Mason's Music and Drill
I was a Music Major and always felt Mason's curriculum was lacking a bit in Musical thoroughness, but this past year I have been doing hours of research into the PNEU Programmes and have come out of that experience very impressed. I am quite convinced that Mason's Curriculum was actually very thorough, and I believe if I worked through her scope and sequence today (even after 4 years of Majoring in Music), I would come away with a better, more complete music education than the one I got in college. It really is that good, and that living!
When we look at Charlotte Mason's Timetable, we see that in every Form, 1-6, what would be our 1st grade through graduation, Mason included Drill and Singing (Folk Songs and Sol-fa/Ear Training) midway through the morning lessons. I believe that this time period was to be a sort of "recess" time where they got up from their seats and moved, played, and sang to refresh their bodies and minds before completing their day's work. But instead of just playing, like most recesses are these days, she chose activities that could be both invigorating and educational for the children.
It seems that Piano Instruction/Music Theory and Composer Study/Music History were also always in the programs and in the exam questions, but piano lessons were done in the afternoons at home with a mother or a hired teacher. It is not clear if Music Appreciation (Composer Study) was done in the morning lesson times or if it was to be done at home in the afternoons. I am still looking into this.It was probably done in the afternoons, but my family does it in the morning because the lessons are short and if we didn't do it in the mornings, we wouldn't do it. Composer Study is a subject I have always done with our CM Community (Co-op) for accountability as well.
Go here to learn more about Sol-fa and Singing Folk songs! (On the Morning Timetables)
Go here to learn more about Drill! (On Morning Timetables)
Go here to learn more about Music Appreciation (Composer Study)! (Probably Afternoons in PNEU - our family does this in the morning)
Go here to learn more about Instrumental/Piano Music Instruction! (Afternoon time, not on Timetables)
All of these subjects are included in the PNEU programmes each term, and all have suggested Exams questions or things to be done by the parents to assess progress and then entered on exams to be returned to PNEU.
Here's an up close look at the time frame for Drill and Singing in each form since we do know these things were included in the morning lesson times:
Form 1 ( 1st - 3rd Grade) 10:20-10:50
Monday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa (15 minutes, Sight Singing lessons) and Play ( 15 minutes. I am guessing that "Play" here was just free play, but I am not certain yet. It may have also included things like skipping rope or musical games that she includes in her programs)
Wednesday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Friday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Saturday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Since we don't usually do Saturday school in the U.S. I recommend that during the "recess"/active learning time, you do a slightly modified scheduled such as this. It still allows you to do Drill 3 times per week and Singing 3 times per week. It just shortens one Drill time and removes a 15 minute play time:
Monday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play ( 15 minutes)
Wednesday: Drill or Dancing (15 minutes) and French Folk Song (15 minutes)
Thursday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Friday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Form 2 (4th-6th grade) and 3 (7th-8th Grade) 10:20-10:50
Monday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Tuesday: German Folk song (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Wednesday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Saturday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Once again, a little tweaking might be needed for us here in the U.S. with a 5 day school week. I have met very few families here in the U.S. that use do CM education, who are doing two foreign Languages, my family included. So here are two suggestions - one includes the two foreign languages and one does not.
Monday: Drill (30 minutes)
Tuesday: German Folk song (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Wednesday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (30 minutes)
OR
Monday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Wednesday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Thursday: French (We do Spanish) Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Form 4 (9th Grade) 10:40-11:00 (20 minutes total) and Form 5-6 (11th and 12th Grade) 10:25-10:50 (25 minutes total)
Monday-Saturday: Drill and Dancing everyday during the time period allotted. My guess is that the time was divided evenly. Sol-fa lessons were mostly completed by high school. At this level, they were mostly singing English and Foreign (French, German and sometimes also Italian) Folksongs, so they probably sang through them daily.
This is of course easier to adjust for our 5 days of school. Just do it for fun when you can on Saturdays!
When we look at Charlotte Mason's Timetable, we see that in every Form, 1-6, what would be our 1st grade through graduation, Mason included Drill and Singing (Folk Songs and Sol-fa/Ear Training) midway through the morning lessons. I believe that this time period was to be a sort of "recess" time where they got up from their seats and moved, played, and sang to refresh their bodies and minds before completing their day's work. But instead of just playing, like most recesses are these days, she chose activities that could be both invigorating and educational for the children.
It seems that Piano Instruction/Music Theory and Composer Study/Music History were also always in the programs and in the exam questions, but piano lessons were done in the afternoons at home with a mother or a hired teacher. It is not clear if Music Appreciation (Composer Study) was done in the morning lesson times or if it was to be done at home in the afternoons. I am still looking into this.It was probably done in the afternoons, but my family does it in the morning because the lessons are short and if we didn't do it in the mornings, we wouldn't do it. Composer Study is a subject I have always done with our CM Community (Co-op) for accountability as well.
Go here to learn more about Sol-fa and Singing Folk songs! (On the Morning Timetables)
Go here to learn more about Drill! (On Morning Timetables)
Go here to learn more about Music Appreciation (Composer Study)! (Probably Afternoons in PNEU - our family does this in the morning)
Go here to learn more about Instrumental/Piano Music Instruction! (Afternoon time, not on Timetables)
All of these subjects are included in the PNEU programmes each term, and all have suggested Exams questions or things to be done by the parents to assess progress and then entered on exams to be returned to PNEU.
Here's an up close look at the time frame for Drill and Singing in each form since we do know these things were included in the morning lesson times:
Form 1 ( 1st - 3rd Grade) 10:20-10:50
Monday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa (15 minutes, Sight Singing lessons) and Play ( 15 minutes. I am guessing that "Play" here was just free play, but I am not certain yet. It may have also included things like skipping rope or musical games that she includes in her programs)
Wednesday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Friday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Saturday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Since we don't usually do Saturday school in the U.S. I recommend that during the "recess"/active learning time, you do a slightly modified scheduled such as this. It still allows you to do Drill 3 times per week and Singing 3 times per week. It just shortens one Drill time and removes a 15 minute play time:
Monday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play ( 15 minutes)
Wednesday: Drill or Dancing (15 minutes) and French Folk Song (15 minutes)
Thursday: Sol-fa (15 minutes) and Play (15 Minutes)
Friday: Drill or Dancing (30 minutes)
Form 2 (4th-6th grade) and 3 (7th-8th Grade) 10:20-10:50
Monday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Tuesday: German Folk song (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Wednesday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Saturday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Once again, a little tweaking might be needed for us here in the U.S. with a 5 day school week. I have met very few families here in the U.S. that use do CM education, who are doing two foreign Languages, my family included. So here are two suggestions - one includes the two foreign languages and one does not.
Monday: Drill (30 minutes)
Tuesday: German Folk song (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Wednesday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Thursday: French Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (30 minutes)
OR
Monday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Tuesday: Sol-fa ( 20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Wednesday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Thursday: French (We do Spanish) Folk Song (20 minutes) and Play (10 Minutes)
Friday: Drill (20 minutes) and Play (10 minutes)
Form 4 (9th Grade) 10:40-11:00 (20 minutes total) and Form 5-6 (11th and 12th Grade) 10:25-10:50 (25 minutes total)
Monday-Saturday: Drill and Dancing everyday during the time period allotted. My guess is that the time was divided evenly. Sol-fa lessons were mostly completed by high school. At this level, they were mostly singing English and Foreign (French, German and sometimes also Italian) Folksongs, so they probably sang through them daily.
This is of course easier to adjust for our 5 days of school. Just do it for fun when you can on Saturdays!