Perfectly Imperfect In Every Way: music study

We have had a wonderful 6 weeks studying Tchaikovsky.

He has always been one of my favorite composers, so It was a real Joy to share my love of his music with my kids this term. To add to our music studies, I put together some

notebooking pages, a coloring page, and a mini book to go along with our studies.

Classical music and the arts played a large role in my childhood. My mother was very fond of classical music, and I have many memories directly associated with certain pieces that I heard while growing up. Music and the arts also played a huge part in my Younger sister's growth and development. Growing up with Cerebral Palsy was a major obstacle, but music and the arts along with her regular therapy had a profound effect on her.

All and all, I have to say that I have come to understand the importance of Music and the arts in the life of a child.

In order to deepen our appreciation and develop a strong relationship with music, I have always advocated engaging as many of a child's senses as possible while listening to a selection. Any creative and calming activity is fine, so long as it is something that your child enjoys.

It can be as something as simple as dancing to the music... (free-style or simply choreographed), or playing an instrument along with the music. My kids enjoy getting out their toy drum or tambourine, and playing to the beat of the music. An activity as simple as this, can even help teach your child rhythm.

One of my favorite activities to do with my children, is something we call "paint-conducting".

All you will need for this project is:

a set of finger paints
finger-painting paper
a painting smock
a selection of music.

Firstly, the kids and I take a few minutes to absorb the piece of music.

In this case, we listened to Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto no.1.

After listening quietly to the music, I tell them to simply paint how the music makes them "feel".

Their color selection is based on feeling.

Their finger strokes are based on rhythm.

They enjoy both attentively listening to the music, as well as seeing the product of their listening .

Don't forget to label the finished product with a name, date and composition.

My hope is that at the end of the year, we will have a collection of paintings to compare and contrast.

Piano Concerto No.1- Tchaikovsky

Mom

"Belle"- age 10yrs

"Little Sparty"- Age 6 yrs

"Little Music"- age 18months

Da Vinci Art study and Gregorian Chant

We have been very fortunate in our artist study to have such a wonderful support group. It is such a blessing to have the opportunity to study along side other homeschoolers from time to time. It a real treat for the kids and for the parents to witness such an atmosphere of fellowship. Once a month we meet at the local park and take time to study famous artwork and listen to good music. This makes for a great introduction to our at home studies, which we then build upon in our own special way.

** Note the enthusiasm in my 5 yr. old's face**

I have been working on creating a curriculum which builds upon our love of the fine arts through merging the study of art with classical music. These two forms of expression are uniquely suited for each other in study. Being a musician myself, the correlation between music, art and dance has always seemed very evident to me. There is no doubt that all three of these mediums have direct influence on one another. We can see the evidence of this through out the course of history. All 3 of these art forms can incite such passion and emotion, they help us to recollect memories, inspire creativity, and as mentioned in " The Mozart Effect;" They have the power to stimulate brain activity. A recent re-read of the book "Better Music, Brighter children" reminded me of the depth of influence these mediums have, as well as the responsibility that we have as parents to insure that our children receive the proper Fine Art influences.

*** my daughter focuses on the subject during this drawing exercise***

This month, we have been studying Leonardo Da Vinci. There is such a challenge in studying the magnitude of this man. He was a genius in his own right, and I know that we will be returning to our studies of him for years to come. I have opted to pair our studies of Da Vinci with Gregorian chant and the music of Josquin Desprez. Thus far, we have been paying particular attention to Da Vinci's sketches, and using the opportunity to advance ourselves in the skill of observation and contour drawing. ***notebooking page courtesy of www.notebookingpages.com ***

His completed oil works, particularly ones such as; "The Annunciation," "The Virgin of the Rocks," "The Last Supper," and "the Mona Lisa" are paintings that we have been viewing while listening to Josquin Desprez. All of his music is both classical and reverent, as are most of Da Vinci's paintings. Still, You can hear the underlying influence of the notable Renaissance sound that we are all so familiar with.

*** My daughter's (9) free hand sketch of the Mona Lisa ***

Charlotte Mason is a great advocate of atmosphere. A joyful environment, indeed, makes for a joyful learning experience. In this instance, it was important for me to provide an atmosphere in which my children could hear the musical influence in art through the subject of time period. There are occasions in which I have Chosen to match a particular song with a certain artwork. Not only does this particular method engage the totality of ones senses, but it makes music and art more tangible. It gives a child the ability to internalize. It enables the child to understand that Music, Art, and Dance speak to us; they all have a story to tell. The following pictures are examples of blind contour drawing. It is important in building observational skills. It will no doubt aid in the study of famous artwork. As your child becomes more aware of the details, he/she will become more able to distinguish one artist's style vs. another.