MUSIC & ART
APPRECIATION & HISTORY

As do many homeschooling families we started out with grand intentions to teach all subjects completely....all of the time...and with great joy on the part of the children. Didn't happen. By taking the advice of veteran homeschoolers we have discovered it is easiest to familiarize the children with music and fine art by having it available for them to listen to and look whenever they have the interest. This means classical music, jazz, etc. are played at lunch time, during chores or when work which doesn't require a lot of concentration is being done. The tapes and CDs are out where the children can get them to listen to...and they do choose this music because it is what they most often hear. When children are exposed to good music the other stuff sounds "horrible." "The Best of..." tapes often go on sale for $2.99 at discount stores and are an excellent introduction to a composer. If one composer becomes a favorite additional tapes can be borrowed from the library. The composer's life can be studied when their time period is covered in history.

Charlotte Mason's ideas on picture study suggest that children aquire many observational skills when looking at fine art as well as developing a love for the beautiful things in life. Art prints can be purchased from museums, but we have found the cheapest source for large prints (at least 8 by 12)to be used bookstores. We have purchased many portfolios (they have titles such as "Paintings from the Louvre" or "The Paintings of Raphael")which usually contain between 8 to 15 reproductions for under $4. Often we hang these pictures on the school room walls, rotating them with the season or following the liturgical year. We have also picked up art books for under $5, clipped the paintings and covered them with contact paper making our own low cost postcards. Colored printers allow for many beautiful works of art to be printed from web pages. After locating on picture click on the right button on your mouse and save the imagine. Often by clicking on the picture first it will enlarge.