Learn how to use an online music curriculum for homeschool or charter schools, including curriculum ideas and both free and paid options
Selecting a music curriculum for homeschool, charter school, or virtual school might feel daunting, but the benefits to student learners makes music worthwhile. Online music lessons for homeschool students and charter school learners can provide a key creative outlet and facilitate growth and development. In this article, we’ll walk you through some of the considerations and benefits of an online music curriculum for homeschooled students and charter school students, exploring both free and paid options.
Designing a music curriculum from scratch might not be the best fit for your charter school or homeschool group. The good news is there is likely an existing online music curriculum option that will teach your students the music fundamentals they’ll need to better enjoy music and appreciate music’s role in our culture.
At Hoffman Academy, our online piano curriculum develops students’ technical skills at the piano while expanding their educational horizons with music history and theory.
Ready to get your students started? Click our Online School Page to sign up!
Should music be included in the school curriculum?
At Hoffman Academy, we think music should be a part of every educational program! Virtual, charter, and homeschool music lessons create key growth experiences for students. Learning music empowers students to do far more than sing or play songs on the piano. Studies have shown that children involved in music have significantly higher average grades across all school subjects. With Hoffman Academy, you can make music appreciation, music theory, and the joy of learning piano a part of your music curriculum at any level.
Music plays an important role in any educational program by encouraging creativity alongside more practical skills, like time management, perseverance, and forming excellent practice habits. Incorporating piano lessons into a child’s educational plan inspires their curiosity and develops their fine motor skills. The study of music also builds character by uniting the creativity of playing with the discipline of practicing.
Incorporating music into your homeschool curriculum is easy with Hoffman Academy! Here are some examples of other courses where music lessons provide a new outlet to explore and learn other concepts.
Music in Math:
Many people remember fractions as dry and frustrating–but not when they are explored as part of music! When Mr. Hoffman teaches rhythm for a new song, students experience concepts like division and duration through music, providing another opportunity to explore a concept that might be difficult in the math classroom.
Music in Social Studies:
When your students learn piano, they participate in a tradition that spans hundreds of years. For a project combining music with history, your young pianist might create a timeline of composers that they have learned to play.
Music in Science:
Music lessons connect to the science and biology of how we experience sound in a way students can touch and create through the process of building chords and harmonics.
How do you create a music curriculum for homeschool / charter school?
The crucial components of any music curriculum develop music literacy, or the way students read, write, and engage with music in our culture. Core components include music appreciation (listening to music and contextualizing musical styles), music theory (identifying note names, rhythms, and more), music history (identifying music’s role in our past and present), and music performance on an instrument or vocally.
This long list of goals for a music homeschool or charter curriculum might seem intimidating, especially if you are a parent or teacher without musical experience. There are excellent existing resources for teachers and parents to use when selecting a music curriculum. Charter schools and homeschooling families should search for a music curriculum that is grounded in the science of learning and provides a complete musical education. Hoffman Academy is one such option; the method provides a complete musical education, from playing by ear to understanding music theory, and there are ample resources and ideas available on the website to supplement your learners.
What do homeschoolers do for music?
Homeschoolers may miss out on ensemble music-making opportunities found in public schools, like choral and band ensembles and music appreciation classes. One way to augment music curriculum for homeschoolers is to introduce instrumental music lessons! By learning an instrument like piano online, your homeschooler will learn how to have fun making music, learning music history and theory, and build their confidence so that they can perform.
What are the strategies in teaching music?
The main methods for music instruction in schools today were inspired by professional teachers and researchers who created academic methods based on their theories of how young students connect to music. The most common strategic methods for teaching include the Orff, Kodaly, and Suzuki methods. The Orff approach focuses on children learning through listening in gentle and playful ways. Kodaly’s method begins with singing, folk songs, and a logical approach. The Suzuki method focuses on imitation, repetition, and listening to master a musical instrument.
Similarly, the Hoffman Method is rooted in early child development and learning theory. Like the Kodaly method, Mr. Hoffman’s curriculum focuses on teaching children by ear first to build musical understanding and appreciation, and then progresses to teaching sight reading, music theory and more. Hoffman Academy’s music curriculum provides a complete musical education, and puts joy and creativity into an online platform with improvisation and composition challenges.
How to pay for a music curriculum: homeschool and charter school options for paid & free lessons
Hoffman Academy offers an easy and all-virtual music curriculum for homeschool, charter school, and virtual students with both paid and free options. Our online piano lessons are proven and engaging for students, and teach the fundamentals of music theory. Hoffman Academy’s self-guided program provides a unique musical experience that fully immerses students in musical learning and playing the piano.
Our entire library of 300+ video lessons and popular songs, the basis of our curriculum, are free for anyone to view, always. Additionally, we offer Premium tools that enhance student learning and complement a homeschool music curriculum. These tools include practice plans for each lesson, which guide your student through the best ways to practice, alongside access to printable materials like music theory worksheets and activity pages. Premium members also have interactive games to help students practice skills like rhythm and sightreading.
For a charter school or homeschool interested in teaching ukulele and recorder, QuaverMusic’s fully customizable paid online program provides a curriculum option for a charter school or homeschool group with access to a dedicated musical teacher to facilitate group learning online.
Ready to get your students started with our online music curriculum? Click our Online School Page to sign up!