Composer Study: Exposing Children to the Music

Welcome to Day #7 of my 10-day series, Composer Studies for Young Scholars. 

With composer study also comes music study. After all, the music is what the composers leave to us. Hearing, feeling, experiencing their works are one way we get to know the composers. 

Original Photo Credit

{Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links. The information shared is my own opinion based on personal use of the product. Please see my full disclosure and policies here.}

While studying composers, there are pieces the children will be listening to during the study. These pieces are specific to the composer being studied. Of course, we listen to those but I wanted to do more.

Helping children understand more about music

While using "A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers," our family is learning about 6 eras of music. They are...

• Ancient to Middle Ages
• Renaissance
• Baroque
• Classical
• Romantic
• Contemporary

While we were studying the musical eras, I found additional music for the children to listen to while studying. For instance, if the book mentioned Gregorian chants, I found a YouTube video demonstrating Gregorian chants. In this way, the children aren't just reading about it, but hearing it. It adds life to the definition.

Additionally, when studying Vivaldi, the book stated a concerto was made of three movements. The first and last movement are fast and the middle movement is slow. We could listen for that in the concerto.

In other words, we did more than listen to one piece by the one composer. I want the children to really understand the music. They don't need to learn all the musical terms, of course. Still, it doesn't hurt to expose them to it. In fact, "A Young Scholar's Guide to Composers" helps me share these details with them. 

Ways to expose children to music

• Put music on when they're going to sleep. It's easy to put music on a Kindle, smart phone or a computer. If you don't know any stations, try Live365.com, Classical.com or iHeartRadio. Try soothing sounds like smooth jazz. 
• Put music on at meal times. We always do this. The T.V. is set to the classical channel while we enjoy our meals. 
• Play music during homeschool lessons. What composer are you studying? Create a YouTube playlist of his music. Let it play as background music.
• Visit a local symphony. Not only does this expose the children to music, but it also gives the family an opportunity to dress up for a night out together.

These are a few ways I've expanded our music-listening over the years. 

What ideas do you have for incorporating music into children's everyday lives? 
This series is brought to you in conjunction with iHomeschool Network.
Please visit the other great bloggers who have their own 10-day series to share with you at the Autumn Hopscotch 2013.     

Subscribe here

Happy Homeschooling!