A music-history and audio based program designed for children to sharpen their listening skills and appreciation of classical music.
The goal of this engaging music history and music appreciation curriculum is to help music students get to know the music of great composers and to learn to appreciate and love great music! As they learn to appreciate great music they will find new pieces they want to learn, they will be more self-motivated to practice and they will become music-lovers for life.
Music appreciation is an important part of any young musician’s training. Learning to play the piano without knowing the great composers and listening to their music is like trying to become a writer without reading any good books. Understanding and appreciating great music is essential!
Listening to classical music will help increase our students’ understanding of music. It will inspire and motivate them to practice. It will give them composer and musician role models and introduce them to great performers. Regular listening to many different styles and composers helps our students become more well-rounded musicians.
Why does this curriculum work so well?
The Shades of Sound curriculum combines listening with coloring to create an engaging experience for students of all ages. Why does this curriculum work so well?
The reason why this curriculum is so engaging and works so well is that it uses all four learning modes:
Reading/Writing – Students learn about music history by reading about each composer in the book, and reading about the background of the piece and what to listen for. They have a chance to write down what they like about each piece and give the piece a rating.
Auditory – Students listen along using the accompanying Spotify playlist.
Visual – Each piece includes a beautiful coloring page.
Kinesthetic – Coloring while listening uses kinesthetic or tactile learning.
Combining all four learning styles makes this curriculum super engaging and helps you to reach all of the students in different ways.
This curriculum is designed by Jennifer Boster, NCTM.
Materials your child will receive
You will receive the book and accompanying digital playlist, as well as other printable materials provided by the teacher. Art supplies not included.
Teacher Irene finished her Bachelor in Music on Piano Performance at the Adventist University of the Philippines and took her masters in music education at Andrews University at Berrien Springs, Michigan.
During her stint as a graduate student, she was under a music history scholarship and acted as teaching assistant to the music history professor of the said university. After getting her masters degree, she taught music history in the college level at Central Philippines Adventist College.
She is also a trained Suzuki piano teacher and has been mentored by the late Carmencita Arambulo. She and her students are active participants of the Philippine Suzuki Association.