebooking Guidelines. Download your own FREE printable here.
The method
This is my favorite method to plan any learning. I choose a “spine”, a book that is the center of our attention, and then I adorn this spine with picture books whenever possible. Then from both the spine and the picture book grow discussion topics and activities. I usually stick to one to five activities to keep things manageable and flowing nicely. The spine is the meat and potatoes of our study while the picture book and activities are the dessert. Most of our learning should come from the spine and it should be enhanced and deepened by the picture book.
An example
We used M si for Melody as a spine, then I added one or two picture books to each letter theme. For example, the letter a is for Anthem. I added The Star Spangled Banner by Peter Spier as it contains both the lyrics of our national anthem and a short history of its origin. We then discussed the importance of a national anthem, what its purpose is, and how to sing it properly. The Star Spangled Banner was used for copywork, illustrated, learned by heart. We listened to other countries’ national anthems as well, studying their texts and comparing them. This was very simple and very enjoyable for all.
Music study without a spine
Without a spine, we apply the same principle to our Daily Picture Books: “Read It”, “Discuss It”, Do It”. Following along with A Daily Picture Books monthly booklist we pursue our discovery of music through the birthdays of composers, the anniversary of the composition of songs and ballets as well as through the folk songs celebrating historical events. This enlarges our horizon and helps us learn things in a fun and simple way.
Other simple ways to study music
We have studied music in many other ways, or rather I should say music has always been a part of our studies, no matter the subject. While studying Japan we would listen to traditional Japanese music, while in the midst of the Middle Ages, Gregorian Chant was a delight, even science opens the door to new sounds. While studying the Alamo it makes sense to listen to The Ballad of the Alamo by Marty Robbins or to learn sea shanties while studying the age of exploration. My graduated and moved-out daughter just sent me a song on Prince Edward Island, proving that this method of learning about music and other topics through music is a lifelong and natural endeavor. And because I know you want to hear that song here it is: Prince Edward Island by Terry Hachey.
I hope that this encourages you to jump into music study with both feet.
Love,
Mattie
