Music Instruction for Homeschoolers
How Parents, Music Teachers Can Create a Homeschool Music Curriculum
Sep 3, 2009
Music can be a problematic subject for homeschooling parents. Beyond the very first basic concepts, many non-musical parents have difficulty trying to teach musical concepts that they don't understand themselves. Adults who don't have prior musical training quickly realize that they are just as confused as their children, and need a professional music teacher to show the way.
In part, this is because of lack of familiarity with the complex skill levels involved. Unlike math or science, which most parents have studied previously in school (although maybe in the distant past), music may be totally foreign territory. And music is a difficult subject: It takes between three and four years of study and consistent practice before an average adult student is able to play intermediate-level classical music, fluent church hymns, or arrangements of popular songs that are labeled "easy" by the publisher.
Learning to play an instrument is also cognitively complex: It requires that students take in and process information aurally, visually, physically and intellectually – while performing tasks that require coordinating all of these elements. The pedagogy involved in teaching students to put all of this together is complex, and the solutions to specific technical and learning issues are often not intuitively obvious.
A a result, while it is certainly possible for non-musical parents to play an important role in their child's musical development, most non-musical parents choose to find an outside instructor for their children, especially as students become more advanced.
Homeschoolers and Private Music Lessons
Homeschoolers have some advantages when it comes to scheduling music lessons.
- They can take lessons during the quieter hours of the day, which means more scheduling flexibility. A homeschool parent is more likely to get her first choice of lesson times than a parent who is competing with a dozen others for the coveted Tuesday right-after-school slot.
- Some teachers may give discounts for homeschool students, or to families with several children who all take piano lessons or guitar lessons. It never hurts to ask, although it's important to respect a teacher who declines.
- Some teachers may be more flexible on the issue of giving make-ups for missed day-time lessons. Typically, a music teacher's busiest time is the after-school hours, when make-ups are usually not possible because of limited time slots.
- Teachers who have more open schedules during the day may be willing to be a bit more flexible, but don't abuse the teacher's good will: Give plenty of notice when cancelling and requesting changes.
Creative Music Lesson Ideas for Parents and Teachers
Get a home-school group together. Sometimes, a group of homeschool families agree to host music lessons at one of the families' homes. A music teacher who normally doesn't travel to students' homes might be willing to make the trip if it means teaching four or five students back-to-back. The requirements are that the families involved must commit to the schedule and agree to the teacher's lesson policies, and that there must be a quiet distraction-free space where the teacher can teach. If piano lessons are involved, the family that hosts should be able to provide a good acoustic piano. it doesn't have to be a Steinway concert grand, but it should be well-maintained and regularly tuned.
Coordinated home-school lessons might include a regular group lesson, where students play for each other, discuss each other's pieces, and learn about performance and audience etiquette.
Another idea is to ask a local music teacher to develop a music history and listening curriculum for a group of home-schoolers. Most music teachers have a library of CDs and are familiar enough with child -friendly repertoire to put together a semester or even year-long program of weekly group lessons about musical styles, rhythms, and composers, Expect these classes to cost about twice as much (for the whole group) as a private lesson, due to the class planning and preparation time involved. Split between several families, this offers excellent "bang for the buck," and the program can include children who play different instruments.
It's also important to communicate to chidlren that music is a lifelong, enjyoyable creative activity. Parent-child lessons are an excellent way to share the music learning experience and communicate to children that learning and enjoying music is a way to express and share their emotions,. Similary, attending concerts broadens a child's exposure. Take groups of home-schoolers to local performances. The music teacher can provide advise on what concerts would be appealing to kids ("Carnival of the Animals," yes; Wagner's "Ring Cycle," no.).
Finally, host an ensemble event once a month. Many music teachers can coach groups and ensembles, even if they only play one of the instruments. Whether it's a rock band or a chamber music ensemble, music is fun to play in groups. Poll other homeschooling families for a list of instruments their children are studying, and then see if the music teacher can put together an ensemble program, whether it's a formal performance group or an informal jam.
By supporting music education and creating opportunities for homeschoolers to play together, parents are helping to pass on the joy of music.
For more on music lessons, see Music Resources.
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