In the UK we have the exciting prospect of yet another new Ofsted framework to work to.  Yes, in the ever revolving carousel of 'best practise for curriculum planning', we are back to thinking about the basics, this time dressed up as:

• Intention
• Implementation
• Impact

In basic teacher speak, we are thinking once more (as if we ever really stopped doing this) about

• Why do we teach what we teach?
• How do we teach it?
• What is the outcome? What progress did the children make?

So for many, this will be the trigger for yet another revamp of our curricula.  For others, it may just be time to think about how relevant our curriculum is still for our students. 

We all have our favourite topics that we have taught since the beginning of time, are comfortable with, have all the resources prepared for and are aware of 99% of things that might not go to plan.  These are our security blankets.  We like teaching them because we don't have to do lots of new planning...

Music can be a bit 'marmite' when it comes to the homeschool - you either love it or hate it.  With the long list of core topics to cover, it is tempting to put music to one side as an optional extra, to be addressed when there is time.

But this could be doing your students a disservice!  Music is a fantastic tool to help to build many skills that will help your students in all sorts of areas of their lives.  

Teamwork, coordination, fine and gross motor skills and even the working memory will all be improved by listening to and playing music.   Music is the only subject that involves both sides of the brain, and the resulting sparks of neural activity can even lead to an enhanced ability in literacy and numeracy.

So here are 5 quick and easy ways to introduce music into your homeschool.

1. Music Homeschool Meets Community

Photo by Vinícius Caricatte from Pexels

Music is a fantastic way to meet other people and join in a communal activity.  Get your...

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