My Homegrown Symphony

Happy New Year! I am so excited for the upcoming year! Lord willing, everything I’ve been working towards in my *spare* time will come to fruition. [Read to the end where I explain how you can help me out in 3 seconds flat!]... Are you a homeschooling family needing to cover learning outcomes? Perhaps a family where the idea of private lessons are not a reality at the moment. Or maybe you’re a parent that had a musical upbringing but need a little help getting started with your own children. This is for you. Believe it or not, the art of music is fading away. (More on this in another post!) Im hoping I have the start to a solution. A starting point that brings me joy! I’m currently in the process of writing (well editing, rewriting & re-editing...) music curriculum for families. Curriculum where children can learn about the wide spectrum of music alongside their parents and teachers. Each lesson is educational and filled with creative ways to teach children about different musical themes. Topics include: The Orchestra, The Jazz Era, String Instruments, World Music and Singing just to name a few! Accompanying each lesson is a craft or activity as well as a handful of reading and listening suggestions. All suggestions are hand picked and pre-screened to correlate with the theme of the lesson. I have always loved a wide variety of music including different styles and genres. Overall, my hope and prayer through this curriculum is that your children would fall in love with music whether it be playing an instrument, joining a choir or band or even just a love for listening to good music! A huge thank you to my friends, colleagues and family who are currently reviewing this curriculum, editing it, and trying it out on their own kids. Your feedback is so appreciated! @andreaolsonmusic @jaimenydegger @emilyrachsmith @songs.strings.steps @heatherrusselldyck @gracehindmarsh @annette.fast @hon_edfast This is where each of you come in! Would you do me a huge favour and tag a friend or two whom you think could benefit from this curriculum? This way they can stay updated with release dates this spring! . Thank you so much! Sneak peek coming soon! Sonja

Did you know.. Abbotsford is home to an El Sistema-based program that offers FREE music lessons for children in Abbotsford? The Bakerview Music Academy is an after-school music lesson program where students learn twice a week from professional music teachers! You can find an El-Sistema in most major cities in the world!... Read more about the El Sistema story here: https://jonathangovias.com/faqs/ At the Bakerview Academy of Music, the students’ afternoon begins with a healthy snack, followed by choir, Orff, and group lessons on the violin, viola, and cello. BMA’s goal is to give students from all backgrounds the wonderful gift of making music, teaching them to work together, teamwork, leadership and friendship. What a unique gift BMA is to our community! They truly are creating a safe space to make music and to build a healthy future for young children. Would you join me in considering a year end donation to this wonderful non-profit organization? I know they would be thrilled to have your support! Click here to find more information about BMA: www.bakerviewmusic.ca

Better than a chocolate advent calendar! he exclaimed... Yup, these boys have been running to the hen house every morning the last 3 weeks, and today was the day a hen finally produced an egg! 1 egg. But boy they were happy! It’ll be a race to the hen house tomorrow morning Along with sharing music tips and resources and the launch of my children’s music curriculum this spring, I hope to also share a few glimpses of our life on our family acreage and homeschooling! ... Hope you don’t mind - - - - - #homesteadinglife #homeschoolfamily #homeschoolcurriculum #learningthroughplay #learningthroughliving #lifeskillsforkids #homeed #homeeducation #homeeducator #thisisourhomeschool #thisishowwehomeschool #homeschoolresources #homeschoolmama #musicforthesoul #musicforkidsandfamily #musicforlife #musicforhomeschoolers #musicforhome #musicforhomeschooler #charlottemasoninspired #classicaleducation #homeschoolersofinstagram #wildandfreekids #homeschoolingbyheart #intentionalhome #intentionalhomeschooling #schoolhouseliving #musiceducationmatters #musiceducationforkids

Happy 3rd Advent! This morning our family lit three candles and celebrated the JOY that comes through Jesus’ arrival through the salvation he has gifted us. We then discussed with our children what kind of things bring each of us JOY and that Jesus brings more JOY than all of those earthly things ever could. I mentioned to them that music brings me great JOY. Even more so, music that brings glory to God and honours Him. I especially love Christmas carols! One of my f...avourite carols to sing, play or listen to will forever be ‘O Holy Night’. This timeless Christmas carol was composed by Adolphe Adam in 1847. Originally, it was a French poem released under the name ‘Cantique de Noel.’ A decade later, the original French words were translated into the English version which we are familiar with. Since then, it has become one of the most famous Christmas carols performed! The words are so poignant and truly move us to fall on our knees and worship this babe born in a manger. Now, tell me what YOUR favourite Christmas carol is? Comment below! I’d love to hear what it is and perhaps even why. Hand painted art courtesy of Tiger Lily Home

I’m sure most of you would agree with me that our modern culture is diminishing in giving our children the best fine arts education it possibly can. Trips to art galleries or a concert hall are no longer a regular family activity. We are becoming more accustomed to the online world rather than experiencing the beauty of live music and real cultural experiences. Children are born with a natural ability to learn, and to grow their love for the Arts including music, dance, t...heater and art. It is so rewarding to give your child an education that is well balanced from sports to science to music. It IS possible to give your child an education that celebrates the BEST of all those subjects! How do we expose our children to the wide range of excellent music? By the way, excellent music can be found in every genre! All it takes is a little preparation and finding some reputable resources and tools to help you. Thankfully with the internet, resources and tools are all within an arms reach. Most performing arts groups have children’s performances and children’s pricing for tickets. Take in a performance by a youth ballet, orchestra or choir in your local city. Almost every major city has an El Sistema program that gives free music lessons by professionals to low income families. Also, libraries all over the country lend out ukuleles to families who want to start playing an instrument. Let’s link arms and together give our children a life-long love for the performing arts. Let’s raise a generation of children that put down their screens in order to see and hear real beauty again. A generation that use their hands, minds and skills God has given them in order to bring more light into this dark world.

Hello! My name is Sonja and this is my family. My husband and I have found ourselves homeschooling for the first time this year. Secret: we LOVE it! Seeing the progress of our children through their official and unofficial learning brings us so much joy! Before my life as a homeschooling mom, I was a musician. I’ve been a freelance musician, children’s choir director, violin, piano and voice teacher, as well as a performer in the Vancouver, BC area. ... Which brings me to the main reason for starting this page! This spring, I’m hoping to release MUSIC CURRICULUM FOR CHILDREN ages 4-10. These will be hands-on, mini-lessons designed to instill a love of music in children without the cost of expensive instruments or lessons. But for now, I will leave it there and not give too much away Stay tuned for some musings, tips and ideas about incorporating music into your child’s life!