Music and religion for middle school

[GoVanGogh]

We start our new school year in January and I am still looking for options for music and religion.

DS is 12. I don't want a workbook program unless it can be easily adapted for oral work. (He has CP, so I don't want a lot of writing required.)

 

Music:

We have never studied music at home/in school.

He has taken music lessons at a studio for four years and is losing his love of that instrument but still loves music. (He isn't interested in trying a new instrument.) He is quite gifted with music and it seems to help him overcome some of his physical challenges.

I was thinking about studying either music history or music theory. Any programs or book suggestions?

 

Religion:

We have tried the program from Memoria Press too many times to count. I like the idea of it, but it requires too much written work for us right now.

Wanted to focus more on bible history and geography than memorization.

 

 

 

[TarynB]

Connect the Thoughts ( http://www.connectthethoughts.net/ ) has several music history and theory options. The price is reasonable and they are ebooks, perfect for combining our tablet with music curriculum. My DS is using CTT Bach to Rock currently. He reads the lesson on his own and we listen to the relevant music selection together (usually via Pandora or YouTube) and then go through the questions orally. No writing, keeps it light and fun.

 

DS is also using MP's Christian Studies I for bible literacy/appreciation this year. (We're secular HSers.) He started at the beginning level even though its targeted to younger kids. We do the Q&A from the workbook orally, no written work there. We go over the memory work once, but I don't stress the actual memorization of that material. We enjoy the maps it includes and I feel it is giving him a good overview. It is kinda dry, but it suits DS's no-nonsense, no-fluff preferences in curriculum. Since you already own MP, have you tried doing it orally? Or is the progran just a bad fit in other ways? Knowing that might help with other suggestions.

[GoVanGogh]

Connect the Thoughts ( http://www.connectthethoughts.net/ ) has several music history and theory options. The price is reasonable and they are ebooks, perfect for combining our tablet with music curriculum. My DS is using CTT Bach to Rock currently. He reads the lesson on his own and we listen to the relevant music selection together (usually via Pandora or YouTube) and then go through the questions orally. No writing, keeps it light and fun.

 

DS is also using MP's Christian Studies I for bible literacy/appreciation this year. (We're secular HSers.) He started at the beginning level even though its targeted to younger kids. We do the Q&A from the workbook orally, no written work there. We go over the memory work once, but I don't stress the actual memorization of that material. We enjoy the maps it includes and I feel it is giving him a good overview. It is kinda dry, but it suits DS's no-nonsense, no-fluff preferences in curriculum. Since you already own MP, have you tried doing it orally? Or is the progran just a bad fit in other ways? Knowing that might help with other suggestions.

 

I had not heard of Connect the Thoughts. That looks very interesting - love the sample pages.

 

 

Well, I have bought and sold the first level of Christian Studies multiple times. Don't currently own it so hesitant to buy again. I do have the last level, which I thought one could use as an overview without having used the other levels but that does not seem to be the case. (Or I am horribly missing something?! It just doesn't make sense!)

When we tried the first level --- First several times, we used orally but we were doing so much orally at that time that it felt like I was talking all day long! (And DS can't absorb/process that much talking.) Most recent time, I tried to have him do the writing but it was just too much for him.

His reading level is high, so he can read on his own.

 

 

We used SOTW with the test book and he did well with that - he can fill in the blank, do multiple choice and T/F questions, one small written question. Narrations get to be too much oral work - and he narrates back way too easily. He needs the challenge of answering a quesion and thinking about the different answers. But he doesn't do well with tons of writing.

We have used the Famous Men series from MP and did those orally. He wasn't able to do all of the writing for those and I had to plan out so that was our only oral work for that school session.

I could probably do the MP Christian Studies orally if I planned better.