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One reason I chose to use the Charlotte Mason approach is because of the wide range of subjects that are included in the curriculum. I loved the idea of broadening my children’s horizons and exposing them to a wide variety of experiences, some of which might potentially spark a personal lifelong interest in each of them.
But it was a big change from the way I was used to thinking about school. And to be honest, it took me a while to grow in understanding why some of the subjects are included.
Perhaps you’re in the same boat. Perhaps you’re wondering What’s the Point of (fill in the subject here). Oh, you probably know why you should teach reading and writing and math and science and things like that. But Plutarch and poetry? music and nature study? Or perhaps you’re trying to figure out why handicrafts and art are part of the curriculum.
There are so many wonderful reasons for including each of those subjects in our children’s educations! I’m not going to try to fit all of the benefits into one post; it would be overwhelming. Instead, we’ll unpack just one or two subjects at a time, and I think you’ll see clearly why each one has a part in a Charlotte Mason education.
Let’s start with music and art. What’s the point? you might ask. Why should we spend school time looking at paintings and listening to music? It’s a valid question.
Some of the answer depends on how you define education. In a Charlotte Mason approach, education means all that goes into shaping who a person is becoming. It takes the whole person into account and encourages growth mentally, yes, but also socially, emotionally, physically, and spiritually. So with that in mind, let’s take a look at the benefits that music and art bring to the table.
Sometimes we don’t realize how much impact our surroundings have on what we grow to expect and to think of as normal.
Listening to beautiful music and looking at beautiful art cultivates your student’s sense of beauty. Sometimes we don’t realize how much impact our surroundings have on what we grow to expect and to think of as normal. This world can be ugly, and we see and hear foul things around us. So why not take a little time regularly to give our children a taste of something beautiful?
Exposure to good music and art can also uncover hidden talents in some of our children. Of course, all of them can grow to appreciate good music and art, but some of them may also discover that they have a gift for creating music and art—a gift that could lay dormant for years if that child is never exposed to the possibility of expressing ideas through those media.
Some of our children think in pictures; others find it helpful to occupy the restless part of their brains with music. What a gift we can give them to validate those ways of communicating and build into our weeks specific times to enjoy those art forms together. It’s a way of building and strengthening our relationships with those children and giving their brains a break from words or numbers.
Because music and art transcend language differences, they provide a wonderful way to introduce and explore other cultures.
Art and music also help our students grow in their relationships with other people. They learn to respect those who communicate ideas with that media, to cultivate an appreciation for that work, and they develop a repertoire and vocabulary that helps them build bridges with others who are interested in those art forms.
Because music and art transcend language differences, they provide a wonderful way to introduce and explore other cultures, whether they live across the street or across the sea.
It’s hard to believe that you can give your student all of this in just 10 or 15 minutes once a week, but you can with the Charlotte Mason approach. Simply do a picture study one day a week and a music or composer study another day each week. They’re easy to do, and you don’t have to be a music aficionado or an art expert to enjoy these subjects with your children.
Just 10 or 15 minutes once a week can add up to wonderful results. By including art and music in your homeschool, your student will grow as a person—both in his relationship with himself and with others. And isn’t that the point?
Music and art are simple with the award-winning resources from Simply Charlotte Mason. Picture Study Portfolios and Music Study with the Masters give you everything you need in one handy kit so all you have to do is open and go.
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