Art and music appreciation are subjects that if not given priority, fail to be done in our home. (It’s probably safe to assume that is true for many homes.) It seems like every year I plan on adding art appreciation to our long list of subjects and at the end of the year I realize that once again I haven’t done it. One of the problems is that I know next to nothing about art. It should be simple enough to add in picture study to accompany history. But that would require me to actually know which artists and paintings are most significant. Sure, I could probably research, learn and figure some things out. But thankfully I’ve discovered that someone else, much more knowledgeable than I, has already done the work for me.
Harmony Fine Arts is an art and music appreciation program written by Harmony Art Mom – Barbara McCoy. If you’re thinking that name sounds familiar, it should, because she’s one of the contributing writers here at The Curriculum Choice. Barb has put together an art and music program with 12 yearly plans that are linked to a chronological 4-year history cycle, and are divided into the stages of learning of the classical trivium (grammar, logic, and rhetoric). That is exactly what I would do! (If I knew how, that is.)
Beach Scene - Guernsey, Renoir, 1883
I received the plan for Grade One to review. Grade One is different from the other plans in that it does not cover art from its time period in history. Since the study of ancient art is not a study particularly well suited to the early grammar stage, she chose to make Grade One an overview of a variety of artists. Among the included artists are Renoir, van Gogh, Manet, and Cassatt. The study includes 8 artists with 4 works by each artist. The plan contains 3 different options for art study. Option 1 is picture study only. (Don’t worry, instructions on HOW to do picture study are included.) Option 2 takes picture study a step further combining the study of art in art appreciation books with a short related activity. Option 3 combines picture study with coloring books. (The student will be able to color a picture of the work studied.) In addition to the various options for art appreciation, there is also a section for composer study that includes suggested resources for listening and reading.
What do I like about this program?
- Coordinates with history studies.
(It’s not like adding “another” subject.) - Simple to use.
(The plan is clearly laid out. The additional resources are clearly listed.) - Variety of options
(I love that the plan includes different options with different time committments.) - Flexible for multiple ages.
(It is written with a “grade” assigned, but it is not necessary to use only with the specified grade.) - Low cost.
(The grammar and logic levels are $19.95 for each year plan. Rhetoric levels are $9.95.)
With everything already planned for me, I’ll have no one to blame but myself if we don’t finally begin our art and music appreciation studies this year! To learn more about the Harmony Fine Arts Program, visit HarmonyFineArts.com.
Written by Kristen, A Relaxed Classical Mom of 4
Kristen Hamilton and her husband, Kevin, have been home-educating their five children since their eldest’s birth in 1998. Kristen is Executive Assistant Manager of The Old Schoolhouse SchoolhouseTeachers.com and loves helping homeschoolers find educational resources. An admitted curriculum junkie, Kristen blogs about her homeschool experiences at Sunrise to Sunset (sunrisetosunsethomeschool.com). She also enjoys reading, crochet, and hiking with her family in her limited free time.
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