unmusicing
Ren
"So I was curious, would any of you unschoolers like to share your
adventures with music? How do you and your kids experience music, and
how has this changed over time? DO any of you/your kids play and
perform? How did it all start out and how is it coming about? I wOUld
love to hear the stories you have to tell!"
We definitely "unmusiced" from the very beginning...prefering play to anything formal. From the time my oldest was a wee one, we listened to lots of different styles of music, had simple noisemakers and instruments around and just let him enjoy them in his own way.
He got very disinterested in instruments for a long time...preferring just listening.
As to the other children...Jared (10) has never shown any interest in an instrument, other than a few times at the recorder. Sierra (6)loves any kind of instrument she can get her hands on, sings, dances etc... all the time. And Jalen (2) also seems to love music a ton.
How has this freedom played out?
Well, just this year Trevor decided to take guitar. His Grandparents bought him a guitar for Christmas last year and we just let him dabble with it to see if he'd like the thing. We had an acoustical around for years, but he really was wanting electric.
So after dabbling about for a couple of months and still asking for lessons we searched for a teacher that would honor our unschooly way of doing things. It's been a truly wonderful experience thus far. Trevor is still taking lessons, can't imagine not taking them and still dabbles on the guitar here and there...always sounding better from week to week.
We have never once asked him to practice, he comes and goes as he chooses. We vowed that there would only be joy surrounding their musical experiences and we've managed to stay true to that even before we were total unschoolers. At least we did a few things right!
We will continue to add musical instruments to our home. I have an ocarina I love, we keep recorders and harmonicas and maraces and rainsticks and a doumbeck and such....
My dh playes guitar and keyboards beautifully and is capable on a couple other instruments (including drums), my Dad is learning steel drums right now and we have friends that are really into drumming circles. Also, through the SCA they've been introduced to a lot of handdrumming, recorders, dulcimers and the like.
Lots of rich and varied experiences, lots of freedom and no pressure to perform..I think that's a perfect unschooling music environment.:)
Oh, and about performing....funny thing. At the conference in SC, Trevor had planned to play a song on his guitar during the talent show. When it came time, his nerves were such a mess that he decided not to do it. But my child that has been the absolute most shy one up to this point, got up and sang "Spongebob Squarepants" in front of many, many unschoolers without flinching (and it was a last minute, serendipitous moment). Go figure.
Ren
adventures with music? How do you and your kids experience music, and
how has this changed over time? DO any of you/your kids play and
perform? How did it all start out and how is it coming about? I wOUld
love to hear the stories you have to tell!"
We definitely "unmusiced" from the very beginning...prefering play to anything formal. From the time my oldest was a wee one, we listened to lots of different styles of music, had simple noisemakers and instruments around and just let him enjoy them in his own way.
He got very disinterested in instruments for a long time...preferring just listening.
As to the other children...Jared (10) has never shown any interest in an instrument, other than a few times at the recorder. Sierra (6)loves any kind of instrument she can get her hands on, sings, dances etc... all the time. And Jalen (2) also seems to love music a ton.
How has this freedom played out?
Well, just this year Trevor decided to take guitar. His Grandparents bought him a guitar for Christmas last year and we just let him dabble with it to see if he'd like the thing. We had an acoustical around for years, but he really was wanting electric.
So after dabbling about for a couple of months and still asking for lessons we searched for a teacher that would honor our unschooly way of doing things. It's been a truly wonderful experience thus far. Trevor is still taking lessons, can't imagine not taking them and still dabbles on the guitar here and there...always sounding better from week to week.
We have never once asked him to practice, he comes and goes as he chooses. We vowed that there would only be joy surrounding their musical experiences and we've managed to stay true to that even before we were total unschoolers. At least we did a few things right!
We will continue to add musical instruments to our home. I have an ocarina I love, we keep recorders and harmonicas and maraces and rainsticks and a doumbeck and such....
My dh playes guitar and keyboards beautifully and is capable on a couple other instruments (including drums), my Dad is learning steel drums right now and we have friends that are really into drumming circles. Also, through the SCA they've been introduced to a lot of handdrumming, recorders, dulcimers and the like.
Lots of rich and varied experiences, lots of freedom and no pressure to perform..I think that's a perfect unschooling music environment.:)
Oh, and about performing....funny thing. At the conference in SC, Trevor had planned to play a song on his guitar during the talent show. When it came time, his nerves were such a mess that he decided not to do it. But my child that has been the absolute most shy one up to this point, got up and sang "Spongebob Squarepants" in front of many, many unschoolers without flinching (and it was a last minute, serendipitous moment). Go figure.
Ren