PA homeschool veterans: a question about music

[tuckabella]

Hello out there! I am hoping some seasoned PA homeschoolers can chime in here. When the law says that we must teach music, does it mean that the child must perform the music, or can we learn about Beethoven and his music without having to perform it??

Sorry, this year coming will be my first where it will be evaluated and have to make the portfolio.

Thanks so much!

[Ellie]

If the law is not specific, then you can do whatever works for you.:)

[Sue G in PA]

PA Homeschool law is written with much room for interpretation. :D It is not very specific at all about HOW anything is to be taught. My children all sing during Sunday School hour for worship, ds12 plays guitar (but doesn't take lessons yet), all children love to listen to all types of music and every now and again we might discuss specific composers. It's music. It counts. The law is also not specific as to how many years each subject is to be taught. :D The way it reads, each subject must be taught during 3rd - 7th...but does not specify EVERY YEAR! Now, we of course teach all the core subjects each year, but certainly not state history or some of the other subjects. Anyway, more than you asked for but unless you have a very picky evaluator (which we do not) I wouldn't worry about it. I usually just write a small blip about what types of musical activities we did during the year and it's fine. HTH.

[tuckabella]

PA Homeschool law is written with much room for interpretation. :D It is not very specific at all about HOW anything is to be taught. My children all sing during Sunday School hour for worship, ds12 plays guitar (but doesn't take lessons yet), all children love to listen to all types of music and every now and again we might discuss specific composers. It's music. It counts. The law is also not specific as to how many years each subject is to be taught. :D The way it reads, each subject must be taught during 3rd - 7th...but does not specify EVERY YEAR! Now, we of course teach all the core subjects each year, but certainly not state history or some of the other subjects. Anyway, more than you asked for but unless you have a very picky evaluator (which we do not) I wouldn't worry about it. I usually just write a small blip about what types of musical activities we did during the year and it's fine. HTH.

 

 

Thank you Sue!

I don't know about how picky my evaluator will be, I haven't picked/found one yet!

[Paula in PA]

We just learn about music; dd has no interest in any instruments and I don't believe in forcing it. We've gone through 2 evaluations with 2 different evaluators and not had any questions/concerns from either of them or the school district.

[justasque]

You do not have to perform any music! You can interpret the music requirement more-or-less any way you want. As well as playing instruments, you can include things like going to concerts, listening to a variety of music styles (perhaps in the car, perhaps in person), learning about musicians, singing together as a family or in church, learning about a particular style of music (jazz, bluegrass), or a particular period of history's music (such as music of the civil war), or a particular culture's music (Celtic, Indian, Japanese), writing songs (such as a rap about a science topic) - really anything musical can be used. If a child dances, or watches dance performances or musicals or does musical theater, that can be used also. Most folks, especially with younger kids, mix-and-match depending on what comes up during the year. For the portfolio, you can write a brief description of your activities, and/or include programs from performances (given or watched), and/or list books you use in your log, etc. You needn't go overboard with the samples/log/description/etc. - it's a minor subject and, especially if you have *something* that speaks to music in the port, it's unlikely that you'd have any problems.

[NanceXToo]

You definitely don't have to perform the music!

 

For 4th grade Music, my daughter and I:

 

Used the site http://www.makingmusicfun.net, which is free, to learn about different composers under the "Meet The Composer" section.

 

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/mmf_music_library_meet_the_composer_index.htm

 

Each week, we read a mini bio about a different composer, and then listened to samples of his music on Youtube.

 

My evaluator and district were both fine with this. I did also note in my "Summary" which I provided with my portfolio at the end of the year that we also attended occasional live musical performances, listened to music of our choice, and things like that.

 

For 5th grade, we are using the same site to do the "Meet The Orchestra" section. Each week, we read about a different orchestra instrument (which includes a bit of it's history, how its made, how it's played, a "fun fact" etc), and then we go onto Youtube to listen to examples of that instrument being played.

 

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/mmf-music-library-meet-the-orchestra-index.htm

 

Next year, for 6th, I think we will be signing her up for guitar lessons but that's only because she really wants them, not because I think we HAVE to do them.

[tuckabella]

You definitely don't have to perform the music!

 

For 4th grade Music, my daughter and I:

 

Used the site www.makingmusicfun.net, which is free, to learn about different composers under the "Meet The Composer" section.

 

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/mmf_music_library_meet_the_composer_index.htm

 

Each week, we read a mini bio about a different composer, and then listened to samples of his music on Youtube.

 

My evaluator and district were both fine with this. I did also note in my "Summary" which I provided with my portfolio at the end of the year that we also attended occasional live musical performances, listened to music of our choice, and things like that.

 

For 5th grade, we are using the same site to do the "Meet The Orchestra" section. Each week, we read about a different orchestra instrument (which includes a bit of it's history, how its made, how it's played, a "fun fact" etc), and then we go onto Youtube to listen to examples of that instrument being played.

 

http://www.makingmusicfun.net/htm/mmf-music-library-meet-the-orchestra-index.htm

 

Next year, for 6th, I think we will be signing her up for guitar lessons but that's only because she really wants them, not because I think we HAVE to do them.

 

Thanks for that music site and your experience!

[Dmmetler]

Here are the national standards for elementary music education, which most state standards are based around.

 

1. Singing, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

2. Performing on instruments, alone and with others, a varied repertoire of music.

3. Improvising melodies, variations, and accompaniments.

4. Composing and arranging music within specified guidelines.

5. Reading and notating music.

6. Listening to, analyzing, and describing music.

7. Evaluating music and music performances.

8. Understanding relationships between music, the other arts, and disciplines outside the arts.

9. Understanding music in relation to history and culture.

 

In general, if you're hitting these (and for #2, at the elementary school level, a box of assorted small percussion instruments or kitchen utensils are sufficient. #4 usually means adding parts to an existing song, improvising in pentatonic, and other very simple composition techniques-NOT writing sonatas!) in some way, you're meeting or exceeding what schools will do. Remember that these are usually met in 30-60 minutes a week when your class goes to the music room, so it's NOT in depth at all.

[justasque]

Here are the national standards for elementary music education, which most state standards are based around...In general, if you're hitting these...in some way, you're meeting or exceeding what schools will do. Remember that these are usually met in 30-60 minutes a week when your class goes to the music room, so it's NOT in depth at all.

 

And just to be clear - there is a difference between what you might *want* to do, to give your child a good education, music-wise, and what you *have* to do, to meet state requirements. In PA, you do NOT have to align your teaching with the PA state standards, and you do NOT have to include any specific content. So you can decide what is important to you, and what is a good fit for your child, when it comes to music (and other subjects).

 

The only standards you must meet in PA are 1) 180 days OR 900/990 hours (not both) of instruction in the required subjects, and 2) sustained progress in the overall program. Note that you do NOT have to teach every subject every year. (See my web site for details and a much longer discussion of this!)

 

http://www.askpauline.com

[Carrie12345]

Last year, I didn't do any actual music *instruction* with my 6th grader. In his portfolio, I simply wrote that he regularly practiced keyboard pieces he learned by ear. To be honest, he does practice often and well enough to "count", imo, but I like to keep it pretty vague in writing.

 

We didn't hit any red flags with our evaluator or superintendent.