Art and Music in high school? What are you doing next year? (A Challenge!)

[Laura K (NC)]

As I was reading over the "what are you planning for 9th (or 10th or11th) grades I noticed that not a lot of music or art was on the list. My kids all take music lessons, but I don't usually map a formal plan for any kind of music or art literacy, so this year I want to change that, and I want to extend a challenge:

 

Decide what you will do to increase your high schoolers music and art literacy and post it here!

 

I resolve to take my son to one opera, at least two other live classical musical performances (we live in a college town where student recitals are free), one live play, go to an art museum once, and I don't know about getting more art in without scheduling it with a textbook (because that often gets pushed off the schedule at the end of the day). We once lived in a community where framed art was circulated in the library, so you could hang a picture on your wall for 6 months and then check it in and get another. I wish we had something like that here.

 

We're doing ancient history next year, btw, so that makes tying music in almost impossible and art fairly difficult.

[Jenny in Florida]

. . . because I don't currently have a high schooler. (I just happened to catch sight of this looking over the most recent posts.)

 

However, I thought I'd mention that, when my daughter was doing high school, we did include formal art and music.

 

For art, we used The Annotated Mona Lisa and a big coffee table book called A History of Art as our base each year. She would read through the sections of Mona Lisa that matched our historical emphasis, and I would add in appropriate two-page spreads from the History of Art. One year, she asked me to make up weekly written quizzes for her, and I based her grade on those along with a few projects inspired by her reading.

 

The year we were doing ancient history, most of her "output" in art was a series of hands-on projects. We had divided our history studies that year by culture/geography, and she had to come up with at least one art project for each "unit."

 

The year we did the middle ages and Renaissance, she again did a few simple hands-on projects, but the majority of her grade that year was based on putting together a compare-contrast presentation.

 

For each of these years, we supplemented with DVDs from Netflix and the library and whatever museum field trips I could find.

 

We did formal Music Appreciation only one year. We used the latter half (upper grade levels) of a program called Classic Tunes and Tales as a base, then added in field trips to the opera and various classical concerts. (Note, local opera companies and orchestras--as well as theatre companies--often make educational materials that tie in with their performances available for free.)

 

She also took private music lessons (piano and classical guitar) and sang with an instructional choir every year.

 

As I said, I'm not eligible to play right now, but I thought some of this might be helpful to others looking for ideas of how to integrate more art and music into their curricula.

[Jane in NC]

Studying the arts seems to get lost in a technology driven culture. Yet I have noticed that many colleges want to see a year of fine arts study on the transcript. (Studying art for art's sake should probably be the goal--not studying art for the sake of the transcript, but you know how this goes!)

 

We have local symphony tickets and attend as a family, including the pre-concert lecture. I also make a point of attending a variety of performances for exposure: opera, classical guitar recitals, roots music, jazz, whatever. Like you, we have a university town in driving distance so this opens up our opportunities.

 

We usually visit art museums at least twice a year. In recent months we saw the John White watercolors from the British Museum when they were in Raleigh and visited the new "green" art museum in Grand Rapids, Michigan.

 

Another thing we have done is participate in the "One Book One Community" event in the nearby college town. Last fall the book selected for the community read was Persepolis. Faculty from the university held a panel discussion on the graphic novel as an art form--quite interesting to my teenaged son.

 

We love documentary movies and have attended screenings at two different film festivals. One of these festivals held a free panel discussion with directors, an event geared toward high school students.

 

In the coming weeks we hope to see Henry V at the American Shakespeare Center in Staunton--scheduling a stop in Staunton on the way to somewhere so that we can see this play and the reconstructed Black Friars theatre.

 

What I need to do though is borrow or buy some Teaching Company lectures. We are moving into the third phase of the WTM cycle next year, a perfect time to do music appreciation.

 

Thank you for posing this reminder not to forget the arts!

 

Jane

[Linda in NM]

Tell me more about Staunton, Jane...we'll be up in Michigan for a hockey camp (E. Lansing) this summer. Do they have any plays during the summer? Where is Staunton?

[nrg]

DS took our community college's art appreciation and music appreciation introductory classes this year, and we have a drawing teacher come to our home once a week. I am really enjoying this, too. We found her at our local Michael's store! This chain is discontinuing offering lessons, and the teachers are looking for opportunities.

 

He studies both violin and cello and plays in our local youth symphony (violin) and our local university orchestra (cello). Our area also has a homeschool orchestra, but we are of the wrong religion to participate.

 

He takes a drama class and belongs to a troupe that travels locally to give performances. This is part of a local youth arts project in our community.

 

He sings in our church choir and "helps out" our local high school concert choir because it does not have enough boys.

 

We do arts and crafts as part of our home life, as well.

 

For credit, I have written everything (except the CC classes) up as an "introduction to fine arts" course.

[Jane in NC]

Staunton is in Virginia. A bit out of the way from East Lansing!

 

We have family in Michigan whom we visit annually. If you have the opportunity to go to Grand Rapids, I would recommend the Frederick Meijer Gardens. The outside sculptures are wonderful and include a daVinci horse!

 

Jane

[Linda in NM]

That's not far, I don't think, from E. Lansing? (I'm good at Northern Michigan and the UP, but not so good at the mitten...)

[Jane in NC]

No--maybe an hour's drive from East Lansing to Grand Rapids.

[In The Great White North]

That caught my attention.

 

Would you care to generalize as to what kinds of colleges want to see fine arts and which do not care?

 

I went to ps and had absolutely no art or music of any sort in high school. I don't remember any colleges even asking!

 

Ds is in 10th and taking piano lessons. Would the colleges that do loook for fine arts count that?

[Annie G]

Our teens take classes from Christian Youth Theater, and that accumulates 90 hours of class time per year. They also do three shows with CYT a year and that adds about 300 hours of rehearsal/performance time (it ends up being about 25 performances between the 3 shows). In addition, we live close enough to Chicago that we can visit art museums, live theater, and concerts throughout the year. We're seeing a show tonight and visiting the art museum next week. They've both done some reading and research in anticipation of this visit.

Using Homeschool Tracker, I document what we do so I can keep myself accountable that we really are doing a variety of things. My kids don't particularly enjoy art classes but they do one session a year. They actually do quite a bit to earn the one fine arts credit we grant them. Even if their colleges don't care, we want to instill an appreciation of the arts.

A school such as Hillsdale would like to see a fine arts credit, but dd attends Georgia Tech and they don't care.

[Linda in NM]

Thanks!

[Jill- OK]

...on suggesting some of the WTM's recommendations for sculpting, for next year (both of my 8th graders started "Sculpt Today", and I'm hoping that some of the WTM recommendations will be good follow up).

 

Ds's art will be outsourced (currently on the lookout for watercolor opportunities; he's a fairly talented artist, and he'll probably continue doing some form of advanced art throughout high school), and he may start guitar. Dd will continue piano, start beginning musical theatre, and probably exchange piano for voice in the next few years. If she doesn't want to pursue sculpture with her brother, I may look into local pottery lessons for her (something she's mentioned an interest in).

 

Art history is woven into our regular history studies, and we visit our local art museum pretty frequently. (They have Art Saturdays for the little siblings and a pretty good rotation of exhibits...Roman art from the Louvre, starting next month!)

 

I'll probably start being more formal about our music appreciation, though, and make attending the local symphony more of a priority.

 

Great thread!

[Anne/Ankara]

Actually, in our area, art and music are very definitely the focus of many home schooling families that we know, even in the high school years. Our music school (which has a number of homeschooling families) even offers a "pre-conservatory" high school program of music theory, letters of recommendations, audition tapes and help with the college application process. Isn't that neat! So we plan to continue on throughout our high school years.

[HS mom]

For music, along with lessons, we listened to the Teaching Company's How to Listen To and Understand Great Music. We borrowed CDs and opera videos from the library. We sampled music on iTunes, listening to the variations in different interpretations of the same piece. My daughter is a ballet dancer, and she knows many different musician's music from her classes. We watch ballets on CD, too.

 

We borrow art books from the library, and have sampled a book in art history. I have the book Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain for this coming semester.

[Beth in SW WA]

For music, along with lessons, we listened to the Teaching Company's How to Listen To and Understand Great Music.

 

Speaking of The Teaching Company, a few months back Momof7 was getting ready to purchase an Art Appreciation series. I wonder how she likes it...

[Cynde]

My ds is using Art across the Ages from The Teaching Company this year along with visits to the National Gallery of Art since we live in the D.C. area. The guide that comes with the lecture has tons of resources listed. Ds is doing this as semester art history/appreciation course. You could very easily make this a year long course which would probably be the best option if you had the time.

[Jane in NC]

That caught my attention.

 

Would you care to generalize as to what kinds of colleges want to see fine arts and which do not care?

 

I went to ps and had absolutely no art or music of any sort in high school. I don't remember any colleges even asking!

 

Ds is in 10th and taking piano lessons. Would the colleges that do loook for fine arts count that?

 

The impression that I have is that colleges want well rounded individuals. Gwen in VA, whose kids have been applying to competitive colleges, has made note that even the engineering schools want to see well rounded students.

 

While fine arts may not be a requirement on a transcript, I wonder if the arts help a student in terms of extra curriculars. Do they give breadth to the student in terms of his essays?

 

Perhaps others can weigh in here since I lack specifics on which schools want to see fine arts.

 

Jane

[Cynde]

Dd plays piano and studies theory along with it. We'll just put this on her transcript as an extra curricular. In ninth grade, she did take a formal full-year theory course as it related all types of instruments which will be on her transcript.

 

Ds would just "die" if I made him take music in high school. He took the art course this year at his request. Other than the core classes (English, math, history, science, and foreign language), I felt that it would be better for him to take "electives" that he truly wanted to study. He applied to six colleges with only 1/2 proposed credit of art history/appreciation to be taken second semester senior year. No questions asked and he was admitted to all.

[Moira in MA]

Next year for 9th and 11th grades:

 

Formal stuff:

 

Music: National Music Certificate Examinations:

 

 

Grade 9 in Piano, Theory: Grade 3 Harmony & Grade 3 History (11th grader)

 

Grade 5 in Piano (9th grader)

 

Performance: a Shakespeare play TBD (Romeo & Juliet in 2006; A Midsummer Night's Dream in 2007)

Art: Artistic Pursuits HS Year 1

 

Informally we go to at least 5 performances. This year we've seen: Wicked, The Tempest, The Misanthrope, The Christmas Revels, and The Lion in Winter.

 

We go to art museums at least twice a year. This year we visited the Guggenheim, the LA Museum of Art and always take in the shows at our local libraries.

[Ruth in Canada]

I'm insisting a math, science, English, French and history as well! She'll finish her RCM grade 8 in piano this year (worth grade 12 credit in Ontario) and will move on to grade 9 piano/theory/music history next year. She'll take voice lessons--not sure what level. She'll continue to sing with her choir, perhaps helping to lead the junior choir. She will also continue with musical theatre involvement and do a 3 week Shakespeare performance camp. I think I'll wind up counting this as 2 credits of music--one for piano/theory and one for voice/choir. The musical theatre and drama will be extracurriculars. I don't try to keep track of performances we attend.

 

I'm not sure dd is trying for "well-rounded." I think "pursuing her passions" is what she had in mind--and I understand that that is what some schools are looking for.

[Storm Bay]

We've already decided on a watercolour painting course from Masterpiece Art Instruction. We're going to do an art appreciation with this (possibly The Annotated Mona Lisa) and are looking for a book on colour theory, etc. We'd like to make this a 1/2 credit academic course. As for music, it will be serious recorder (unless I get enough money to replace my dead digital piano with something GOOD), some music history (I have a text) and theory, probably for either a 1/2 credit nonacademic course or, if we do enough writing, a 1/4 credit academic course. I've been thinking about this myself!

[pianoplayer]

We are doing a summer module on art and music appreciation, utilizing several series from the Teaching Company: Genius of Michelangelo, Understanding the Fundamentals of Music, and How to Listen to and Understand Great Music.

 

I sometimes find it really hard to fit these things in during the "normal" school year in addition to piano lessons, voice lessons, and so forth, so I often use the summer for these extras. In fact, that is one of the reasons we do year-round homeschooling.

[Moira in MA]

She'll finish her RCM grade 8 in piano this year (worth grade 12 credit in Ontario) and will move on to grade 9 piano/theory/music history next year.

 

Ruth, my eldest is also taking grade 8 piano this spring. They no longer call it the Royal American Conservatory of Music -- which to my British ears always sounded hilarious -- but it is taken directly from the RCM program.

 

When she took grade 7, she saw someone about to sit grade 8 waiting as she came out of her practical whom she described as "Green-faced". She's a little nervous but not too bad. Has your dd taken grade 2 rudiments yet?

 

Of course, I meant to put 'Gread'. Now, anyone want to buy a bridge?

[Storm Bay]

I'm insisting a math, science, English, French and history as well! She'll finish her RCM grade 8 in piano this year (worth grade 12 credit in Ontario) and will move on to grade 9 piano/theory/music history next year.

 

 

Is that the one based in Toronto? I remember those exams. Being nervous is part and parcel. I also took the theory and history exams--Rudiments, Harmony, Counterpoint, history at the various levels, etc.

 

Yes, some universities/colleges do look for following your passions with extra-curricular activities. We're going for that, ourselves. I feel that if you spread yourself too thin it's hard to do justice to it all.

[Peela]

My 9th grader still does piano, and has been doing a watercolour course for 3 years now. She also paints and draws a lot in her spare time- so she is a self taught artist to some extent. She also does an artistic sewing class with the same woman who teaches her watercolours. She is about to do a one semester photography course from Oakmeadow.

It is music and art appreciation, not the practical side, that I fall short on ( I only dont fall short on the practical because I pay money for someone else to teach her, but its important to her). So I am hooked back into Ambleside's program and we did Handel last term, and will do Telemann and Brahms this coming term. And for art, we are doing Waterhouse. All it literally takes is turning on the CD when I get up in the morning and having music playing in the background at least sometimes, and at some point spending a bit of time learning about the composer's life. I used Classics for Kids for that. And for art, it takes doing a narration of a painting once a week- 10 minutes at most- and again at some point looking up the artist. She is amazing though...she remembers stuff we did years ago, probably because she has an interest.

I am not trying to give her "credits" or anything for it, we don't think in those terms here. I am interested in her being a well rounded person, and this is an easy way to do it. If anything, I was finding it harder to fit in before. Now, I find it easier because I am more relaxed, and from that space, it feels like a priority.

[singerandsigner]

My dd is very musically inclined playing the piano and recently dropped violin, but is very interested in singing and writing music. She sings with a couple groups, but would like to learn more. Has anyone ever used the BJU music books - The Composer or The Singer?

 

The Teaching Company books - Can anyone tell me how these are set up lesson plan wise or anything like that? Is there somewhere I can see a sample of these?

 

Tamra

[Linda in NM]

Hmmm...my son might enjoy a photography course (he doesn't enjoy art...) Does OakMeadow use traditional photography, or do they integrate digital photography?

[pianoplayer]

The Teaching Company books - Can anyone tell me how these are set up lesson plan wise or anything like that? Is there somewhere I can see a sample of these?

 

Tamra

 

Tamra, these pages link to the music courses I mentioned. Scroll down, and you will notice the lesson topics on the left.

 

http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=7261&pc=Fine%20Arts%20and%20Music

http://www.teach12.com/ttcx/coursedesclong2.aspx?cid=700&pc=Fine%20Arts%20and%20Music

[Peela]

Hmmm...my son might enjoy a photography course (he doesn't enjoy art...) Does OakMeadow use traditional photography, or do they integrate digital photography?

 

Its easier to use a digital camera for the course, although it can be done with either. The assignment is to each week take 24 photos considering the element that is being learned that week- the first week is light. Of course it explains it more. The program is written to students who are interacting with the teacher online, so they would post their photos to a website called flickr. We will maybe do something like that anyway.

I am not sure how we are going to do the black and white chapter yet..maybe take the photos over to photo shop and turn them into b/w?

[LibraryLover]

My high school age child takes art classes at a CC.