Can your children teach themselves how to read, write, and play music?
RC Online is proud to announce the availability of Read, Write, Play Music by Ian Hodge in the Bonus Materials section – both Student and Instructor – now with double the lessons from 18 to 36. Click here to access online.
Ian Hodge, the author of the Read, Write, Play Music program – an exclusive of the Robinson Curriculum Online – talks about music and the important role it plays in our lives.
A Christian Worldview includes music as an essential constituent of a good education. For Christians, music is not an elective. It’s basic curriculum. Kevin Swanson interviews Dr. Ian Hodge, homeschool father and professional musician on the importance of music and the problem of musical illiteracy in a degraded culture. But how do you make music more interesting for your children, and what are the typical traps parents fall into when trying to teach music? – with Kevin Swanson
Here is a sample lesson:
Some advice from Dr. Hodge about starting a child out with an instrument:
What kind of instrument is good for a new beginner? Find out on today’s Home School Heartbeat, when host Mike Smith is joined by professional musician and homeschool father Dr. Ian Hodge.
Mike Smith:
Dr. Hodge, how do you suggest that parents first introduce their children to musical instruments?
Dr. Ian Hodge:
Well, there’s different ways of doing that. There’s taking them to hear a particular instrument—you know, going to orchestral concerts, band concerts, or something like that, so they can hear it. And then the other way is to figure out what instruments might be suitable to certain students. The physiology of the student can make a little difference. For example, if kids don’t have what they call the right embouchure, the right mouth shape and things like that, it can be very difficult for them to play brass instruments or wind instruments.
Mike:
Are there any instruments that are particularly difficult—that might not be good for a beginner?
Dr. Hodge:
https://secure.hslda.org/docs/hshb/94/hshb9433.asp
Well, each of the instruments poses its own problems. For example, a piano—if a student has not developed enough independent finger dexterity (in other words, if they don’t have the right motor skills developed) they won’t be able to play that instrument properly, and they’ll develop bad habits by pushing down on the keys rather than developing the finger technique needed to do it. And those bad habits can create real difficulty later on in life, trying to change it, or trying to play, you know, the more difficult part of the repertoire. Wind instruments—they require a certain lung capacity in order to produce the sound, which is why most band instruments—you know, brass, wind instruments—aren’t taught until age 8 or even later. Singing’s another instrument to avoid, because the vocal chords and breathing ability need a certain level of development.
