The Power of Singing in Your Homeschool
Singing–in schools, communities, and homes–is an activity that in some ways seems like a lost art when you compare modern days to historical records. You’ve probably heard comments or read articles or studies lamenting the fact that subjects like art and music have been removed from the public school curriculum, and community singing, which used to be a social event in and of itself has been replaced with entertainment like concerts, movies, and more.
One of the best things about homeschooling is that you get to decide what subjects are important for your children and to incorporate them in the ways you find most beneficial. Singing in school offers a variety of educational, health, and societal benefits, plus it’s just plain fun! Check out this Homeschool Living for cool facts about the benefits of singing, singing tips and lessons, and singing resources to use in your homeschool.
Why to Sing
The National Association for Music Education outlines 20 benefits of music in our (home)schools. Some of the key benefits of singing include improved language development, reasoning, and memorization, but you’d be surprised how many more areas of life can be impacted by something as simple as classroom singing. Does singing count as your cardio for the day? Well…not exactly. But healthy singing is a workout that can help strengthen your diaphragm, stimulate overall circulation, and increase aerobic capacity and stamina–especially for the elderly, disabled, or injured. Check out these other amazing health benefits of singing from Take Lessons.
How to Sing
Check out Joy Sikorski’s inspiration for creating Singing Mastermind, her blog for a variety of singing-related topics. Sign up for 10 free singing tips (watch the first tip video right away) and even explore the options for her affordable singing lessons.
Browse these 16 creative ways to use songs in the classroom from Busy Teacher for interesting ideas for using singing in school as part of a language, grammar, or writing lesson.
What to Sing
Explore these lists of songs from the National Association of Music Education’s Get America Singing…Again! Campaign, launched in 1995. The purpose of the campaign is to establish a common song repertoire and promote community singing. How many of the songs do you know? Do you remember your parents or grandparents singing any of them? For a fun, child-friendly approach to American folk music, check out Wee Sing America (and maybe explore some more resources in the Wee Sing series). Your local library may have these books and CDs. You’ll find this a great resource for teaching American history through song, with songs that will help students learn the American presidents, the names of the states, the preamble to the Constitution, The Pledge of Allegiance, and more. Check out “The Benefits of Singing Hymns In Your Homeschool” by Lynna Sutherland for some more great reasons to incorporate singing in school into your homeschool living!
