Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Music. Show all posts

Tuesday 1 July 2014

Experience History Through Music {Tuesday's Treasures}

Boy am I excited about this one !  For the last month I have had the privileged of using this series of books.  We are in love! On Friday I will be sharing my review but for now I'd like to give you a little more detail about this wonderful resource.


Westward Ho! – Heart of the Old West
America's westward expansion is amazingly rich in stories and songs.  In Westward Ho!, you will find the pioneer spirit that stirred the hearts of thousands of Americans to leave the safety and comfort of home expressed in folk songs of or about that time.  Now you can experience the pioneers' adventures, dangers, joys, sorrows and hopes as you join in and sing along.

  1. Apple Picker's Reel    2:25 (This is Sir N's favourite piece)
  2. Boll Weevil    2:18
  3. Missionary's Farewell    5:01
  4. Oh, California    2:17
  5. Ho! For California    4:20
  6. San Juan Pig War    2:47
  7. Chisholm Trail    2:52
  8. Westward Ho!    5:12
  9. Home On The Range    5:02
  10. Little Old Sod Shanty    3:18
  11. Strawberry Roan    3:16
  12. Old Settler    4:52
  13. Gooey Duck    1:55
  14. Little Cabin in the Cascade Mountains    2:34

Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder
The well-loved stories of Laura Ingalls Wilder will come to life all over again as you listen to the songs that were a part of life for the Ingalls and thousands of other pioneering families.

Written by William Anderson, noted Laura Ingalls Wilder biographer, the book also includes beautiful photos by internationally known Little House photographer, Leslie A. Kelly.

  1. Wait for the Wagon   1:48
  2. Green Grows the Laurel   4:04
  3. The Old Chariot   1:45
  4. Buy a Broom   2:14
  5. Sweet By and By   3:55
  6. Rock Me to Sleep    4:03
  7. Buffalo Gals   1:58
  8. A Railroad Man for Me   1:45
  9. Beware   2:55
  10. Pop! Goes the Weasel   1:03
  11. Oft in the Stilly Night   2:45
  12. The Girl I left Behind Me   2:29
  13. My Sabbath Home   4:12

America 1750 to 1890– Heart of a New Nation
From the French and Indian War to the first transcontinental railroad, America is a chronological tour of American history through its music. Enjoy the songs and stories of our past that have been shared from generation to generation—songs that make you laugh, make you cry, and make your patriotic spirit soar.

  1. Yankee Doodle   1:39
  2. Star Spangled Banner   2:39
  3. Erie Canal   2:12
  4. Oh, Susanna   1:55
  5. Sweet Betsy From Pike   3:17
  6. All Night, All Day   3:50
  7. Old Dan Tucker   1:52
  8. Wade In The Water   3:41
  9. Johnny Has Gone For A Soldier   1:41
  10.  When Johnny Comes Marching Home   2:23
  11. Shenandoah   2:20
  12. Git Along L'il Dogies   3:44
  13. Drill Ye Tarriers   1:56
  14. Polly Wolly Doodle   2:15
  15. She'll Be Coming Round The Mountain   1:38
  16. Old Joe Clark   2:09

Cost
  • America  $18.99
  • Westward Ho! $18.99
  • Musical Memories of Laura Ingals Wilder $18.99
Deal alert!
Hurry…this deal ends July 31.

About the Author

Diana Waring is the author of Beyond Survival, Reaping the Harvest and Diana Waring’s History Revealed world history curriculum.

She discovered years ago that “the key to education is relationship.” Beginning in the early ’80s, Diana homeschooled her children through high-school—the real life opportunities to learn how kids learn. Mentored by educators whose focus was honoring Him who created all learners, and with an international background (born in Germany, university degree in French, lifelong student of world history),

Diana cares about how people learn as well as what they learn. Audiences on four continents have enthusiastically received her energetic speaking style.

For those of you who would like to know more about Diana you can read a full author interview over at Crystal Starr and Ben and Me. 

Until Friday my friends :)

Blessings
Chareen
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Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures. I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

There are so many wonderful books and Resources out there out there hiding on shelves and somewhere on the internet.

I invite you to blog about

  • a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library,
  •  a great homeschool item you have found and
  •  any new resources you are enjoying. 
Grab the button for your post and add a link to your post below. I would love to read about your treasures. 
Every bed of Roses

Please Grab the button add it to your post
Add your link below


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Friday 11 April 2014

FREE Fine Arts Resources for Homeschool

Welcome to Day 5 of the 5 Days of ... Blog Hop brought to you by the 2014 Schoolhouse Review Crew. Todays list of links to FREE homeschool resources cover the subject are Fine Arts. Anything to do with music, music appreciation, art and art appreciation

Last year I shared with you my Homeschool for FREE list and then updated it in January this year.  I have been feeling a little frustrated with it's length and it's been difficult to find the information I want in it so this week I will be sharing shorter lists divided into subject areas.

With the advent of the internet and the generosity of many homeschool mothers there are some amazing resources available for us today.

What is Fine Art

Definition of FINE ART

  1. art (as painting, sculpture, or music) concerned primarily with the creation of beautiful objects —usually used in plural b : objects of fine art 
  2. an activity requiring a fine skill

On this blog
With our endeavors in delight direct education we are attempting to do something art inspired each week.  Our ideas and yours are shared each week in the Virtual Fridge Meme on Thursdays.  I would love for you to join us and share some ideas we can do with our children at home.

Books we love
(Libraries are an excellent resource to teach for FREE)

 On Pinterest 
Homeschoolers with great ideas on Pinterest
On the WWW
    FREE SQUILT Lessons
    Mary from over at Homegrown Learners has some great FREE SQUILT lessons on her blog to get you started.

    Blogs


    What are some of your favourite FREE resources for teaching art, art appreciation, studying the Masters in art or music?  Leave a link in the comments and I will add them to the list

    Blessings
    Chareen

    April Blog HopPlease take some time to read the posts by my fellow crew mates this week who are sharing on their chosen topics.  Here are a few to get you started.


    FREE Stamp graphic courtesy: Stuart Miles
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    Friday 28 February 2014

    KinderBach {Review}

    For the past two months Sir N has been using an online piano program via The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner.   This program has been developed by Karri Gregor who has an extensive background in music education, singing, visual arts, theory etc. Karri acknowledged the need of young children to exercise their imaginations while learning music concepts and the parent’s need of appealing material that will hold a child’s interest at home so she developed KinderBach.

    What We Did
    I started off by accessing the program and working my way through some of the classes until I found the right level for Sir N.  He started with piano last year and has not been practicing for a while.  We used KinderBach to help him remember what he learned and to reinforce music theory. He got to meet the Beat Bug Brigade. Each week he was able to master a new concept through hands on activities. The Beat Bugs are being instrumental in helping him grasp note value.



    One of the most valuable aspects of the program is the Teacher's Corner.  Here you will find 
    • Story Books
    • Three Coloring Books
    • Song Books and MP3s to 75 songs
    • Teachers Aids
    •  Student books, 
    • Lesson plan books, 
    • Certificates 
    • Goal books.  As your student completes a lesson / concept you can mark it off in this book which serves as a visual reminder of  what they have learned and accomplished so far.
    Each of the books are in eBook PDF format. You have the option of printing a complete level in one go or you can choose to print each lessons pages as you need them. All of the PDF's are grouped together by level. There are seven levels in total.


    Once logged in I used the Learning Center to navigate the levels.  The information map was invaluable to helping me see what we needed to do each week.  There is a colum on the left to mark off each activity so you know straight away where you are and what is coming up.

    When you go into each level each week has it's own box containing each days lesson. There are four lessons to a week.  You can go as fast or as slow or repeat any lesson as you want. 

    After finding the level Sir N was at we launched into watching the lesson video's and completing the accompanying book work.


    Each session was between two and five minutes long.  Teacher preparation time was very little on my part as all the work is already done for you in the video lessons.

    Sample music page

    Curriculum


    Age Range
    This online program is aimed at children in the 3 - 7 year old age range.

    Cost
    • You can purchase an Annual Membership for $130 (currently on special for $95.88 this equates to $7.99/month for a year.)  The annual membership grants you access to six levels of music education.  This includes around 22 hours of video tutorials and interactive pages. This membership includes a Teachers Corner with over $400 worth of books for you to download and use in your lessons.
    • You can try KinderBach FREE by filling in the form on the FREE Web Lesson page.
    • 3 Levels of Craft & Games
    • 5 Collections of Songs which are piano karaoke in style and designed to be used with children who have no musical training.
    • Discover KinderBach for your iPad and iPhone.
    • Piano by DVD value packages. There are six available levels and each package includes activities, music audio and activity book and parent guide on cd. These packs range in price from $55.95 to $222.88
    Connect with KinderBach
    What We Thought
    This program is well thought out and put together. I like the way it uses everyday terminology to help children grasp theory concepts. Little people enjoy movement and the program uses physical movement in order to help children learn the basics of music theory.  The games reinforce learning and the characters are charming.  Young students will benefit greatly from this easy to use format.  Parents without any musical training are fully supported in helping their children to learn to play the piano and understand music theory all from the comfort of their own homes.  You can access the first two weeks of lessons FREE.


    One of our favourite things about Kinderbach is that ALL of the video's in the Learning Center are formatted  to play on Mobile Devices.  It's so good to be able to have Sir N at the piano with our Samsung Tab on the piano music stand where he is able to watch and do with it right in front of him. KinderBach Levels 1 to 3 are available in iPad/iPhone apps along with 6 fun iPad games.

    If you have young children whom you would like to learn to play the piano I highly recommend KinderBach.

    Blessings
    Chareen

    Click to read Crew Reviews

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    Tuesday 7 January 2014

    SQUILT {Review}

    In 2013 it was with great excitement that Mary announced that she was writing a music appreciation curriculum called SQUILT.

    Mary has an undergraduate degree in Music Education and a Masters Degree in Education along with years of teaching experience both in public and the homeschool environment.  Her desire was to write a curriculum in which all the work was done for you in order to make music appreciation easy to add to your homeschool rhythm.  With SQUILT she has done just that.

    The purpose of SQUILT is create a quiet regular slots of time in order to expose children to excellent pieces of music. As well as equip them with the skills necessary to appreciate quality music. It is perfect for preschoolers, elementary students, and young middle school students. 

    SQUILT is an acronym for  
    Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time.

    How we used SQUILT

    When I recieved my copy of SQUILT I downloaded it to my pc and saved it to my Samsung Tablet.

    I love the detailed HOW TO part of the manual.  Mary gives a step by step how to implement the music appreciation curriculum in your home and has hyper-linked all the terminology for clarification.  The links take you to great resources to help explain the terminology. If you have the internet it means that the eBook is the ONLY material you need in order to use the study.

    I followed Mary's 5 step preparation guide and printed out the relevant forms. These were all hyper-linked and took you straight to the page you needed to print.

    Mary explained the process of introducing the SQUILT process and using the printables in the the eBook.   For younger students it's about listening and feeling the music for regular short periods of time each day.  If you have older students you can add in the lessons.  These start with a short explanation along with facts of the Baroque Era.  Next we were given a list of composers from the era along with when they lived.

    After that we learned about Dynamics, Rhythm, Instrumentation and Mood.  Sir N is learning how to express how the music impacts him using these as the tools. Younger students can start with 'Draw How ...' Notebook page. There are notebook pages for the children to complete included.

    As we progressed we were introduced to the musical instruments of the era and coloured in a notebook page for our folder.  Now that Sir N had the terminology and an understanding of the musical instruments of the Baroque era we progressed to the lessons.

    There are a total of ten lessons covering six composers.  Each lesson gives a short bio of the piece of music. Links to listen to or watch a YouTube clip for that piece of music. You are given a little bit of background to the clip as well.  Mary explains the dynamics, tempo, instrumentation and Mood for the piece along with questions to prompt you.  Each lesson is ONE page long so you are not overwhelmed with information.  These are followed by notebook pages.

    Between the lessons you will find incidental lessons.  These are titled: What is ... ? If there is something you need to know or understand about a piece of music, you will learn about it before the official lesson.

    The final part of the book is an Answer section.  Here you will find the answer the question on page 25.

    Contents 
    Volume 1: Baroque Composers
    • Instructions
    • Baroque era details
    • Reproducible Notebooking pages
    • Printables {Dynamics, Rhythm, Tempo & Instruments}
    • Colouring in sheets with definitions
    • 10 Lessons covering {Pachelbel, Couperin, Clarke, Vivaldi, Bach & Handel}
    What We Thought
    We love SQUILT and look forward to using future Volumes.  It is perfect fit for busy home school families and Mom's who do not have time to gather resources for music appreciation.  I like the fact that despite my lack of musical training I am able to teach Sir N to appreciate music and together we are able to explore the different era's of music together.  You can read more about SQUILT on the FAQ page.
    Cost
    • Volume 1: {1600-1750}Baroque Composers $8.99 
    • Volume 2: {1750-1830}Classical Era $8.99
    • Volume 3: {1830-1920}Romantic (available in February 2014)
    • Volume 4: {1920- Present}Modern Era (available in March 2014)
    • A SQUILT for Classical Conversations Inc - Cycle 2  released 6 January 2014
    This is an electronic product and available for purchase from SQUILT. All prices are in US $ and correct at time of review.  Please confirm prices before purchasing.


    FREE SQUILT Lessons
    Mary has some great SQUILT lessons on her blog to get you started.
     Connect with Mary
    Mary has shared a wealth of information on music appreciation over at her blog Homegrown Learners.
    Thank you Mary for the gift of SQUILT to our home we look forward to many years of SQUILT in our homeschool.

    Blessings
    Chareen


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    Tuesday 28 May 2013

    Tuesdays Treasure - Handel: At the Court of Kings

    This week ...


    • Format: Paper back
    • Number of Pages: 166 
    • Vendor:Zeezook 
    • Publication Date: 
    • ISBN 10: 1933573031 
    • ISBN 13: 9781933573038 
    • Author Opal Wheeler 
    • Illustrator:Mary Greenwalt 
    We have been wanting to start composer study and last week a friend of mine loaned me Handel at the Court of Kings.  This book is such a delight to read and I am pleased to find a living book to read out loud with Sir N.  This book is twaddle free and illustrated with beautiful line drawings.


    My friend originally purchased this from Vision Forum where you can purchase the collection (consisting of a paperback, CD and Study Guide) sadly they are discontinuing this product.

    I am looking forward to reading the other books in the series (available from The Book Depository)
    Blessings

     Welcome to Tuesdays Treasures.  I started these posts as a way of sharing great books in honour of my friend in New Zealand who would arrive with the treasures she had unearthed at her weekly trip to the library!

    There are so many wonderful books out there hiding on shelves so I invite you to blog about a book on your shelf, one you're reading or one you found at the library and add your post  


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    Thursday 21 March 2013

    Children's Music Journey {Review}

    Have you heard of Adventus? Neither had I until recently. I am so excited to share about their products with you today.  One of the things I've been wanting to do since I was in high school is learn to play the piano! MusIQ HomeschoolTM has two excellent products for learning to play the piano: Piano Suite and  Children's Music Journey.  Sir N has been using Children's Music Journey and recently completed lesson 19 after beginning with the program three weeks ago. He begs me everyday to do his piano lesson.  I have not had one negative comment about practicing and his enthusiasm has not diminished.



    Using Children's Music Journey Volume 1.
    Miss Melody
    {Practice Room Supervisor}
    • Each lesson opens with a 30 second piece of music composed by a famous composer who also happens to be their teacher. 
    • The 'Teacher' is a famous Composer who builds a great relationship with the students.  Sir N so enjoyed his first lesson he did a second one straight away! And he talked about it all evening with Paul.
    • The Composer shares insight into his music at the start and during his lesson too.  I like this feature as it compliments our Composer Study.
    • Consistent instant feedback.  This feedback is always positive and moves your student forward even when they make a mistake. At first I felt I needed to sit next to Sir N and coach but I soon realized that if he makes a mistake the 'Teacher' will correct him immediately.
    • Lesson one is learning high and low notes using graphics.  It feels very slow after doing traditional music lessons with my first two. After a few lessons I realized that the sequence and speed is perfect because the nature of learning to read music is in itself challenging.  This method ensured success and because of this Sir N was happy to practice and do lessons. It was slow enough that everything learned was reinforced and he did not have to undo wrong learning.  As soon as he successfully completed a lesson and practice he was able to do the next lesson and build his knowledge base.
    • The lesson ends with three minutes of the opening piece of music.
    • From here Sir N proceeds to meet with Miss Melody for practice.  Miss Melody teaches: theory, aural training, hand position, practice of lesson and music composition.
    • After this Sir N is allowed to play in the games area.  Each game is geared towards reinforcing what has been learned in the current lesson. He loves the rhythm games and has enjoyed playing the aural training games. He loves finding the buried treasure and recently added in catching falling leaves via the keyboard key names. 
    • Sir N's next favorite 'room' is the library where he regularly explores pieces of music by famous composers. 
    • Some days he meanders to the composition room and records his music.

    Features
    • Choose your keyboard
    • Set an individual pin to use for each student
    • Three mode settings for the program ( Free, Normal, Strict )
    • Choose your students Avatar (16 options)
    • See at a glance which lessons / practices have been completed.
    • Be taught by a famous composer.
    • Miss Melody supervises practice sessions.
    • Lesson and practice lessons are linked {Miss Melody reinforces what was learned in the lesson.}
    • Introductions to famous classical pieces of music.
    • Over 200 pieces of classical music introduced to your children as they learn to play the piano
    • An improvisation room where the students play and record music.
    • A Games room with ten games
    • A library where you can listen to your own compositions, learn more about a composer, redo a lesson, research, learn to play area, Listening area getting to know the introduced pieces of music. learning library where they practice music reading / playing 
    Games
    • Games unlock as the students skill base grows via their lessons
    • Some games are to practice music notation and reading (reading and discriminating)
    • Some games are for aural training (listening and discriminating)
    • Rhythm practice game
    • Note letter game
    • Aural game hear the note play the note
    **Cost
    This program is quality and excellent value for money and time.

    A complete overview of each volume is available at MusIQ HomeSchool 

      • Volume 1 $69.95 (25 lessons) {CD or Download}
      • Volume 2 $69.95 (35 lessons) {CD or Download}
      • Volume 3 $69.95 (35 lessons) {CD or Download}
      • Purchase a 3 volume set $179.85 (save $30) {CD or Download}
      • Monthly Subscription $10.95($131.40 per year)
      • FREE 7 day Trial available

        Homeschool Early Curriculum
          • Year 1 Quick Start Bundle {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans + 49 MIDI keyboard} $199.95
          • Year 1 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
          • Year 2 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
          • Year 3 {CMJ 1 + Lesson Plans} $89.95
          • Monthly Subscription $10.95
          • FREE 7 day Trial available 
          • Year 1-3 Bundle {CMJ 1, 2, 3 + Keyboard + Level 1 lesson plans} $309.95 (Save $60)
          • Year 1 Lesson Plan $29.95
          • Year 2 Lesson Plan $29.95
          • Year 3 Lesson Plan $29.95
            ** All prices quoted are correct at time of posting.  It is the responsibility of the purchaser to check the cost before purchasing. Prices are subject to change without notice. All prices are in US $.

             Extra's

            We are having an amazing time learning to play the piano. I wish I had known about this program 10 years ago when my first two were homeschooling. If you are wanting your children to learn to play the piano I highly recommend investing in Children's Music Journey.

            Blessings
            Chareen

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            Thursday 4 October 2012

            Carnival of the Animals at Melbourne Zoo


            Just arrived and find a spot to sit.
            The main reason for our trip to the Melbourne Zoo on Monday was to to watch the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra perform Carnival of the Animals.

            This member from the MSO sat on the floor and chatted with the kids.
            He explained to Sir N which instrament he plays and let him look and touch the mallets he uses to play. 
            The 11 member performing arrived tuned their instruments. Once they were ready the conductor came out and introduced the instruments and Noni Hazlehurst who was our host and read an adaptation of Ogden Nash's Poem between each section of music.  It was a wonderful introduction to the Orchestra.

            Members of the MSO tuning up and preparing for the conductor and performance.

            On the WWW
            On YouTube
            Did you know that the MSO performs Free concerts ?  The next one will be at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl in February 2013. Coming up in November is the MSO Classic Kids! Maximus Musicus.

            Blessings
            Chareen

            Carnival of the Animals 
            Performed with Ogden Nash's Poem
            Narrated by Noel Coward for this 1949 recording.

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