Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

We love listening to a wide range of music, but I don't always do a good job making it happen... When it comes down to it, I'd generally prefer silence versus the cacophony of seven children's voices layered on top of whatever music I'm trying to get them to listen to! But I thought it would be worth a try to check out Smart Kidz Radio: Member's On-Demand Radio Program Library and see what they had to offer.

Musik at Home Review

Disclaimer: I received a FREE copy of this product through the HOMESCHOOL REVIEW CREW in exchange for my honest review. I was not required to write a positive review nor was I compensated in any other way.

This post contains affiliate links

We've been trying out a new-to-us music program, Musik at Home, which is exactly the early childhood music program I wish I could provide for my children on my own! A Musik at Home Membership provides you with access to tons of videos and activities!

Years ago, back when we only had one child, my husband and I signed up for a "baby music" class at a local church. We had both majored in music, and we wanted to give our baby an amazing start! Yes, we were those adorably enthusiastic first-time parents who were taking our 3-month-old to a music class, but... He loved it. I promise, he really did! He was a pretty fussy baby, and those little songs and rhymes and bouncing finger plays we learned were often the only thing that calmed him when he was having a rough time.

I had a chance to observe a few music classes from the same program (Musikgarten) when I was getting my undergraduate degree in Music Education, and I really loved what I saw back then. As our family grew and we moved, it was harder and harder to find a good music class that was worth driving too, and once we had twins? Game over. There was no way I could bring four kids under the age of four to a music class by myself while my husband was working! I wish Musik at Home had existed back then!!

Music Education in the Home: No-Prep Music Study

Let's talk about music study! As a former music teacher, you'd think I would be a pro at this, and yet it's something that we rarely did formally until fairly recently, when I figured out a really easy way to make this work for us, and I think you could make it work as well!

My Sunday Best, Volume 83: Advent Music!

Happy Advent!! We dug out our decorations last night and the kids are SO excited to start lighting candles! Even though they're last year's candles... We'll get new ones this week, I think.

Everyone was a little disappointed that we didn't get anything out except one print, the advent wreath, and Mary and Joseph traveling to Bethlehem. "Where are the other decorations?? The Christmas lights!!! The other nativities!!"

Seems like they forgot that we decorate slowly! Veeeery slowly. And don't finish decorating until Christmas!

37/52: Front Porch-ing

Singing the Liturgical Year {Music Education In the Home}

A few weeks ago Tara emailed me asking this:

My daughter is really starting to enjoy music (she's almost 2) and singing along. I'm looking for suggestions for Catholic hymns/songs that your kids have liked. Kateri seems to like single voices so she can imitate the words (Immaculate Mary and Hail Mary/Gentle Woman are two of her favorites.) What else would you recommend? I appreciate any thoughts! Thanks!

This post contains affiliate links

Hi Tara! My kids love those two songs as well :) Really any *good* hymn is pretty accessible to them - are there some that you guys sing at church frequently? I'd look through your hymnal and jot down a few that you like after Mass one day, since once you sing them at home and she hears them at church she'll probably get REALLY excited like my kids do! I like to try to incorporate different hymns throughout the liturgical year - right now we're singing a lot of "People Look East" and "O Come O Come Emmanuel" as well as "The Angel Gabriel" and "O Come Divine Messiah."  When Christmas comes we'll sing a lot of our favorite Christmas songs, especially from this book (out of print, but affordable used!)

Building Your Instrument Library {Music Education In the Home}

One of the things that was beaten into our heads when I went to music school was that in the music classroom, the distinction must be made that instruments are not toys. So every time I see one of those giant plastic drums full of "instruments" shaped like animals, I cringe inwardly. When I see a "band in a box" at the toy store, I desperately want to hide it so that nobody buys it. You can get decent instruments for toy store prices, but you're not going to find them in the toy section at Target!

I'm not judging you for owning those toys - I know your kids love them! But they're not going to encourage anyone to love music!

So where do you start if you can't afford a piano or a guitar? It gets expensive to build up a supply of decent musical instruments! Here are some of my favorites that we've acquired over the years:

-- I love the quality of Remo drums, plus the kids love the bright colors. I recommend tossing any mallets that might come with them - they just end up getting used to whack each other over the head in our house, plus they make the instrument WAY louder than it needs to be. They can get pricey (especially for the larger drums) so maybe 1-2 a year as gifts to build your supply up slowly.

-- All our kids have loved these Nino egg shakers, and they're 6 years old and still going strong for us! A really great baby toy, but also nice to have as an inexpensive percussion instrument. Fun colors, good quality, simple for keeping a steady beat and just fun to shake! You can also get their maracas, but I like the feel of an egg shaker in my hand a little better.

-- There are a million brightly colored toy "xylophones" (technically not xylophones) on the market, and they can *sometimes* be fine for purchase if you can get one in person and ensure it has proper tuning. Sometimes they're totally off, and some instruments don't even have all the notes in a scale! For a basic "xylophone" (really a small glockenspiel), I love this Hohner Toddler Glockenspiel, because it's an *actual* musical instrument, not a toy, so you know the tuning will be right-on. And the sound is more pleasing than our Fisher Price Xylophone, that's for sure!

-- An 8-note "xylophone" is a good start, but if you want to play more complicated songs, you're going to need something a little more expansive. This is a great affordable option that has actual accidentals (sharps and flats) and more than an 8-note range, so you can play a wider variety of songs. The bars come off, so this is one you want to keep away from toddlers!

-- You probably have horrible memories of squeaky, obnoxious "recorder choirs" from your childhood. It's a popular instrument for a reason! It introduces kids to a different way of reading music and basic fingering, which will give them/you an idea as to whether you might want to explore the option of studying a woodwind or brass instrument privately. Do NOT buy a cheap, colorful plastic instrument. The wooden ones are beautiful, produce superior tone, and will set you back, but Yamaha and Angel both make perfectly lovely plastic instruments that still produce a nice tone and won't break the bank!

Anything you'd add to the list? I'd love to hear about it!

Amazon links are affiliate links, which means I get a tiny percentage of your purchase if you happen to click through my blog! Thank you so much for your support :)

Home Music Resources: Songbooks and CDs {Music Education at Home}

There are a million songbooks and CDs out there - so many that there's no way for me to try them all! But when it comes to basic songs kids should know and ways to learn them, here are some of my favorite songbooks and CDs right now:

Wee Sing America - I haven't listened to *every* Wee Sing CD (and there are quite a few!), but I'm a big fan of the series! The singing on the CD is a decent quality, with a variety of adult and children's voices and *real* instrumental arrangements (not horrible midi accompaniments). Particularly on this CD, the variety is terrific and these are songs that American children *should* be learning. Patriotic songs and folk songs are a HUGE part of our heritage, and this resource is great for teaching you AND your kids songs from our country's history!

We Sing and Listen (Also available through Seton) - we picked this up on a whim at a homeschool conference last year and it's so great! The songs are arranged in order of the liturgical year, and there are quite a few secular staples as well as sacred pieces in the book. Some of the songs are clearly made up just for the book, so there are a few that are just HILARIOUS in how contrived they are, which I think adds to the charm (Old Mr. Turkey is our absolute favorite).

We Sing and Chant (Also available through Seton) - This is the second book in this series, which expands upon We Sing and Listen and adds some more complex songs. We're just starting to explore this one, but it's also a really good resource.

Book of Canons - We have an older edition of this book, but it is FULL of wonderful canons & rounds that you can sing as a family. There are lots of sacred ones, many folk songs, and the difficulty range varies greatly. Most kids won't be ready to sing in a round until they're older (my 6-year-old is *just* getting the hang of it, and he's on the early side), but you can sing these in unison to develop a familiarity with them until your kids are ready to sing on their own.

All of these books by John Feierabend (he's a big deal in early childhood music) are GREAT, as well.

I got these Kindermusik books as a hand-me-down from another music teacher - there are several songbooks (I think 4 total?) that are very short, but full of fun rhymes and songs that are some of our favorites right now! Normally I think this is a songbook that is included with a Kindermusik program if you sign up for one, and I highly recommend their classes if there are any near you and you can afford them! We did a similar program when John Paul was a baby and it gave me a huge arsenal of songs and rhymes and games to play with the kids. If you can find these books, they're great! But I can't seem to find any except a few used on Amazon...

When it comes to CDs alone, we really enjoy the CDs that the Benedictines put out - there's a variety of songs in parts and plain chant and hymns, which is nice to familiarize kids with hymns they might be singing at Mass and with the Marian Antiphons for each season. They've got CDs for Lent, Easter, Advent, and one devoted to Mary and one to Angels & Saints.

I'd love to hear your suggestions - any favorites?

In case you missed the first two posts in this series, here they are:

Music Education... At Home? - Why it's important to make an effort to expose your kids to a variety of music. Developmental music aptitude, explained!

Singing With Kids - Some simple tips to help you sing with your kids and help them sing with you!

Singing With Kids {Music Education In the Home}

This may seem like a silly post to write - I bet many of you are already singing a ton with your kids and encouraging healthy vocal development!

But when I was teaching choir, there were always so many parents I met who talked about how they couldn't sing, and they didn't understand how their kids could!

My response? You probably can sing, you just don't. 

You don't have to have a professionally trained voice to sing with your kids, at church, at a karaoke bar, anywhere! Singing is a profoundly personal thing these days, perhaps because of the glorification of solo singing that we've developed as a culture. "If I'm not the next American Idol, nobody could possibly want to hear me sing!" I say who cares? Sing! The best way to become a better singer is to sing, sing, and sing some more!

After all, why do you think babies spend so much time finding their voices?

My theory is that once middle school emotions hit and the voice change arrives, a lot of kids don't know how to navigate the change and lose so much confidence in their singing that they just stop. And then become these same adults who say they "can't" sing!

So what's a parent (or grandparent, or aunt/uncle/cousin/whatever) to do to encourage kids to sing?

1. Sing in an appropriate range.

Kids naturally have a higher singing range than most adults - what may seem a comfortable key to you is very likely far too low for a child to mimic in a healthy tone (we all naturally do this - it's just plain easier!). It takes more effort to support a healthy tone in a higher range for the average untrained singer, but it's easier for a child to echo back in their own range. Generally a range of about D to A is what research has shown to be the "average" range for a 5-year-old child.

Not your average 5-year-old. He's got a range to rival Mariah Carey.

2. Sing "call-and-response" songs.

Songs where you're the leader and your kids echo you back are great for building confidence and independence, and also training their listening skills. Then once they've learned them, they can practice being the leaders themselves!

Here are some of our favorites (you'll have to click through to see the videos if you're on feedly. They're not perfect, since the older kids refused to make a video and Mary Claire and Elizabeth are HILARIOUS when they sing together. And as ridiculous as they sound, they're actually pretty darned tuneful for 2.5-year-olds, so if your kids aren't singing like this, that's totally normal!)

"Oh My No More Pie"

"Down By the Bay"

"I Had a Dog"

3. Repetition is key!

If your kids like a song (and they probably like most of them, if they're like my kids), they'll ask you to sing it again. And again. And again.

Do it! They don't know how to read music yet, so they can't learn these things any way but by rote! Sing it, sing it again, sing it some more... Ask them to fill in words for you as you go along (that's the way we learn prayers, too!), and soon enough they'll have it memorized and they'll be ready to sing with you!

4. Make up songs!

We do a lot of silly singing around the house - conversational singing where you just sing instead of talking is a really great way to develop creative thinking and confidence in singing. This often occurs in an echo-singing sort of way, but can eventually develop into a more free-form model. I've found it's a really effective way to get my kids to have conversations with me, since they love singing and will just keep "talking" in order to continue the game! It's also a great tool for helping them clean up, because we sing about what toys in particular need to get picked up - whatever works!

As an added bonus, they'll get really good at making up their own songs too, which is hilarious!

5. Sing all the time!

I know I told you in #1 to sing in their range, but let's be honest: there are a LOT of songs that just won't fit their range!

Sing them anyway. Hymns, pop songs, hip hop, folk songs, opera, whatever! Your kids don't have to be singing along to be learning, and if you're singing what *you* like, they'll probably be exposed to a wider variety of music that way. The more your kids hear you singing, the more they'll naturally sing on their own. Even if you're "not a singer" - they love the sound of your voice!

What would you add? How to you encourage a culture of singing in your house?

Want to read more? Here's the introduction to this series!

Next time I'm hoping to give you some links to songbooks and cds that will give you some ideas for songs you can sing with your kids! Our country has a rich history of folk music that has been lost, for the most part, because it's not being passed down from generation to generation anymore, and we can change that!

Music Education... At Home?

I have to admit, one of my major objections to homeschooling is that there's just no way to offer the same music experience at home that kids can get in a classroom environment. Whether it's through regular elementary general music, band/choir/orchestra ensembles, or good old recorder playing, there's no way to completely replicate the experience kids get in a music classroom.

This is a major interest of mine, guys. Because I majored in music education and then went and taught choir, guitar, keyboard, and general music for several years. It's important. But I think there are a lot of ways you can do it at home, and even though it won't be the same, in some ways it will be better!

Here's the big term I'm going to throw out at you:

Developmental Music Aptitude.

What is it? Basically, it's the capacity for musical thinking that your child has, and it can change up until about the age of 9. Which means it is within your control to give your child the best possible start, because musical aptitude is not solely determined by genetics, and musical achievement correlates strongly with aptitude! Here's a quick summary for you if you're interested in a little more detail.

That's not to say that every child should become a world-class classical guitarist, or that you need to raise a bunch of tiny little Mozarts. But I think our culture as a whole would benefit greatly from a generation of children who know how to sing, who love music for what it is rather than how it might increase their scores on a standardized test, and who value creativity in the artists who are composing and performing new music.

And, as a Catholic, I think it's important for parishioners to be able to sing in church!

In short, the way to increase your child's musical aptitude (up until around age 9, at which point it becomes static), is to provide frequent and varied experiences with music. Listen to a wide variety of good music, discuss it when the opportunity arises, sing a variety of songs at home (even if you aren't a good singer!), and try your hand at playing whatever instruments you can get your hands on!

Full disclosure: We are a family of music nerds.

THIS IS NOT SOMETHING TO FREAK OUT ABOUT! You are not "ruining" your child simply because you couldn't sign up for those "Baby Music" classes starting at 3 months and didn't pipe classical music into your womb from the moment of conception. But there's a lot of fun you can have with this at home that will (I hope!) teach you something, teaching your kids something, and provide your whole family with a love of music that will bring you together for years!



I'm planning on giving you some recommendations for music you can listen to, inexpensive instruments (that are still a good quality) you can start collecting, song books worth looking at, and maybe even some lesson plans to have fun with! We'll see how much I have to say on the matter, but I hope I can pop in here at least a couple times a month to share some music with you.

What about you, experienced homeschoolers? How do you do music at home? Or are you a newbie like me who's trying to figure out how to work this in without getting stressed about it?

Musical Toys That Won't Drive You Crazy: A Gift Guide

I think I'm safe in saying that we all want our kids to experience music to at least some extent as they grow up.  Now, as a music teacher and the parent of small children, I've done rather a lot of research into the types of musical instruments and toys that I actually want to keep around the house for my children to experience. 

Because here's the thing:  There are a lot of really terrible "instrument" toys that are marketed to parents who don't know any better.  These things make horrible non-musical sounds, or are electronic toys where the singer is off-key, demonstrating obnoxious singing styles, or just plain annoying!

And did you know that up until the age of 9, your child's developmental music aptitude is capable of changing?  Yeah, pretty big deal!  I'm talking aptitude, not achievement.  So whatever varied musical experiences you can get in them early on are only going to help!

With all that in mind, and with Christmas fast approaching, here are some of my favorite musical instruments, activities, and toys:

Affiliate links included:

Egg Shakers - One of my all-time favorite baby gifts!

Maracas - Same sound, size, and brand as the egg shakers, but sometimes it's nice to have handles!

Remo Drums - We have a baby drum that the kids have always LOVED, but I'm putting this set on my wish list because I'd really like to have some larger drums around the house.  They're NOT indestructible, but they make a far nicer sound than those awful plastic drums that you find at the big box toy stores...  There's a reason you find this brand in music classrooms all over the country!

Glockenspiel or xylophone

This one has been on my wish list for a while and we still haven't gotten around to buying it...  We have a Fisher-Price Xylophone (you know, the one everyone had growing up?) and it's just fine, but DO NOT buy one online - you must try it out in stores and make sure you get one that's tuned properly.  They aren't always, and it's aaaaawful!

I'm going to buy a nicer one some day, one with more than 8 notes and with chromatic notes too...  There are only so many songs you can play with just those 8 notes!  But it's fabulous for improvisation and playing basic tunes.

Rain Stick - I can't find the exact one we have, and the sound of the plastic ones isn't as nice as the wooden ones buuuut I'm always a little concerned about babies chewing on wooden rain sticks.  Our rain stick is fantastic for all ages - it's particularly wonderful for soothing a fussy newborn, because they're always fascinated by the colorful balls and the sound.

Bathtub Xylophone - I just think this one's so fun!  Sure, only 6 notes...  But you can rearrange the order, stick them to the wall, float them in the water...  A really fun bath toy!

Munchkin Mozart Magic Cube - The ONE electronic toy I'll recommend - the instrument sounds aren't perfect (particularly the violin...), but it's a great way for kids to explore the sounds of the instruments of the orchestra and how they fit together to make one piece.  And there are quite a few Mozart tunes on this one - I've seen adults have a blast with it, too!

The Carnival of the Animals - You can buy a book/CD set or just the CD.  It's an AWESOME piece for kids to listen to, respond to, dance to...  We have this cd , which has Peter and the Wolf, Carnival of the Animals, and The Young Person's Guide to the Orchestra (we've been listening it for almost 2 weeks straight and I'm still not tired of it!).  You can almost always find this at your local library in some form, so definitely check it out - I've taught this to all ages, and it's awesome for cold weather when you need the kids to get some energy out but it's too cold to go outside!

Peter and the Wolf - Another one you can buy as just a CD or as a set - this one was actually specifically written with a story set to the music and I've never met a kid, big or small, who didn't have fun listening to it! 

I've got some more of my favorite CDs listed here - check them out!

And if you really want an "outside-the-box" gift, consider giving someone (or yourself!) music classes via Kindermusik or Musikgarten - terrific curricula, particularly for early childhood.  I highly recommend trying to do a baby music class or two when you have your first child - you'll learn a lot of great songs to use for all the rest of your children!

So before you get one of those plastic "band-in-a-box" sets, check out some *real* music!  I highly recommend finding your local music store and seeing what you can purchase there - those are usually family-run and I know we all want to support local businesses!

Do you have any recommendations of your own?  I'd love to hear them!

7 Quick Takes - Fall Edition

--1--

I feel awkward posting this, but I wrote a song for All Saints Day in the car yesterday, aaaand here it is with my mistake-full piano playing.

My mom posted it to her facebook wall so I figured the cat was out of the bag...  Next we'll be buying an RV and touring as a modern day Von Trapp family.  John Paul's pretty much ready to start yodeling - anyone want to be our puppeteer?

--2--

So suddenly it was the night before Halloween and we hadn't carved our pumpkins...  We've actually never carved pumpkins with the kids (or introduced the concept), but John Paul kept reading about it in his books and was begging for it.  So we carved them.  And it wasn't thaaaaaat bad since Andrew cleaned them out most of the way.  

But seriously, reason #3,458 to keep your children illiterate:  Ignorance is bliss.

Cecilia wanted me to carve a kitty cat.  So of course John Paul (who has been talking about his silly jack-o-lantern face for weeks) decided HE wanted a kitty cat, TOO!

So there you have our pumpkins!  So spooky, I know...

The candle went out in the little kitty cat...

--3--

And the kids in their costumes!

Edit:  I totally meant to link up with Katrina!  And then I forgot...  But now I'm linking up!

St. Michael the Archangel (minus wings, because ain't nobody got time for that) and a butterfly.  I told John Paul that if anyone asked him if he was a soldier he should just say yes because really, does he need to explain to strangers that he's actually dressed as St. Michael the Archangel?

So he just focused on reading all the names of the candy they gave him, and Cecilia corrected everyone who assumed he was a soldier in an adorable and very quiet voice.

--4--

Oh, and the family in all our costumed glory!

Well, Andrew's dressed as a lawyer.  Spoilsport...

--5--

I couldn't help but notice a resemblance...

The ears...  the smile...  The bald heads...

--6--

Last trip to Cox Farms!  The weather was gorgeous and Cecilia was totally in love with the goats, as you can see:

They're just getting into the perfect age to REALLY enjoy the fall festival - they can finally go down (almost) every slide by themselves!

I'll never get tired of that smile!

Or that one!

The babies spent most of the time strapped to our backs, napping or just hanging out.  But they were absolutely entranced by the machine the kids could put corn through.  Mary Claire almost managed to climb in and tried to eat quite a few kernels of dried corn... 

 

Gratuitous "How Tall This Fall" shot

Just chilling inside some giant egg shells...

--7--

So, funny story...  We were in the little goat village at Cox Farms when I saw some really cute kids and I thought, "Hey, those look like Elizabeth Foss's kids!" 

And then I looked at the woman with them and I was like, "Hey, her camera strap is really cute!"

And THEN I thought, "Hey, I'm pretty sure that's Elizabeth Foss!"

So I spent several minutes internally debating whether I should say anything or not, because the only line I could come up with was, "Um, hi, I read your blog?"

And I thought that would be a little awkward...

So I said nothing.  But then I commented about it on her instagram and she said I should have introduced myself!

Internet is so much easier than real life sometimes...

I dunno, what would you do?  In either situation?  I pretty much feel like I know the people who read this blog regularly, so I would be REALLY excited if I ran into one of them in public.  But I don't have the wide readership of any of the more popular bloggers, so I feel like it wouldn't be as weird for me if the tables were turned, you know?

Anyway, I've been trying to write these takes since 7 AM and it's 8 PM!  Time to quit for the night :P

Check out more takes, most of which will surely have adorable pictures of children in Halloween/All Saints Day costumes!