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 of the Composers- Thursday Link Up

This is our 3rd week studying the composers. It'll be a short recap this week for us... We are still in the hotel and did not have our 'usual' study. We listened simply to Vivaldi selections. The one we listened to that was suggested from The Young Scholar’s Guide to the Composers was Vivaldi’s Spring, 1st Movement.

We listened to it quite a few times- over and over and over… and repeat that a few times Since we listened to Spring we decided to go through the seasons. It was interesting to think how the music relates to the happenings during the seasons. Vivaldi’s Winter is one of my favorite- because most people like Spring lol but really I enjoy the way it sounds.

We really didn’t do much ‘study’ this week but next week will work better. Actually we will be going over Vivaldi again.

Care to link up or want to see what others have done with composer study? Head to ~a teaching heart~ for more

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).

Music-based teaching and prepared dictation

I love getting email, just as much if not more than getting snail mail. I get way more email than snail mail though :) Today in my inbox I had an email from Kathy Shrock (great resources!) about music teaching...not teaching music. The site that she linked has a ton of quirky songs that teach about different subjects and topics. For example, my kids listened to Atomic Brother, Corn to Ethanol Using Enzymes, Afraid of the Dark, and we started with 200 Meters Down. Great stuff! There are some videos for some of the songs (I think my kids liked that the most) but also there are just audio clips, as well as pdf of the lyrics. I am definitely bookmarking this site! It is called Science (and more) to Music. As far as I can see, the site has mostly songs for upper grades (higher elementary and up). Hope you find something you can use!

Prepared dictation is the other bit for my post. I had no idea what it was. I am new to all this CM style education, but I am trying to learn! What caught my eye this time was because the email had the subject line of Homeschool Spelling the Charlotte Mason Way. Both of my dc are not that great at spelling but honestly, I detest lists of 10-20 spelling words to test on. They and I find it to be extremely boring. But if there are words that come from a book that is interesting, the topic is something that they enjoy (oh, I know, school can't always be fun...that's why there's math! jk) it will be easier to do. I also get emails from Simply Charlotte Mason. Another great resource! The one I want to share today is Sonya Shafer explains Prepared Dictation video on Youtube.com If you look to the right of the video, there are a lot of other helpful videos as well.

Okay, I am off of here to get my final paper done for my last class (yay!!). Have a great day!