Guest Author - Meg Grooms

How can I incorporate more music and art into our homeschooling program?

Good question, one that's near to my heart!

As a musician with an artist husband, this is a subject we feel very strongly about. It's been proven time and again that just a little classical music can greatly improve your children's reading and perception skills. Learning to read music helps children learn to read books. Playing an instrument improves mathmatics skills. Enjoying music is a wonderful stress reliever.

Not everyone is able to take advantage of music lessons, however lessons aren't needed to incorporate music or art into your home!

The key is to have the music or art around. Classical music is very inexpensive to purchase, often you can purchase an entire cassette for under $5, so have a stash available inside the home and in your vehicle. Listen to public radio in your car and before bed. Play music while your children are working on a quiet lesson or reading a book. Hang reproductions of great paintings on your walls. Take advantage of educational discounts and visit art museums. Rent videos on the life of famous artists from the library.

An activity my children extract pleasure from is keeping an art and music journal, ala Charlotte Mason style. You can see my earlier article, Art Appreciation in the Home School to learn just how we utilize our journals.

I am a firm believer that if you have a resource around it will eventually be used. There is no need to force music or art upon your children because it is everywhere. The label on a can of peas in advertising art, the design of your home is architectural art, there is always music playing behind most television documentaries, and many of the songs they blast from their radios have a classic backbeat. Recognize these opportunities to point out the art or music, and let your children take it from there.


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Homeschooling With Confidence: A Plain English Guide to Homeschooling in the United States