One ought, every day at least, to hear a little song,
read a good poem, see a fine picture, and if it were possible,
to speak a few reasonable words.
~ Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
As I mentioned before, I'm setting up a composer/artist/poet of the month study. When I was plotting out the schedule, I tried to keep the flow roughly chronological, somewhat connected to the time period we are studying in history, occasionally in context with other activities/studies/holidays, and tied in with our Classical Conversations composers and artists. That was no small task for me, but I persevered. This is what I came up with:
2010
July: Mozart
August: Instruments of the Orchestra, Poetry Speaks to Children
September: Purcell, Goya, Shakespeare
October: Vivaldi, Rembrandt, (more Shakespeare)
November: Bach, Benjamin West, Milton
December: Handel, Botticelli's Madonna and Child, (Christmas Poetry)
2011
January: Haydn, Gainsborough, William Blake
February: Beethoven, Morisot, William Wordsworth
March: Brahms, Winslow Homer, Robert Browning (and Elizabeth Barrett Browning)
April: Dvorak, Seurat, Edgar Allan Poe
May: Wagner (opera), Cassatt, Emily Dickinson
June-Aug: Tchaikovsky (ballet), Degas (and Impressionists), Edward Lear (and Christina Rossetti)
September: Debussy, Carl Larsson, Walt Whitman
October: Igor Stravinsky, Edward Hopper, Robert Frost
November: Grieg, N.C. Wyeth, Robert Louis Stevenson
December: (Handel), Norman Rockwell, (Christmas Poetry)
2012
January: Grandma Moses, Puccini (opera), Rudyard Kipling
February: Georgia O'Keeffe, Holst, William Carlos Williams
March: Magritte, Gershwin, Sandburg
April: Dali, Copland, Hughes
May: Pollock, Britten, Edna St. Vincent Millay
June: Warhol, Bernstein, Maya Angelou
Each month, I will attempt to give details about what resources we are using for each composer/artist/poet, as well as how I'm using them. As I add resource posts, I'll link them through this post and try to keep it updated so all the details are available in one place. Any general resources will be listed at the end of this post as I find them.
Classics for Kids ~Free online composer studies. Excellent radio shows, printable activity sheets, and detailed lesson plans. Highly recommended!!
Making Music Fun ~ A WEALTH of free printable treasures. Composer biographies, free sheet music (including simple versions of classical music), music theory worksheets, and more!
San Francisco Symphony Kids ~Free online interactive site. Particularly useful for learning about the instruments of the orchestra.
Story of the Orchestra ~Excellent illustrated hardback book with CD. Covers the instruments of the orchestra and famous composers (and musical periods) listed chronologically. Recommended!
Classical Kids audio series ~Stellar series of audio productions introducing children to the lives of famous composers and their music. Highly recommended!
Practical Pages ~ Wow! Free printable lapbook pages. Famous artists, famous musicians, and art projects.
NotebookingPages.com has free printable art, artist, music, and composer pages available.
Harmony Art Mom ~ Free artist and composer studies, as well as many other art projects. (To find the artist/composer links, scroll down and on the left.)
Ambleside Online is an amazing resource for Charlotte Mason style education. Here are their music appreciation/composer study and artist study links.
Garden of Praise ~Free online art appreciation/lessons for children.
Art Projects for Kids ~ Be sure to check out this incredible blog. Many free art project ideas, often inspired by famous artists--check out the post tags/labels such as Van Gogh.
National Gallery of Art for Kids ~ (Free online) interactive art activities and projects.
Getting to Know the World's Greatest Artists ~Series of picture books about famous artists.
A Child's Introduction to Poetry ~Beautiful hardcover book with entertaining illustrations introducing children to the world of poetry. Second half of the book lists a selection of famous poets in chronological order with a short biography and samples of the poet's works. The included CD makes this book a unbeatable resource.
Poetry for Young People ~Excellent series of picture books, each featuring a famous poet. The books begin with biographical information about the poet followed by illustrated selections of the poet's works.
This looks fabulous! I hope you don't mind if I glean from your hard work - the book list and CDs that you put together for Mozart look great!
ReplyDeleteI love it! I was going to sit down and make the same type of list for our school year, but you have just saved me a lot of work. It looks wonderful! Looking forward to seeing your upcoming posts. :)
ReplyDeleteWow! I've been following your blog for many months and always find inspiration. This list is nothing less than an answer to prayer. I'm somewhat overwhelmed at times by how much I need (or WANT) to accomplish. Thanks for another great post!
ReplyDeleteoh my goodness ... can I steal this?!
ReplyDeleteLaurel~ That's what it's here for. :)
ReplyDeleteThank you thank you!! I made a similar list, but I love your ideas!!!
ReplyDeleteOh Heidi, you just saved me a load of work! Thank you, thank you, thank you!
ReplyDeleteI am impressed! I've been working on art history lessons, but I never thought of combining the composers and the poets. Excellent idea.
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing this with us!
Your post will be a lifesaver to me in the coming months. Thanks for sharing ideas! If it helps, we are working in the 20th century now, so I have some links for your 2012 artists: http://thewaldenschool.blogspot.com/2010/08/art-lesson-plans-for-1st-quarter-20th.html
ReplyDeleteHi and lovely to meet you and your gorgeous boys! Thanks for the link to my site and for the other links! Hope you have a fabulous year!
ReplyDeleteBlessings, Nadene
Heidi,
ReplyDeleteI did the same type of thing last year. An artist and composer each month. Both boys loved it so much, as did I! This year I have not planned that aspect of school yet. I am seriously thinking of pacing myself one month behind you and just following your lead. Do you mind?? :)