Review: Maestro Classics, The Nutcracker (TOS Review)

For this review we got to use The Nutcracker by Maestro Classics, a newly released addition to their collection! 

This CD comes with an activity booklet and a FREE online printable curriculum.

Music is one of the subjects that is required for our state and quite easily gets forgotten or put on the back burner.   One reason I love Maestro Classics is that they are portable!  We listened to The Nutcracker in the car as we went from here to there for homeschool activities.

My kids are quire familiar with The Nutcracker, the enjoyed listening to this musical rendition, with story telling by the popular Jim Weiss (from Story of the World and other audio books).  My 6 year old, particularly, likes classical music.  This was no exception.  He remembered parts of the movie and would exclaim when his favorite parts were happening. 

We discussed other music that we are familiar with from Tchaikovsky.  They are quite familiar with his 1812 Overture.

Jim Weiss has such a soothing voice that is easy to listen too.  This CD has a lot more music than talking though, and would be a great addition to your Christmas collection.  It would also make a great unit study around Christmas time (or any time really). 

The FREE unit study is packed with Science, Dance (Music), Health, History, Geography, Math, Art and Language Arts activities.  It is a printable pdf and also hyperlinked for easy access to suggested information.

What’s great about these CDs is that they can be as simple as just listening to them, or the tools are provided to take it so much further.  Follow the interest of your child(ren) and make it so much more than just a listening experience (should they wish).

These CDs can be revisited time and time again.  They are perfect for homeschooling on the go.  They can spark conversation, lead to further investigation of the artist and/or topics featured.

Maestro Classics has lots of CDs to choose from, most (if not all) of which have FREE curriculums as well.  In addition to the FREE curriculum guides, there are several other educational links, including Montessori based lessons, puzzles and coloring pages, sheet music, musical instrument project ideas, and music related educational articles. 

We did not have time this review to dive into the unit study, but, I will be revisiting it in December.  We attended a short rendition of The Nutcracker last December, which we reminisced about.  We also made these fun ornaments that I had ordered a while back from Oriental Trading.  (I don’t see them anymore, but there are lots of other nutcracker themed ones!).

We have also reviewed Mike Mulligan and The Sorcerer’s Apprentice (includes free printables). Other Review Crew Members have reviewed The Nutcracker, as well as Peter and the Wolf.  You can see their reviews by clicking the image below.

CDs are available as physical copies or MP3 downloads.  They may be purchased individually or as a set. The 12 CD collection is on sale now for $150, the MP3 version is on sale for $99.98 (includes 13 titles). Individually CDs may be purchased for $16.98 and MP3 or iTunes are $9.99.

This really is a great way to add music appreciation/education to your homeschool or to bring music into your home.

Social Media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaestroClassics
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MaestroClassics
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/maestroclassics/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/maestroclassics

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice Unit with FREE Printable

To accompany our unit study and review of The Sorcerer’s Apprentice with our Maestro Classics review I made this counting by 2’s worksheet

(Click on image to enlarge, then right click and save to print)

In addition to the great activity suggestions on the website; we also had fun wearing this wizard hat and waving a magic wand!

Doing some magic tricks of our own which we learned from these great Kid Kits from Usborne Books

and reading

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Mike Mulligan Unit with Printables

We had a blast recently reviewing Maestro Classics – Mike Mulligan CD (review to follow shortly).
I wanted to share with you some of the fun stuff that we did to go along with this awesome CD, including a printable pack I made for ages 2-7yo.

Packet includes roll-a-graph, spelling page, counting cards, 3 part cards, writing page, finding area and perimeter.  Packet was made using My Memories Software using  Graphics by4 my Babies Scraps, Construction Zone and acreatn Little Digger. This printable is now available at my Teachers Pay Teachers store 

In addition to the great activity suggestions on their website; We Built our own excavators from Legos, we had a fun sensory bin with beans and construction vehicles, we experimented with steam, and explored the 3 states of water.

3 part cards from paper pack are designed to go with this vehicle pack or they can be used alone.


We also watched this video available on Amazon Streaming – HBO Storybook Musicals Season 1, Episode 3
and on Netflix – Mighty Machines, Season 1, Episode 1 – At the Demolition Site and Episode 9 – At the Construction Site.
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Review: KinderBach–Online Piano Lessons (TOS Review)

   

We have had such a blast reviewing The KinderBach Online Piano Lesson Membership with Teacher Corner by KinderBach. 

The online membership is an online video course which includes a PDF workbook to go along with the lessons.  The Teacher Corner contains MP3s and printable colored PDF materials which can be laminated for repeated use, as well as a lesson plan book.

The video course is useable on mobile devices, without the need of a special app with flash player!  All you would need is an internet browser and WIFI!

The lessons require very little prep (unless you want to laminate the teacher materials, but that would be an easy one time thing).  All you need to do is print the student workbooks and play the videos.  It was so easy to implement these lessons!

The lessons are short and engaging.   The lessons are recommended for ages 3 to 7 years old.  Older children may find them slightly juvenile, but they are not over the top.  The lady in the videos is obviously talking to small children, but that makes them great for younger kids.  (My 7 year old didn’t seem to be bothered by it.)

We did the majority of the lessons using my iPad and typically were just on the living room floor, though sometimes at the group table as well…the lessons can be easily done anywhere.

Other than an internet device (computer or tablet) no special device is required.  The workbooks and teacher materials do need to be printed.  A printable keyboard is available in the teacher materials, but I would recommend a keyboard or piano; however, they are not a must have.  We also used some rhythm instruments, but those can be easily made from household or recyclable materials.  The workbook pages ask for coloring, so crayons (markers or colored pencils) would be needed, and also scissors for some lessons.

My kids and I enjoyed these lessons.  The lessons were short so sometimes we would do more than one on a given day.  We completed level one during the review period and plan to continue with the program after our move. 

The cost for the program is typically $130 per year; however, there is a limited time offer of only $95.88 a year.  This is a great price, averaging only $7.99 a month, you cannot get piano lessons anywhere else for that price, (especially if you have more than one child)! 

The lessons are easily used with one child or multiple children.  I used the product with my 3 boys, ages 3, 4 and 7 years old.  My 3 year old did not always participate, but always enjoyed it when he did.  I would definitely recommend this product to parents or teachers looking to offer piano education to young children.  It is a great way to instill an interest of music playing and theory at a young age before pursuing professional lessons in an instrument. 

As I previously blogged, we have difficulty squeezing music into our daily schedule.  KinderBach made this so easy!  Not a lot of time required, little preparation.  It is definitely a winner! 

You can try the first couple lessons for FREE and see for yourself!

There is also an iOS app available for on the go lessons when WIFI is not available!  How great is that?? 

Find Kinderbach on Social Media:
Facebook:  www.facebook.com/kinderbach
Facebook for Teachers:  www.facebook.com/classroomkinderbach
Twitter: @KinderBach
Pinterest: https://pinterest.com/KinderBach/
YouTube: KinderBach Preschool Piano

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The Lost Arts

I mean really LOST arts! I have the best of intentions when it comes to music and art, but they always seem to be put on the back burner! 

I’ve found some really great curriculums that have made implementing the subjects easier, but it’s still about finding the time!  Grr!

By the time we get the main subjects in, we are beat…and put art and music on hold for the day.

If you have some great tips to schedule in Art and Music leave a comment below, I’d love to hear from you!

In the meantime….here are some great products I have found for Art and Music lessons. (linked the their reviews when applicable)

Home Art Studio – for awesome art projects!

Adventus Piano Lessons

ARTistic Pursuits – Projects mixed with appreciation

Classical Composers – for great art and music appreciation lessons

World’s Greatest Artists and World’s Greatest Composer – by Confessions of a Homeschooler (art and music appreciation)

and Kinderbach (currently in the review process, but we are really liking it!)

I manage to get some Art and Music in at co-op every other week, but I would love to work in some more…some where….some how!

So what do you use?  How do you use it?  How do you ensure it gets scheduled and done?

Comment below!

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Classical Composers Monthly - Review

What is one of the most time consuming things about homeschooling?  For me it’s research and lesson planning!  I’m sure many of you would agree.  It’s always great when those things are already done for you, and many people even choose ready made curriculums for that exact purpose. 

Classical Composers Monthly is EXACTLY that in regards to classical music and art appreciation.  All links and material provided have been screened and are considered family friendly and of high quality.

For $14.95 you can subscribe to one of the 3 collections listed below (LIFETIME Membership).  Which gives you access to a wide variety of materials for each composer or artist listed. 

Composers included in Collection 1:
Franz Peter Schubert
Antonio Vivaldi
Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
Franz Joseph Haydn
Johann Sebastian Bach
Peter Tchaikovsky
Carl Maria von Weber
Felix Mendelssohn
Ludwig van Beethoven
Bela Bartok, plus Bonus resource:  Paul Hindemith
Frederic Chopin
Johannes Brahms

Composers included in Collection 2:
Igor Stravinsky
Darius Milhaud
Edvard Grieg
Franz Liszt
Gustav Holst
Camille Saint-Saens
Dmitri Shostakovich
Johann Strauss II
Erik Satie
Claude Debussy
Antonin Dvorak
Gabriel Faure
Sergei Prokofiev

Collection 3 includes a combination of composers and artists
Composers:
Debussy
Bach
Verdi
Rossisi
Puccini

Artists:
Renoir
Ruisdael
de Hooch
Seurat

Each collection has a variety of items including ebooks, activities, lesson plans, videos, playlists, etc….

You can preview their layouts with an artist FREEBIE (MONET) and you can also subscribe for a composer FREEBIE (HANDEL).

They are doing the best they can to make the lesson pages IPAD friendly, which is nice!  We use the IPAD a lot for schooling, this is a bonus for me!

If you are really looking for a wide variety of activities and resources to use in your Classical Music and Art Appreciation studies, this is a GREAT resource, for a reasonable price. 

We have studied Handel, Mozart and Monet thus far, and look forward to continuing our studies with this resource!

DISCLAIMER:  I received a FREE copy of Collection 1 to preview in order to write this review.  Because I feel this is a worthwhile product, I have also become an affiliate for the company.  These factors do not affect my review of the product.  I only provide honest reviews and only support/promote products I believe in. 

Pollock & Handel Studies

Each month we focus on an artist and a composer here are the activities we have done in October on these topics.  We spend a total of about 6 days in the month with these studies.

JACKSON POLLOCK

Display of Pollock pieces

Painting with marbles. He picked several colors, we put dabs on the paper of each, then we added marbles. He moved the tray around and the marbles did the painting. It was a great, mess free way to splatter paint!  We used a wooden crate from a Melissa and Doug purchase (at some point, can't remember what I save them all), but you could also use a cardboard box, any size....just cut the paper to fit.

       

These were made with a splatter art app - Action Painting

We read:


Other materials:
Jackson Pollock Art Book from Montessori Print Shop
Impressionist Paintings Cards from Usborne Books (sticker book also available)

GEORGE HANDEL

We read:


We listened:


Other Resource:
Classics for Kids - About Handel
Classics for Kids - Hear the Music

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