10 Ideas For Art and Music Appreciation

Real Life Experiences:
1. There is nothing like a visit to an art museum, seeing artwork up close and in its original size within a frame. It is sometimes like visiting an old friend. We enhance our time at the museum by either preparing ahead of time or with follow-up study using artist's biographies and notebooking pages.
2. Attending a local symphony or seeing a performance at a theater or outdoor event is another way to include some art and music appreciation in a very busy homeschool life.
3. Learning to play a musical instrument is also a way to learn more about music history and theory.
4. Art classes and camps are another way to feed the desire of your children to learn more about artistic styles and periods.




Art Books and iPods:
5. Keeping a few quality art books on hand can help moms offer art with little effort. (You can read my Top Five Art Picks on Squidoo.)
6. Quality art masterpiece coloring books offer a fun way to include some art and picture study in your week. You can see how our family uses coloring pages by viewing my Dover Coloring Books page with examples and hints.
7. A library of music to listen to during your daily activities is a quick and simple way to include classical music and develop an ear for it with your young ones. (You can see my Build a Classical Music Library Squidoo page.)





Formal Art and Music Curriculum:
8. Our family has benefited from a more organized approach to art and music appreciation. Of course, this is why I wrote the Harmony Fine Arts curriculum and I highly recommend it for families that want a flexible weekly plan. Check out the sidebar of my blog for each grade available and then click to view samples, read explanations, and see which composers and artists are covered in each year. Many of the year plans include an option to use the Artistic Pursuits books as one of the three options for art.

9. You can also find more on my artist page where I list a number of artist with links and resources for you to use when the desire comes along. These are far less in-depth than my Harmony Fine Arts plans but if you are looking for a quick way to include a little bit more you may find them helpful.

 

10. Use Child-Size Masterpieces or art postcards to enhance your study of art. Using art cards provides a variety of possibilities that allow the child to explore great art and famous artists. These are a great value since you can use them as references for years to come. You can read more about how we use Child-Size Masterpieces in our home in this review on Curriculum Choice.