7th grade music--do you have a clever idea?

[Garga]

In 1st-2nd grade, we read books from the library about various composers, like Beethoven and Mozart.

 

In 3rd grade, I taught my son the piano for a year, but he didn't really like it and we stopped after that year.  

 

In 4th grade, I tried getting my dh to teach my son the guitar, but dh never would follow up and my ds got frustrated and stopped trying.  We ended up reading more books from the library about composers and listening to samples of their music.

 

In 5th grade, we studied a whole bunch of classical composers and I put a lot of work into creating fun worksheets to color while we learned about the composers and collecting samples of music and teaching about musical topics like "rhythm" etc.  The book I used was also used for my 8th grader and it was at a high level and it was a pretty intense year for studying composers.

 

In 6th grade, we studied American music from a book about American music.  It started with hymns brought over on the Mayflower and ended with hip hop and had a few activities to do, like seeing if you could turn up the bass loud enough on a speaker to make a paper move.

 

 

And here we are facing 7th grade.  Honestly, I'm bored with teaching music.  If he doesn't want to learn an instrument, then how many more times can we read about musicians or styles of music??

 

I do not have the money to take him to live performances.  He's seen the free practice sessions of a symphony that's an hour's drive away and doesn't want to go back to that.  I don't know of any other free performances in the area, as I live in a tiny town and not in a city.  I do not want to make homemade instruments for him to play with.  I had a book about that last year and thought it would be great, but when it came time to actually make the instruments, it just didn't work for us.  And my house is tiny.  I have nowhere to store 10 instruments made out of a rubber band, balloon, and a milk jug.

 

So....does anyone have a clever idea about music that I haven't thought of?  If not, I'll just skip music this year.  I've always valued the teaching of music, but it's been 6 years and I'm kinda sick of the whole thing now.  My son would be happy either way.

 

Right now, because I'm tired, I'm thinking we just watch a bunch of movies and see how the music plays on our emotions and call it "music class."  Actually, that would be an awesome curric:  someone could create scenes and then as the curric, you could add different kinds of music to each scene and see how it plays on the feelings of the scene.  I wish I had the technology and tools to do that!

 

 

Edited August 2, 2017 by Garga_

[alisha]

If this were me, I would resort back to just classical music exposure.

I would watch youtube videos. Here are some searches that might be fun. "Piano guys" "Classical music kids cartoons" (these are bugs bunny and tom & jerry playing with classical music). Anything to make it funny and maybe a tad fun.

[Arcadia]

I sent my DS12 to a 5 day music composition class last Summer and considered it done. When DS12 was in 5th grade, I sent him to an intensive music theory class.

 

My DS12 has not settle on any musical instrument but has tried quite a few. Music composition does make him happy and I don't want to teach that so it was summer class at the music center for him. He really enjoyed the class though not the waking up early part since he is a night owl.

[LMD]

There's some good Great Courses music lecture series. I like 'How to listen to and understand great music' a lot. It's better than the university music courses I took.

[Earthmerlin]

Long ago I read 'A Well-Tempered Mind' and it inspired me to encourage my daughter to actively listen to music. This is something you can try, if you haven't already. I think engaging the emotions makes music more personal & memorable. You can also draw, paint, build, dance, etc. while listening to music to this end as well. What about singing? Is there a local children's choir/chorus to join? A cheap instrument like a harmonica may be another possibility. We also enjoy Maestro Classics CDs, like Beethoven Lives Upstairs. Live performances can be the local High School concerts or live music at cafes. Aren't there also composition apps on tablets nowadays?

 

https://www.amazon.com/Well-Tempered-Mind-Using-Children-Listen-ebook/dp/B004MPRAIO/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1501718240&sr=8-1&keywords=Tempered+mind

Edited August 3, 2017 by Earthmerlin

[Guest]

Can you study music as it relates to history?  For example, I'm thinking of this book called "Satchmo Blows Up the World: Jazz Ambassadors Play the Cold War" https://www.amazon.com/dp/0674022602/_encoding=UTF8?coliid=I18OWWDC3IWGNE&colid=FLFICXWZ7APZ

Now, I've never read that particular book, but it's on my wish list and this thread made me think of it.  There are also movies on Netflix about musicians during WWII. 

 

There's also articles like this one:http://www.bbc.co.uk/guides/zwxbjxs on why we remember the poets but not the composers of WWI.

 

If you wanted to do an experiment with creating scenes set to different music, have your DS create a lego stop motion mini-video (super super easy) and then put in the background music.  Easily done in a generic movie maker program.

[Afn05]

What about the Music History As It Ought to be Taught series? Four books, including one on opera, and they're funny. They mention specific songs and modern music that sounds similar. You could read and then listen to the songs mentioned. One chapter per week will fill a school year. Lives of the Musicians seems similar but we haven't read it yet.

 

Do you have a Y? My daughter takes free music classes there. She also takes them at the local public school. She just goes for that class and comes home.

 

Another series we thought was a lot of fun is Music Lab: We Rock! It's a family music class covering rock history and general music vocab starting with Elvis. The music you listen to is already pulled together into free playlists on Spotify.

 

Chrome music lab is a great way to get kids experimenting with music online. Totally hands off for the teacher, too.

[Peaceseeker]

I vote for take a break. You have made music a priority for many years so why not choose a different elective for 7th grade? You can always come back to music again in high school if you feel like they need more exposure. Do something you all can get excited about instead- art, computer coding, robotics, woodworking?

 

 

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Edited August 3, 2017 by CaliforniaDreaming

[2_girls_mommy]

I know EasyPeasyAllinOneHomeschool has an online music course for free. You wouldn't have to be involved in teaching it. I haven't used it, and have barely looked at it. I think it linked to music games online and told the student what to do each day. That would be a way to get more music in without you have teaching it. 

 

My dd did the Spanish for 7th graders last year. 

[Pistachio mom]

Is your son still interested in guitar? Sometimes having a teacher who is not a relative can make a huge difference in progress and faithfulness of lessons. I have taught piano to my own children and understand the struggles of being the teacher and the practice coach all rolled into one person. It was a good thing to transfer my daughter to a different piano teacher. For us, finances are a definite issue. So, I am still working on teaching piano to my younger children to give a foundation. In my area, one of the colleges has an educational program that offers classical guitar ensemble. They are a group of tweens and teens who play beautifully together! Your area may have something similar.....

 

The above posts have good thoughts regarding music theory, music history, comp. etc...  and going to concerts. I have a music history curriculum from Bright Ideas press called A Young Scholars Guide to the Composers. Its is meant for middle school. We never actually used it.   My high school daughter does Professor Carol music courses. Last year it was A History of Early Sacred Music; right now - Discovering Music (basically the last 500 years). We like these courses.

https://www.professorcarol.com/

 

Honestly, there is also nothing wrong with exploring other electives too. You will have to think about your son's interests and gifts, as right now - your state may not allow elective credits to count for high school credit. So, you may not be getting a credit out of the way. You will have to check your state laws. It sounds like you have done a very thorough job introducing him to music history. But if you want him to experience music, he needs do it.

 

In my opinion, if it is possible for you to let him try lessons with an instrument of interest, it is a good thing. Playing an instrument is very different than reading music history. The discipline, coordination, time management for practicing, learning to perform for a recital, etc. ... It takes learning and appreciation to a higher level.  With all the good background you have given him, he may learn faster than anyone would expect.  Would voice lessons or joining a local choir be a consideration? Again, my town has a local college with a voice program. Scholarship programs are available too.

 

  Even pennywhistle is inexpensive and not too difficult to learn at home. (Pennywhistles are like cars and violins -- student grade is much cheaper than the instruments that the masters use....) Since you already play piano, the note reading you taught back then could be reviewed and applied.  My girls picked up pennywhistle on their own. It is fun for Christmas music and Irish music.  It is just an idea.....

 

This is where I ordered my daughter's step up penny whistle and my younger one's beginner whistle. We started with D whistles. http://harpanddragon.com/

 

May you have wisdom as you guide your son in these busy years. :)

 

 

[Loesje22000]

We did several things dd liked during grade 7/8:

- Meet the great Jazz Artists

- Story of most Famous Christmas Carols

- History of Rock Music

 

But music was a requirement in Middle School.

We still do music but just for fun, (no big output) to have a non academical subject in our day.

[AggieMama]

You could do a class called Music at the Movies and explore how music influences movies. You could watch musicals and other movies where the music is famous. Go down rabbit trails and write some papers. If you want a good end of year project have your son create a short film and pick the music to go into it. Have him analyze why he used those particular pieces of music.

[EKT]

Our state requires music, but it is not a priority for us this particular year, so we are just going to watch a bunch of classic family musicals on Amazon over the course of the year and call it good. We're all excited about it, and I feel thrilled that I am not stressing about music this year! (And I'm really looking forward to finally watching famous classics like Singin' in the Rain, etc., that I've never actually seen, but feel like I should have by now!) My kids are younger, so we're sticking to very family-friendly titles, but since your son is older, you could really get into more modern titles, or musicals with more complex/grown-up themes, etc., if you're so inclined. Good luck with whatever you decide! (I also agree, though, with the pp who said that if your state does not require music, by all means, just take a break!) 

[Pistachio mom]

I just  got an email message of a 40%  off sale for music app self paced courses:

 

http://learn.musicinourhomeschool.com/

 

The discount codes are for the 40% off for only 8/5 - 8/6  LAUNCHWEEKEND

              for next week at a lower percentage off sale:   LAUNCH25

 

I have looked through some free access lesson from here a few months ago. The plans were very well done. But since I had already bought music history DVD's, I did not need to purchase it.

 

I also love the idea from Aggiemomma about studying the programmatic music from movies. That would be very educational and a lot of fun!

Edited August 5, 2017 by Pistachio mom

[Rosika]

I vote to do a unit study on a type of music that interests you. Pick a selection, listen/watch it, discuss over popcorn. Call it appreciation.

 

You could pick a genre, such as rock or opera. Or rock opera.  :D  

You could pick an artist, such as Tupac or the Spice Girls. 

You could marry the two ideas, such as Berry Gordy: Bringing Gospel & Blues to the mainstream.

You could challenge yourself to one new artist or genre per letter of the alphabet. One per week, using Spotify or Google.

You could use it to inspire creative writing, such as the study of Weird Al and other parodies or by writing a parody of your own.

 

 

Or maybe treat it as a long-term research topic. Pick a topic, learn and practice research skills, the music part is secondary. Such as: 

 

You could investigate From Beatles to 1D: The Evolution of Boy Bands. Or, Meatloaf: Where are he, and rock opera, now? 

Perhaps a "music history," such as Video Killed the Radio Star: Before MTV and YouTube. Or Music: When We Had to Pay for It.

 

You could do a One Hit Wonders: Where Are They Now? approach to build up research skills. Select one one-hit-wonder per month (there are lists, start with the Singing Sister's Dominique up through the Macrena.) 

Week 1: Listen to the song each day. Ad nauseum, even. Print lyrics, read along. If there's a video, watch it. 

Week 2: Research the era - what was going on politically / in the media / etc. that puts the song into context?

Week 3: Research the group - where were they from? Where are they now? [This can be an exercise in finding reputable sources, etc.]

Week 4: Locate another one or more of this group's songs. Why didn't it catch on? Speculate in the context of findings for weeks 2 and 3.

Optional: Tie-in geography/mapwork or history/timeline. 

 

If it's mandatory, there are easy options that will be low prep for you. If it's not mandatory, you've earned a break!!