Encouraging Music Appreciation with SQUILT

Are you wanting to introduce music appreciation into your homeschool? Maybe you feel intimidated because you don’t have a musical background and have no idea where to start? Perhaps you feel there isn’t time to make music a part of your child’s education? Cultivating a love and appreciation of music in our children is super important and now it’s super easy too.

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Music Appreciation with SQUILT

Have you heard of SQUILT?

SQUILT stands for Super Quiet UnInterrupted Listening Time and was created by Mary Prather of Homegrown Learners. Mary holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Music Education and taught music in public schools for over 10 years before becoming a homeschool mom! She developed SQUILT while teaching piano, and co-op music lessons because she wanted to share her love of music with children.

SQUILT is an open and go music appreciation course.

We started our journey into SQUILT when my son wanted to learn more about the great composer, Mozart. Luckily for us, SQUILT has a study on the man and his amazing musical talents. They have a study encompassing all the great composers! It was a perfect fit for us!

SQUILT is an EASY to use music education program. You don’t need a musical background to use it! That’s huge for most of us parents, folks!

So, our plan is to use SQUILT Live for our 2018-2019 school year.

Learn About Music with SQUILT

SQUILT teaches children to listen attentively and focus on the elements of music:

• Rhythm
• Tempo
• Dynamics
• Instrumentation
• Mood

With SQUILT you can choose to learn by:

• Musical Era – SQUILT offers lessons on Baroque, Classical, Romantic, and Modern musical eras.
• Composer – SQUILT offers shorter volumes that highlight one composer at a time.
• Season – SQUILT offers lessons on the Nutcracker Ballet and Christmas Carols.
• Flashcards and Games – Meet the Instruments and Meet the Composers sets come with access to a resource page with curated videos and teaching suggestions.

Music Appreciation with SQUILT LIVE!

As I mentioned, the only thing you need for a great homeschool music curriculum is internet access, a printer (for the supplemental notebooking pages and activities), and a desire to learn.

This year we are taking part in SQUILT Live! Because I’m letting Mary take one thing off my plate, music.

With SQUILT LIVE! Monthly Membership You Will Receive:

• 2 live SQUILT music appreciation lessons taught by Mary (recordings available if you are not able to attend). Lessons include printable listening maps, notebooking pages, and supplemental activities.
• A monthly listening calendar – clickable PDF with an engaging piece of music to share with your children each day
• Access to the archives of ALL past live lessons
• 20% discount on all products in the store, if are a member
• A members-only volume – SQUILT Goes to the Movies!
• A weekly member email with teaching tips, reminders, and more!

  

SQUILT is perfect for preschool through middle school. Everyone can learn together!

Because members have access to the SQUILT Live archives, the kids and I decided to explore!

We enjoyed the SQUILT Live from January 2018 on A Musical Joke by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

We became familiar with the Dynamics, Rhythm/Tempo, Instrumentation, and the Mood of the piece. The kiddos learned about the Classical Era of music and its characteristics. Plus, they reviewed the other 3 eras of music: Baroque, Romantic, and Modern! We also recognized the “joke” in the music and how Mozart was poking fun of other composers.

Afterward, we watched the show, Little Amadeus.

During the month of September SQUILT Live will feature music that is whimsical and fun. It will come from all four musical eras and many different styles. My kids will probably recognize many of the music pieces because they are heard in places like Looney Tunes, movies, television shows, etc.

The 2018-2019 SQUILT Live schedule is: 

• September – Whimsy & Fun in Music – pizzicato Polka & Golliwogg’s Cakewalk

• October – A Bundle of Beethoven

• November – Themes of Thanks

• December – Winter Extravaganza

• January – A Month of Musicals

• February – Jump into Jazz!

• March – Baroque & Bach

• April – The Classical Era

• May – The Romantic Era

SQUILT makes music appreciation easy and fun.

Now tell me, how will you incorporate music into your homeschool?

If you love music, then you may also enjoy:

• Christmas Carol Study with SQUILT

• The Benefits of Guitar Lessons with Gentle Guitar

• Bring Music Lessons into Your Home with Gentle Guitar

• The Nutcracker Ballet Activities and Books