21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation Review

Though we are a musical family, and I come from a long line of musicians, I still think teaching music and music appreciation can be daunting in homeschool. I have seen MANY curricula available, but most take a LOT of time. And though I’m ALL for devoting time to music and music theory, I KNOW that many homeschoolers cannot but lots of time and energy into music, especially if they do not have a background in it

However, I know that MANY homeschoolers really do want to include music appreciation and music theory in their homeschools. Thus the quest for a great curriculum for all levels to be easily used in the homeschool.

I have had the opportunity to see, use, and review many music curriculum for homeschoolers and I must say I think 21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation By Gena Mayo is giving homeschoolers exactly what they are looking for in a music appreciation curriculum

I am very impressed with 21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation. I am so impressed and happy that we had the opportunity to review and I look forward to continue our use in our homeschool. If you are looking for a great music appreciation curriculum, this is something you don’t want to miss.

So what is 21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation by Gena Mayo? It is a complete curriculum to study 20th Century American Music.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT MOST HOMESCHOOLERS ARE LOOKING FOR IN A HOMESCHOOL MUSIC APPRECIATION CURRICULUM.

Delivered in digital format, it begins with a great About the Author and an explanation of the curriculum, as well as a detailed section on how to use it at home, which is very helpful. If you are a Charlotte Mason homeschooler, this will fit the bill for sure. But it really is usable by any homeschooling method. In her section on how to use the curriculum, the author gives examples on using the curriculum daily, several times a week, or even monthly. Then she even gives advise on how to make the curriculum work for high school credit, explaining what should be included or added to make it more aggressive. I love that she covers every aspect or how a family might want to use her curriculum.

The 21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation has….i know shocking….21 lessons! Each lesson is a different 20th Century composer or genre. Some of the great 20th Century composers you get to study with this curriculum are John Phillips Sousa, Irving Berlin and George Gershwin. Some of the great genres of the time that are included are Jazz, Blues, and Folk.

Each lesson is one page long – yes, one page, well, except for 2 lessons. It includes some history of the composer or the genre and then samples of music with links and an explanation of what you will be listening to with the link. You can read about the composer or the genre and then listen to a  bunch of music or just listen to a piece each day or whatever work for you.

The author includes a list of other famous 20th century composers in case you want to continue your study, and a notebooks page and a listening page – a page to use as you listen to the music to help you think about the music. It asks questions like what were the tempos, mood, orchestration, tonality, rhythm, etc. There is even a link to a musical glossary if you don’t know the terms mentioned in the note booking pages.

Check out 21 Lessons for 20th Century American Music Appreciation by Gena Mayo on her website where you can see samples and purchase your own copy of the curriculum for $25. And check out the great sale going on now with 21 Lessons in 20th Century American Music Appreciation through 8/31/15.