Classical music can be entertaining and fun! Maestro Classics has captured the excitement found while listening to great music, and they are a great resources for homeschool music appreciation!
Flutes that sound like birds, xylophones played like fossil bones, and cellos that make you envision swans on a lake….this is the way your children should learn about the orchestra and classical music.
Maestro Classics for Homeschool Music Appreciation
While there are many Maestro Classics titles, I’d like to talk specifically about the Carnival of the Animals. The CD is meant to be listened to as a family, taking the musical journey together. The quality of the music on this Maestro Classics CD is awesome and we could play it loud to hear each of the animals as they appeared in the classic written by Camille Saint-Saens.
This collection of music is one of my favorites and I sincerely enjoyed learning more about the background of Saint-Saens and the composition of the Carnival of the Animals. A simple biography and introduction are given in the accompanying booklet in the CD case. A more in-depth biography is contained on one of the CDs tracks, stated simply and in terms your children will enjoy. The conductor gives more details about the Carnival of Animals that will bring an even greater appreciation for the music and its musical humor.
Each of the animals is illustrated in color in the booklet and the words to the Ogden Nash verses are included to read along with:
“Elephants are useful friends, equipped with handles at both ends.
They have a wrinkled, mothproof hide; their teeth are upside-down, outside.
If you think the elephant is preposterous, you’ve probably never seen a rhinosterous.”
This series from Maestro Classics – Stories in Music is sure to steal your hearts. The music, the narration, the illustrations, and the wonderful introduction into a whole new world that waits at your fingertips.
- Use in the car as you travel from activity to activity or on longer road trips. You are sure to hear your children begging to listen again and again. Get the MP3 version and put it on an iPod or iPhone for easy listening during your quiet time.
- The CD includes the Carnival of the Animals with your choice of listening with narration or just enjoying the instrumental tracks.
- If you have younger children, you can concentrate the musical portions of the CD and leave the biography and background information until they show interest in learning more.
- Au Clair de la Lune is featured on this CD as well and also includes a final track where you can sing along. The words are given in the booklet both in English and in French!
FREE Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides
I love that you can interact with this composition and make it even more multi-dimensional!
More free educational opportunities can be found on the Maestro Classics website. See Homeschool Music Curriculum Guides for more details.
More Maestro Classics Titles
Here are just a few more examples of the wonderful titles in the Maestro Classics series:
- The Nutcracker – This child-friendly adaptation of the complete ballet score includes narration by Jim Weiss, America’s premiere storyteller.
- Peter and the Wolf – 8 tracks with tons of educational extras, a performance of Peter and the Wolf on traditional Russian instruments, an instrumental version of the story and a 24-page activity booklet. Performed by The London Philharmonic Orchestra with Grammy nominated conductor Stephen Simon and narrator Yadu
- The Story of Swan Lake – In addition to the complete Swan Lake story this package includes educational extras about Tchaikovsky and the music, a fun Swan Lake sing-along song, a 24-page activity booklet and a heavy metal rendition of the ballet performed by electric guitar virtuoso Joe Stump.
- Mike Mulligan and the Steam Shovel – If you love Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel, you’ll adore Maestro Classics’ fully narrated CD of Virginia Lee Burton’s classic children’s book. The only Mike Mulligan narrated version set to beautiful music by the London Philharmonic Orchestra. The CD also includes a jazzy Mike Mulligan sing-along, information about Burton’s life and how she created the story and a program book filled with fun activities.
See the Maestro Classics website or Amazon for more to choose from for your homeschool music appreciation time.
More Music Appreciation Resources
You ARE An ARTist Fine Arts Plans for Homeschool Art and Music Appreciation – grade level (1-12), simple to use, Charlotte Mason style plans for teaching art and music in your homeschool.
The Story Of…An Introduction to the Classics – music CDs with simple biographies and information about the music that allow you to easily incorporate music appreciation into your homeschool.
Classical Music Start-Up Kit for Homeschool – Vol I & II offer a simple introduction to classical music with listening CDs and accompanying instruction manuals.
Ancient Art and the Orchestra – A review of Ancient Art & the Orchestra – You ARE An ARTiST Fine Arts Plans for 5th Grade. Charlotte Mason style art & music appreciation plans make it simple for you to include art and music in your homeschool.
Opal Wheeler Composer Biographies & Companion Discs – Opal Wheeler Composer Biographies offer a living books style to learning about famous composers life & music for elementary and middle school.
Originally posted March 2013, written by Barb-Harmony Art Mom
Barb McCoy- Harmony Art Mom writes about homeschooling their teens on her blog Harmony Art Mom. and taking family outdoor adventures on her other blog, Handbook of Nature Study. She is the author and host for the Outdoor Hour Challenge and a series of ebooks helping families get started with simple nature study. Barb also founded Harmony Fine Arts which helps homeschoolers with their art and music appreciation.
We have not included formal music study in our homeschool yet, but my children LOVE music. We are constantly listening to music and singing. My oldest has started piano lessons, so he is learning to read music.
The Story of Swan Lake looks GREAT!
We listen to CDs in the car all the time, and attend music classes. This would be an awesome addition to make traveling fun!
I have been coveting these for years! Our library only carries one. We play classical music,in our classroom and the kids listen to a lot on our OLD (now we are the old ones lol) CD players…. Life goes so quickly.
My daughter loves, loves, loves all things music and would absolutely love this CD! I sure hope we win =)
What a lovely collection at Maestro Classics. I’m really intrigued by Juanita and the Spanish Lobster. It looks as though they have both English and Spanish versions of the booklet.
Looking for something like this and have heard great reviews of Maestro Classics.
We havent studied music yet, formally. My kids have learned days of the week, and months through music. They also have learned some of the traditional songs about America.
I have a preschooler and Kindergartener and all we do now is have a composer of the month and I play that composer’s music during school time. I went to Hasting’s and was able to buy a bunch of cd’s for only $2-3.
We have always incorporated learning about classical music and Composers with our homeschool program… now that I m starting on another little one I am excited to find these CDs to make a part of her education as well.
We use music as background and to learn scripture, we use musical instruments a lot, and we love to sing.
I have been hoping to find something like this!
We use your Harmony Fine Arts recommendations!
We have not formally studied Composers or Classics although we do take violin & piano lessons !
We don’t have a formal music study program in our homeschool but we do listen to other Maestro Classics CDs and other music CDs.
We love “Casey at the Bat” in our home.
We incorporate music by listening to and singing along with classical and contemporary music. The girls love dancing to them as well!
We try to follow a CM philosophy but I have to admit that I haven’t done much music study in our home. We do have the Classical Composer CDs like Beethoven Lives Upstairs and a few others that we have listened to over and over. So much fun! My girls are taking piano lessons and I love hearing them play as well!
We listen to music and dance along all the time! I’m hoping to include more.
We started using Harmony Fine Arts Grade One this year and loving it! This CD looks like so much fun!
I recently listened to Andrew Pudewa’s lecture on “The Profound Effects of Music on Life” and am really eager to include more classical music in our homeschool! Thanks for this giveaway opportunity.
We’be haven’t focused as much on music as I would have liked. My girls do take piano and I make a point to take them to the local symphony and operas when available- so they do get exposure.
I would love to fit in a bit more curriculum based activity so we can delve into it more. If for nothing else than it teaches ME!
This CD sounds brilliant! We listen to alot of classical. it’s not my kids’ first choice, so I sneak it in while we’re in the car or when I am cleaning house. his CD sounds like it would be much used and appreciated in our home.
We haven’t added formal music to the curriculum as of yet, but I have been looking at Maestro Classics for a little while now.
We have studied some composers and listened to their music in the process. Both of my children also take piano lessons.
We have not been able to add music to our homsechooling yet but this is definitely something our youngest would love!
We’ve used the Mozart Mouse and Beethoven Bear books by Alfred’s for piano lessons and enjoy listening to various composers in the car and during handwriting.
we listen to one composer over a period of time and get to know that person
We have a CD that has songs that help you learn how to spell all the different colors that has been our favorite way that we incorporate music into our homeschool
We listen to a LOT of music. My young asperger’s son responds to music like nothing else. This would be something he would enjoy!
Peter and the Wolf is an excellent and enjoyable educational experience.
We incorporate music into our homeschool daily and this would be a fantastic addition to our ‘car school’ collection!
We just made a point to add art to our week in a regular fashion and we’ve kept up with that for the past month or so. I intend to try to add music into our week in an intentional fashion now.. aside from just listening to the radio and pandora, etc. I’ve had my eye on Maestro Classics for a long time now, I’d love to have something like this to kickstart our music studies.
I’ve been an admirer of Maestro Classics for a long time! High-quality music made feasible to children. Great program.
My daughter is learning violin and we have done Kindermusik together.
I keep wanting to try one of the Maestro Classics CDs, would love to win one!
I have spent the last few months researching curricula / subjects in preparation for starting homeschooling in the next month or so. My daughter is a preschooler. She loves music & singing so I have no doubt music will play a big part in our homeschooling experience. I have been very excited about Maestro Classics & would love to win this for my daughter.
We are planning to include Maestro Classics in our homeschool year beginning this fall. I hope to win a set before Septemeber 🙂