A Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers (Timberdoodle Review)

Authors: Melissa E. Craig; Maggie S. Hogan
Pages: 298
Binding: Paperback
Copyright: 2009
ISBN: 978189242746X
Publisher: Bright Ideas Press
Made In: USA
Consumable: Yes
Reproducible: Yes, permission is granted to photocopy student reviews, note-taking pages, and other activity pages for your own family only. This is not intended to be used for an entire co-op or school.

Price: $31.50
Ages/Grades: 9-13/4th-8th

Implementing Composer Study in our homeschool is actually a bit difficult for this family. I am not entirely sure why but I really want to include it in our day. I believe that it is good to be exposed to the classics and the music is beautiful.

I was excited when Timberdoodle asked if I would like to review this product. You can find more music resources for homeschoolers at Timberdoodle. I love Bright Ideas Press and I know that Timberdoodle offers high quality homeschool items. I jumped on the chance to do this review. It came along at the perfect time, too.

What to expect in this book:

32 Weekly Lessons

26 Bios of Famous Composers

6 Eras of Music Explained

Easy-to-Use Comparative Timeline

Easy-to-Use Maps

Composer Info-Cards & Game Directions

Note-taking Pages

Quizzes

Answer Keys

Listening Suggestions

Intricate Coloring Pages

Resource Books

So there are 298 pages in this book (which I received as an ebook) and I wanted to print them all off as soon as I downloaded it! I was able to exercise restraint and instead started with the images of the composers. I can read the lessons from the computer as we go.

I decided to give each kid (since I am using this with both Fox and Lee- that’s okay it says to grade 8, it’s adaptable!) a folder of their own. It is blue so that we know it is for Composer Study. I purchased a ton of these two pocket folders last year and have been using them for all sorts of things. I found three folders that were different colors for each musical period we will be studying.

At first I thought I would print two sets of the images of the composers (as well as two of everything else) but I decided we didn’t need two. Since it will done together there is no need for separate Composer Info-Cards. So I cut out the images and put them in an envelope. Each time period (except for the first two that do not have Composer Info Cards) will have its own envelope with the corresponding composer folder. When we study them, we go through the envelope and find who we are looking for and put him (rather, his image!) on a card and place it in the correct folder.

*Just realized as I am posting this, I am short one folder! Will have to find an…orange or yellow one perhaps!

Originally the Info-Cards were printed out and I was going to put them on….something. I didn’t have any 5x7 cards (as is suggested in the book) but I do have a lot of 3x5s. Instead of using the print outs we glue the image on the unlined side of a 3x5 and paste the info sheet on the back side, where it has lines. We label the front just like it says (name and period). Here is a photo of the Vivaldi one we made.

         

I then modified the folderbook idea by using pocket folders. I can still do the same as I could with a file folder but have a built in ‘envelope’ (they give suggestions on how to use it on page 266, and one is to paste envelopes in them). Here is a photo of the Baroque and Romantic Period “folderbook” I made. Neither are done because we haven’t finished the Baroque period and haven’t started the Romantic

          

The other aspects, such as the recommended schedule we use as is. I think it works well doing it three times a week. The amount of time it takes is about 30 minutes for us. The book says about 15 minutes for reading but then I’m not sure if that includes the listening and activities time.

Here is how it looked for us:

DAY 1: We start on the first day by either reading the lesson (rather I read it out loud) while they do the note taking pages or listening to the suggested selections. It depends on what we do first because sometimes I have internet connectivity and sometimes not (we’ve recently moved). When we listen to the selections, generally we do it 2-3 times for each suggested one and then search for others.

DAY 2: The second day is listening to the selections and reading/note taking, if we did not do it on the first day. On this day we filled in the Composer Info card. We also may fill in the timeline, which we have included in each folder book. Each folder for the musical period has little pockets for each composer. After the card is made, it goes in a slot (or envelope if that is what I’ve put instead of little pockets).

DAY 3: The third day is spent listening to the selections and others we have found. We also work on the coloring sheets that are included in the book. To help with geography, there are mapping pages that the students match the composer with his country. This is done on the third day as well.

We like this book and study. I personally didn’t find the timeline very ‘user friendly’ but I’m not a timelining kind of person. Not that I don’t like to make them and that I don’t see the relevance of one, I just find it difficult to actually do and make one. It didn’t seem to have step by step instructions for those lacking in this area (aka: ME).

Otherwise, it is a great book. I enjoyed the bios of the composers as well as the information about the musical periods. We learned a lot while using this. Of course, we are not done with it and will continue with it the rest of the year.

Visit Timberdoodle to see more information about this book. You can also find them on Facebook. Follow this link to request a physical catalog of current products from Timberdoodle or see it online.


**Disclaimer: I received this as an ebook from Bright Ideas Press via Timberdoodle’s blogger review program. I was required to give an honest review of this item; no other compensation was given in exchange for this product.

Study the Composers- Thursday Link Up

Studying Music in the Renaissance. Circa 1350 to 1620.

Philippine Madigral Singers: "Prayers of St. Francis"
*The video may contain images that maybe considered disturbing. It goes through a lot of tragedies faced in our present day (such as the nuclear bomb during WWII).*

We also listened to the other selections from The Young Scholar's Guide to Composers and honestly we didn't 'like' them at first. It took us a few listens to get used to the very high notes. They were so different than the Gregorian Chants! Fox described the chants as “epic” and the Madigrals were…well, not so much.

This one is audio only.

Here is Sumer is Icumen in. We enjoyed seeing the costumes.
I don’t know why it’s larger than the rest, not supposed to be!

Dd had read about this song in History of English Literature, chapter 18, page 77 (in the print version done by Kelly Kenar available from Lulu). When we listened to it the first time she knew it was familiar but couldn’t quite put her finger on it We ended up listening to this one a few times. Also, we looked up the words to “Sumer is Icumen in” via Wikipedia.

After learning how it was so special, we had to find Miserere. They say that the versions today are nothing like the original so we wonder what it truly sounded like. Wouldn’t that have been amazing to hear!

We learned about Vincenzo Galilei, Galileo Galilei’s father, at the end of the lesson.

We haven’t gotten to listen to these selections again (getting stuff sorted for moving and whatnot). We will take next week off from school so there won’t be any Composer Study for us.

I would like to have been able to use the coloring pages in the back of The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers but they are for the specific composers that we will study starting in the next chapter. I especially like those I love to color!

How do you do Composer Study? Link up with the Study the Composers if you’d like or come see what others have done.

Study the Composers- Link Up!

Join the new link up for Composer Study! You don't have to make a long post (actually you could just browse what others are doing for ideas if you aren't quite ready to 'commit' to Composer Study) just post what you do for Composer Study in your homeschool. The purpose is to give us accountability to get it done in our homes :) 

We use Ambleside Online curriculum mostly and as a Charlotte Mason method of schooling (way of life, really) they advocate the inclusion of Composer Study. We are in our 2 1/2 year of trying to use CM/AO and this is the first year we will include Composer Study on a regular basis (I hope).

From Timberdoodle and Bright Ideas Press I was given The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers to review.

This week we have been listening to and learning about Gregorian Chants (Ancient Music to Music of the Middle Ages). There were some suggested selections on YouTube and we also looked at others by Googling “Gregorian Chants”.

Saint Gregory, Pope from 590-604, standardized the chants that before were different for different churches throughout Europe. The music that was allowed in the churches followed 3 rules:

1. Must remind the listener of divine and perfect beauty.
2. Must be a servant of religion and instruments were not allowed because words were needed to teach Christian thoughts.
3. No pagan influences- large choruses, “happy” melodies, dancing.

After the music was standardized, they were now sung in unison, used no instruments, were non-metrical, and they smoothly progressed (no jumps from high to low notes, or vice versa). The chants were also sung in Latin except for the Kyrie, which is Greek.

Because we have never been in a Catholic, Angelican or Lutheran church the kids and I were rather unexposed to this type of beautiful music. The closest we’ve gotten is the perhaps the modern music group that I cannot even recall (it was popular in the late 1990s…)

I read the lesson out loud and the kids ‘took notes’ with the “Note-taking Pages” that are included with The Young Scholar’s Guide to Composers.

We listened to:

We recently learned what Agnus Dei means while studying Latin. It is so nice to make the connections in other areas of learning. And although it has been a little while, we studied about Saint Gregory from Saints & Heroes (available to read online at Mainlesson.com).

 

Salve Regina

 

Dies Irae

We plan to listen to these again today (yes, it's already later...but never too late to listen to such beauty) and then tomorrow. Lee said that they all sound the same. But I do think that was the intent. The words are different but the pattern are often the same or similar. They were ‘standardized’. Even though we don’t know what all the words mean, the music is beautiful and they ask to listen to it again and again.

Next week we move on to Music in the Renaissance (circa 1350-1620).

Timberdoodle Review: Editor-In-Chief B1 and Building Thinking Skills Book 2 (Critical Thinking Co.)

**Edited: I mistakenly posted that the Editor In Chief B1 was for grades 9-12; I was incorrect. I knew it was for grades 6-8 when I chose it but for some reason unbeknown to me at the present, I mislabeled it.**

Recently I was given the opportunity to review two books from Critical Thinking Press, through Timberdoodle.

I chose Editor-In-Chief B1 for Lee, who is in grade 8 right now. I know the book recommends grades 9-12 but*Edited: This book is for grades 6-8 and she is really keen on correct forms of writing. I thought this would be something she would like to use. I'm not sure I did so good on my guess. 

The book is really good- it has interesting entries that the student is to 'correct'. According to the description at Timberdoodle, the student will develop correct grammar, punctuation, spelling, capitalization, and attention to detail using a standards-based thinking approach rather than drill and practice. Because it is geared more toward real-life application (as opposed to say, multiple choice or fill in the blank) it was of interest to me. I find it is always easier to retain information when we are actually doing what we are learning. 

First we tried to let her do it on her own but there are no set instructions on how to use the book. Then we would sit and look at the passage together. After we thought we had figured all the mistakes or made our corrections, we checked the answers in the back. Well, after doing some of these, I see I am in need of some grammar and attention to detail study!

The book is difficult for her, to say the least. Definitely not a bad  book! But I think this will need to set until next year. We've not doing enough with editing to jump in with this book yet. It is not a light editing book- they mean business!

For my son, I chose Building Thinking Skills Book 2 (based on the grade for this one!). This book is huge. I did not pay close enough attention, I suppose, to the page count when I was contemplating which books would be a good fit for my kiddos. But the size of this book is great! This book is one that both of my kids can get use out of- now. From the description, you get the idea that this is going to be a book that will jog and tax your brain. It is! The description says that students will be working on problems dealing with deductive reasoning, map skills, Venn diagrams, mental manipulation of two-dimensional objects, and much more. Fortunately for me the book includes answers, objectives, and focus questions. Even without flashy pages and being simply in black and white, somehow this book makes you want to keep going. Or at least that is the experience we've had.

This is a great book to have!

You can find these books at Timberdoodle, by publisher Critical Thinking Co. Or if you are interested in thinking skills games they have plenty of those, too! They even have entire curriculum for all years.

Editor-In-Chief B1 $16.99
Building Thinking Skills Book 2 $29.99

Click here if you would like to request a free catalog to browse. Or you can check out the entire 2011 catalog online!


**Disclaimer: I received these books from Timberdoodle free as part of the Timberdoodle's Blogger Review Team in exchange for an honest review. All opinions stated are my own. See more Disclosure/Policies**