How to Teach Music Even if You Don't Know it Yourself

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Can you really teach a subject you don't know yourself? That question as popped into every homeschoolers head at least once.

For me, it was math. There was absolutely NO way I could teach math. That was until I found amazing resources like Math-u-See and Life of Fred.

The key to teaching something you don't know yourself is to find resources. After talking to many homeschool moms about music in their homeschool, I realized that most of them were not teaching music because they were over complicating it and had no idea where to turn to find resources.

With that in mind, I truly hope this post helps you find resources you will LOVE and gets music in your homeschool! Learning music can open so many doors. I wrote about my own struggles learning and how music helped me, I encourage you to read especially if you have a little one struggling.

The thing about music is there are so many different avenues to go down and it can be over whelming for sure. Do you want to teach music appreciation? Do you want to teach music theory? Do you want your child to learn an instrument? If so, which instrument? Once you decide on an instrument, then what program do you choose? Too many decisions can paralyze us from making any decision. I know I'm definitely guilty of that myself.

So how do you start teaching music?

First, decide if you want to teach music appreciation (studying and listing to music) or if you want to teach music theory (reading sheet music) and have your child learn an instrument. I've created a FREE 7 day e-course designed to give parents knowledge to teach music. It combines both music appreciation along with music theory. It does not, however, teach any instruments. The e-course has short videos (1-3 min) and actionable steps each day. Somedays are something as simple as listing and talking about a certain aspect of music. Other days, there are free printable like flash cards and activities. I think it's a great first place to start plus it's FREE!!

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If you've decided you'd like your child to learn an instrument, that's AWESOME! Here are my top 3 choices for beginners with a complete list of pros and cons for each.

Next is the most difficult task-finding a way to teach your chosen instrument to your child. You might have a local music shop that gives lessons, then again you might not. You might know of a piano teacher but might not be able to afford a piano teacher. So many different things come into play. While I can't advice each instrument in this post (please feel free to contact me), I can give some of my favorite resources.

Ukulele - It's no secret that I think ukulele is an AWESOME first instrument! Way better than the recorder! Here is my very own Ukulele Course for Kids! It's comprehensive, meaning you learn music theory as you go, adding more and more theory while you learn how to play the ukulele! I also include activities like putting on a concert, writing your own music and some worksheet to help learn music notation.

Percussion - I love this kit that from Alfred music. It's perfect for beginners, and like my ukulele course, it is also comprehensive so you will learn theory as you learn to play.

Piano - Teaching Little Fingers To Play is a great beginner book for piano. It does not, however, teach how to read music. You could also look into Hoffman Academy. They offer FREE online lessons. There is a catch though-you need to purchase any of the worksheets and music talked about in the lesson. I personally haven't tried them out but I've heard lots of great things!

Woodwinds & Brass - That's everything from the flute to the trombone. I recommend Hal Lenard Essential Element books. Start with book one for your instrument. You can find them on Amazon! Just search for it! (example search - Clarinet Essential Elements)

Why should you teach music?

A while back I wrote about how music affects developing brains and why it's important to teach. In a nut shell, music makes you smart. There is study after study proving so, here is an informative video I found.