I have been wanting to bring Music Appreciation into our homeschool for some time now, and when we had the chance to review Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades from Zeezok Publishing LLC, I was beyond excited.
Zeezok Publishing Music Appreciation
Music Appreciation Book 1: for the Elementary Grades introduces children to seven different composers, dating from 1675 to 1828. Each book in the series highlights a different composer and tells about them from childhood through their adult life.
The composers that you will learn about in Music Appreciation: Book 1 are:
• Bach
• Mozart
• Beethoven
• Handel
• Haydn
• Paganini
• Schubert
Length of Program
This program is a two-year curriculum that does meet national music appreciation requirements for K-6th grades. To help you know which activities are required to be completed in order to meet these standards, you’ll find an asterisk placed beside them on the weekly lesson outline for each composer.
Overall this program is very flexible. You can start with the composer of your choice and and work at your own pace. The books are are vividly written and they bring the artist and that time period to life. Throughout the books, you’ll find black and white illustrations, stories, music, and so much more. 
The Music Appreciation for Elementary Grades Books 1 Collection includes
• Student Workbook
• Music Appreciation CD
• Lapbook CD
• Seven reading books from the Great Musicians Series (one on each of the seven composers)
The activity book that goes along with the biographies includes a variety of hands-on activities such as: history lessons, recipes, music vocabulary, geography and so much more.
Using the Program
Out of all the amazing composers to choose from, we decided to start with Mozart. He has always been a personal favorite of mine and I thought the boys would enjoy learning about him as well. 
This entire curriculum is very well-written and both my boys have both really enjoyed learning about Mozart. While the program is suggested for K-6th grade, in my personal experience I feel that the workbook is best for third grade and up. While my kindergartner has enjoyed listening to the story and the music, my third-grader is the one using the workbook. In a couple of years, I plan an purchasing an additional activity book and repeating the course with my youngest.
At the end of lesson we listen to a piece or two of music that Mozart composed. It makes me so happy that my boys enjoy classical musical. I grew up playing classical on the piano and I love being able to share this with them. Even I have learned things about Mozart during our studies.
The biographies are very well-written and are very child-friendly. While my third-grader could read this on his own, I do choose to read it aloud so that both of them are learning. Every day when I open Mozart:The Wonder Boy, my five-year old climbs up in my lap. He loves the black and white illustrations that are found throughout and we can easily spend five-minutes just talking about those. 
Once we finish reading the chapter in the book, the first thing we do is put the CD in and enjoy a piece of music that is recommended at the end of that chapter. The boys love looking at the piece in the book as it plays.
After we listen to the suggested piece, we crack open the activity book. We go over the comprehension questions orally and both of the boys chime in for that. Once we finish that part, then my third-grader works on the other activities through the week following the weekly lesson outline.
Activities in the program are in color and very user-friendly. The lapbook was really great in helping the boys to learn more.
Will we continue to use this curriculum?
Without a doubt! We finished Mozart, and plan to continue with the other six composers. I’m not sure who our next composer will be. Since you don’t have to go in a specific order, I will probably let the boys pick which we one start with.
Would I purchase this curriculum?
I honestly would purchase the curriculum and I am already looking forward to the release of Book 2: middle-grades music appreciation curriculum. My five-year-old enjoys this curriculum as much as his nine-year-old brother, but I do plan on purchasing an additional activity book for him and redoing this program when he gets in 3rd grade.
You can visit the site to download a sample of the activity book and lapbook to learn more.
Connect:
Facebook ~ Pinterest ~ Twitter
