Music Appreciation 1 for grades three through eight is specifically designed for independent study. Online, interactive video lessons are used along with the 78-page, printed coursebook. The excellent video lessons are taught by a few different presenters and include musical performances from individual musicians, groups, and entire orchestras. The videos are accessed online at no extra cost, yet they provide most of the course content. The inexpensive coursebook is the only thing we pay for, which means we get a fantastic amount of course content for a minimal cost.
The course has 22 lessons divided into three units. Students use the code provided at the beginning of each lesson to access the online video. The video presenter tells students when to stop and complete an activity in their coursebook. When questions in the book have predictable answers, they are shown on screen when students restart the video. Each lesson should take about a half hour, although hymn lessons are shorter.
On one level, it teaches the history of music, but it covers much more. Most lessons follow a chronological sequence, studying musical eras, their styles of music, instruments, and composers. Some lessons include “living stories” of important musical figures such as Hildegard von Bingen, Giuseppe Guarneri del Gesu, Wolfgang Mozart, Johannes Brahms, and Joseph Haydn. Illustrated stories are in the coursebook, and they are read aloud on the video. Students should read along from their book while listening. Other activities within the coursebook have students complete map work, fill-in-the-blank exercises, multiple-choice questions, matching images with names, and some personal, written responses, such as “List three positive character qualities that you have” on page 17. Children are sometimes provided with music related to the lesson to listen to while completing activities in their coursebooks.
Two lessons per quarter are briefer hymn lessons, with a video presentation explaining the background of a hymn, followed by a performance. The coursebook has the lyrics to the hymns, but no other activities for hymn lessons. A few of the hymns introduced in this course are “Amazing Grace” by John Newton and “Sunshine in My Soul” by E.E. Hewitt.
As we might assume from the inclusion of hymns, the course is designed for Christian students.
Summary
The well-thought-out design of Music Appreciation 1 makes it easy for students to enjoy a rich, multisensory introduction to many aspects of music while working independently.