This Music Appreciation Pack from Beautiful Feet is perfect if you’ve ever wanted to study music as a family but haven’t known where to start! Embark on a musical journey through the ages, from ancient times all the way through the 20th century and on. The items in this pack are top-notch. Includes 5 components: the Teacher Guide; the Book of Composers; a Music Notebook; the printable Resource Packet; and the curated Spotify playlists. All digital material is accessed through QR codes in the books. That’s everything you need except household items for optional hands-on activities (like yummy recipes!).
With 54 lessons at the suggested pace of 1 per week, this course would last for 2 school years. But the design is flexible! You could also pick only the lessons you want and spend as little or as much time as you’d like. An older student might use this pack for a year of music history credit. The wide range of lesson activities is aimed at grades 2–12 and easily tailored to fit your whole family. The Teacher Guide coordinates all the resources from this pack into easy-to-teach lessons with the following elements:
- Read & Listen from Book of Composers and the curated music list (QR code)
- Discuss open-ended questions to spark conversation
- Record musical terms and composer & music notes in the Music Notebook (consumable – each student needs their own)
- Do hands-on recipes and art activities
- Explore encourages older kids to dig deeper
- Rabbit Trails are suggested books for learning more
The hardcover Book of Composers is gorgeous with thick glossy pages and vivid pictures. Each lesson is like going to the orchestra, but better, with correlating activities to bring 80 composers, along with their music, instruments, & culture, to life. The downloadable Resource Packet has printable notebooking pages, coloring sheets, and more. Many internet links are also provided to enrich your study throughout. I truly can’t imagine a more rich and beautiful family study of music!