A few years ago, we used a course from Zeezok Publishing to learn about music, composers, and instruments. Our entire family enjoyed it immensely, so when we had the opportunity to review the next level, Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades, I knew the kids would be thrilled.
Zeezok Publishing LLC was started by homeschoolers in 1993 who wanted to offer top quality materials that complement educational needs. They have a variety of curricula and supplemental materials like their Z-Guides to the Movies, Civil War series, Presidential Penmanship, A Noble Experiment, literature books, and more. They continue to expand their resources and are dedicated to offering publications that will enrich, educate, and edify.
The Music Appreciation Book 2 collection meets and exceeds all of the national standards required for music appreciation for 5th-8th grades as it includes listening to music, understanding rhythm and pacing, reading music, and reading about the lives of composers. The set incorporates the following components:
Because the course works well with many age groups, there is even an option to purchase a coloring book for the younger crowd or even those older artistic kids. The pack comes with 80 professionally drawn illustrations that are directly related to scenes from the books.
The curriculum covers 4 weeks of study for each composer with an additional week for the first one:
Literature is the foundation of our schooling, so it is no surprise that these Great Musician Series biographies are my favorite aspect of the course. These living books, written by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher, vividly describe each composer's life. Each important aspect is mentioned and every detail is true. While these books are similar to the Music Appreciation Book 1 collection as far as containing an easy-to-read font and an abundance of simple sketch drawings, the writing itself is richer with more complex sentence structures and deeper vocabulary. The books vary in length, but average around 150 pages. Each one also has multiple samples of their sheet music woven throughout.
The Student Activity Book contains the learning exercises for all 7 composers. The entire book is perforated and hole-punched, so you could transfer it to a 3-ringed binder for easier use. A sample lesson plan is given at the beginning of each composure section.
- The Great Musicians Series -- 9 individual biography readers covering 7 classical composers to make up the core of the curriculum
- Student Activity Book -- the workbook for the course; the activities appeal to all learning types and include geography, history, recipes, instrument studies, music vocabulary, musical facts, timelines, character trait studies, and more
- Journal Notebook -- optional addition that enhances the study through written assignments; encourages various literary skills, creative writing, and essays
- Music Appreciation App -- QR codes provide easy access to all songs along with additional website links with instructions and demonstrations, and interactive quizzes
- Lapbook -- a hands-on enrichment that is sold separately; comes with easy-to-assemble, pre-printed pages
Because the course works well with many age groups, there is even an option to purchase a coloring book for the younger crowd or even those older artistic kids. The pack comes with 80 professionally drawn illustrations that are directly related to scenes from the books.
The curriculum covers 4 weeks of study for each composer with an additional week for the first one:
- Frederic Chopin
- Robert Schumann
- Richard Wagner
- Stephen Foster
- Johannes Brahms
- Peter Tchaikovsky
- Edward MacDowell
Literature is the foundation of our schooling, so it is no surprise that these Great Musician Series biographies are my favorite aspect of the course. These living books, written by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher, vividly describe each composer's life. Each important aspect is mentioned and every detail is true. While these books are similar to the Music Appreciation Book 1 collection as far as containing an easy-to-read font and an abundance of simple sketch drawings, the writing itself is richer with more complex sentence structures and deeper vocabulary. The books vary in length, but average around 150 pages. Each one also has multiple samples of their sheet music woven throughout.
My only dissatisfaction in not in the writing, but in the physical aspect of the collection. Seven of the books are paperback and one is hardcover. (The final one I received as an ebook because of a mistake, so I cannot comment on the physical copy.) Aside from the two types, there are different sizes, as well, even within the multiple paperback versions. I am not sure if the format of the books changed and I received different lots, but if I were to buy this collection and received this specific set, I would be unhappy. It is a trivial matter perhaps, but I like uniformity.
The Student Activity Book contains the learning exercises for all 7 composers. The entire book is perforated and hole-punched, so you could transfer it to a 3-ringed binder for easier use. A sample lesson plan is given at the beginning of each composure section.
Every lesson includes these elements:
- Reading a portion of the biography book
- Answering Comprehension Questions
- Highlighting Character Qualities of the composer
- Expounding on Tidbits of Interests that are briefly mentioned in the biography book
- Learning musical information from note values to symbols to evaluating performances and more
Those foundational exercises are accompanied by many ore types of activities. For instance, in our study of Chopin, we studied details of a Polish Christmas (did you know they have a 12-course meal?!), discussed nicknames, were inspired by the sights and sounds of the outdoors like the composer, and learned many interesting facts about Poland. Our favorite activity in the study was eating a poppy seed cake made by my daughter.
Later lessons throughout the activity book include mapping skills, making lists of contrasting things, word search, deciphering coded riddles, learning about folk instruments, and more. The end of each composer section contains a quiz and full answer key for the lessons.
The QR (quick release) codes are a new feature for this course. The physical CDs from the first book have been replaced with an app site and online music. I had never used QR codes myself, but I had seen my husband do it. I downloaded one of the recommended apps in the book, opened the app, pointed it at a code, and music started playing. It is incredibly easy to use! Easier than finding a track on a disc.
There are pages in the front of the activity book filled with codes that correspond to the composers' music that is found in the biography books. The codes list the page number from the book and the title. There are also QR code throughout the activity book that direct to additional video links. There are videos teaching how to read music, highlighting artists playing instruments, expounding on history, demonstration musical styles, and much more.
While an app is convenient, it is not necessary in order to use this portion of the material. There is also a direct link to the website where you can access all of the music and other videos.
The Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades is a fabulous resource for teaching kids about music and composers. Our family loved the biographies, the activities, and the additional resources. Though we chose to forgo creating the optional journal notebook, we did verbally discuss the activities as a family. I used the course primarily with my 11-year-old and 9-year-old, but my other kids (ages 13, 7, 4) joined in on portions of the curriculum, as well.
You can sample all of the Chopin lessons by clicking the link at the bottom of the description of the product. If you're interested in cultivating an appreciation for music in your student, Zeezok Publishing has what you need.
The QR (quick release) codes are a new feature for this course. The physical CDs from the first book have been replaced with an app site and online music. I had never used QR codes myself, but I had seen my husband do it. I downloaded one of the recommended apps in the book, opened the app, pointed it at a code, and music started playing. It is incredibly easy to use! Easier than finding a track on a disc.
There are pages in the front of the activity book filled with codes that correspond to the composers' music that is found in the biography books. The codes list the page number from the book and the title. There are also QR code throughout the activity book that direct to additional video links. There are videos teaching how to read music, highlighting artists playing instruments, expounding on history, demonstration musical styles, and much more.
While an app is convenient, it is not necessary in order to use this portion of the material. There is also a direct link to the website where you can access all of the music and other videos.
The Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades is a fabulous resource for teaching kids about music and composers. Our family loved the biographies, the activities, and the additional resources. Though we chose to forgo creating the optional journal notebook, we did verbally discuss the activities as a family. I used the course primarily with my 11-year-old and 9-year-old, but my other kids (ages 13, 7, 4) joined in on portions of the curriculum, as well.
You can sample all of the Chopin lessons by clicking the link at the bottom of the description of the product. If you're interested in cultivating an appreciation for music in your student, Zeezok Publishing has what you need.
You can connect with Zeezok Publishing on the following social media sites:
Make sure to head to the Schoolhouse Review Crew blog to read more reviews of this music curriculum and see which composers other homeschool families have studies this summer.
No comments:
Post a Comment