31: Overview of Music History for Homeschool Parents: Mastering Music 101 series

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Welcome to another engaging episode of the Music in Our Homeschool podcast, hosted by seasoned homeschooler and music educator, Gena Mayo. In this installment titled "Introduction to Musical Instruments: Part 3 of the Mastering Music 101 Basics for Homeschool Parents series," Gena delves into the fascinating world of musical instruments, providing an accessible guide for homeschool parents.

Drawing from her expertise of over 30 years in music education, Gena offers an enriching overview of the four fundamental families of instruments you might encounter in an orchestra: percussion, strings, woodwinds, and brass. Additionally, she introduces listeners to the keyboard family, expanding the traditional scope of these musical categories.

Gena begins with the percussion family, detailing how instruments like drums, cymbals, tambourines, and xylophones are played by striking, shaking, or rubbing. She explains the unique sound production methods of each instrument and why the piano might be included in this family due to its felt hammers striking strings.

Next, she covers the string family, featuring violins, violas, cellos, double basses, and the harp, discussing how the size and resonance of these instruments influence their pitch. Gena explains that smaller instruments produce higher pitches and larger ones produce lower pitches, enhancing your understanding of their role in the orchestra.

In the woodwind section, Gena discusses instruments from the piccolo to the bassoon, emphasizing how blowing into these instruments and the presence of reeds (in some cases) creates their distinctive sounds. She further explains the correlation between the size of the woodwind instrument and its pitch.

Moving on to the brass family, Gena covers trumpets, french horns, trombones, and tubas, shedding light on how these instruments produce sound through the player's embouchure and the extensive tubing that characterizes brass instruments.

Finally, Gena introduces the keyboard family, which encompasses instruments like the piano, clavichord, organ, and synthesizer. She describes the diverse ways these instruments generate sound and highlights the universal aspect of their patterned keys.

Throughout the episode, Gena reassures homeschool parents that an in-depth mastery of these concepts isn’t necessary to create a music-rich curriculum for their children. Instead, she encourages learning alongside them to foster a shared love for music.

To wrap up, Gena shares a plethora of resources available at musicinourhomeschool.com, including specialized music history and theory courses, self-paced beginning instrument instruction courses, and more to further assist parents in providing quality music education.

Don’t miss out on this informative session, packed with practical insights and resources to support and enrich your homeschool music journey!

Find all links for resources mentioned in this episode here: https://musicinourhomeschool.com/intro-to-musical-instruments/

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