Homeschool Happenings: Zeezok Publishing ~ A Review

Over the past weeks my daughter has been learning about composers with Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades from Zeezok Publishing. This curriculum is geared for grades 5th-8th. Zeezok generously sent out not only the student workbook but they also sent me all of the biographies, eight in book form and one via Ebook format. Zeezok Publishers is committed to the homeschool community and it is their sincere hope that their books and publications will help to enrich, educate, and edify children.

The nine composer biographies included in the collection are:

Frederic Chopin: Son of Poland, Early Years by Opal Wheeler

Frederic Chopin: Son of Poland, Later Years by Opal Wheeler

Robert Schumann and Mascot Ziff by Opal Wheeler

Edward MacDowell and His Cabin in the Pines by Opal Wheeler and Sybil Deucher

Stephen Foster and His Little Dog Tray by Opal Wheeler

Adventures of Richard Wagner by Opal Wheeler

The Story of Peter Tchaikovsky by Opal Wheeler

Peter Tchaikovsky and the Nutcracker Ballet by Opal Wheeler

The Young Brahms by Sybil Deucher

Some of the concepts that your student will learn throughout the curriculum:

Identify musical forms used in vocal & instrumental genres from various historical periods.
Explore & identify music & musical instruments from different historical periods & world cultures.
Recognize historical & cultural contexts that have influenced music.
Identify the major periods, genres & composers in the development of Western & non-Western music.
Listen to, identify, & respond to music of different composers, historical periods & world cultures.
Identify the style & historical period of various music examples.
Describe characteristics of music forms from various cultures, historical periods & popular music.
Discuss how music has developed from the social context of various cultures.
Compare & contrast selected composers & their works.
Describe ways that music relates to other art forms.
Identify musical terms & symbols.
Explain accurate rhythm & pitch in singing & instrument performance.

Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades is broken down into seven units. Each unit consists of four weeks of except for the first unit which has five.

QR Codes are used so that students can listen to music tracks of the various composers throughout the study.

The breakdown of a typical week looks like this:

Reading several chapters in one of the above books.
Answering comprehension questions
Listening to music tracks via the QR Codes using the Music Appreciation App
Character Qualities
Tidbits of Interest
Vocabulary to Learn
History/Geography/Life/Culture surrounding the Composer's life
Music Theory Section

My daughter is an avid reader and so this curriculum has been a great fit for her. She has enjoyed reading about the various composers and their lives. She has already read through many of the books. She is obviously going to have to back track when it comes to the workbook. The music theory part of the workbook has a few hiccups for her in that she has not had any music training. In the above worksheet entitled, Go Tell Aunty Rhody, I had to explain to her a bit more about how music notes were counted because she didn't understand. Once I explained she got it and was off and running.

The Character Qualities section in the workbook is really a wonderful insight into the composers life. For instance, one of the qualities listed for Schumann is that he was Family-oriented. It said, "Life with Clara brought Robert joy, which in turn brought melodies to mind. Robert loved his children very much, and he lovingly wrote music for a special book of compositions for his little ones, with a new composition for each new child. He also delighted in returning home to his family after touring Russia with his wife."

In the study on Chopin the students learn that he composed music in many different styles. They are asked to define concerto, scherzo, ballad, sonata, waltz, and fugue.

At the end of each unit there are answer keys.

Each of the books is written for easy readability for the student. There are black and white illustrations throughout each book as well as musical compositions with track numbers listed.

Throughout the curriculum there are yummy recipes for the students to make.

The unit on Wagner has eight recipes for the student to make.

This is a great overview that was included for Robert Schumann's life events and

also the world events. Most of the composers have a timeline of some sort. In the unit on

Foster there is a Foster Family Tree and then on the next page students get to fill out their

own family tree.

Because Zeezok was so very generous in giving me the full curriculum and my daughter was only able to get to complete a small portion of the composers I wanted to spend some time and share a highlight from each of the composers.

Frederic Chopin was so gifted pianist that on the eve of his 9th Birthday he was invited to play a concert in Warsaw. "The famous composer, Gyrowetz, has written a new concerto, and Frederic will play the solo part with an orchestra to accompany him!" Little Chopin's fingers flew across the piano's white and black keys. There was thundering applause and Frederic thought little of it as he finished up and took his seat beside his father. They said, "He is a wonder child! Surely another Mozart! We must have him play often!"

One evening a terrible rain was beating down, "Frederic began to play, the sound of rain beating an accompaniment to the plaintive melody. Then came the storm, rising in all its fury, only to spend itself and leave as gently as it ad come." To this Chopin wrote a Prelude.

Robert Schumann loved his children dearly and cherished is time with his family. In the evenings he would tell his children stories and play musical guessing games. The guessing game would be for the children to guess where their father had hidden his newest piece of music, written for them that very day. They would each guess a place throughout the room. "Is it in the fireplace?" "No, it is not in the fireplace, came the quiet reply." "Is it in the writing desk? questioned Elise. Yes, it is in the writing desk."

Some of Wagner's greatest operas were: The Flying Dutchman, Lohengrin, The Mastersingers of Nurnberg, Rienzi, Tristan and Isolde, Tannhauser, Parsifal, and The Ring of the Nibelung.

Upon moving to the woods with his wife, Mirian, Edward would take long walks in the forest. He would climb mountains and fish in the streams. In the evenings he and his wife would watch "the setting sun fill the sky with bright color that cast a rosy glow on the little village houses far below in the valley. Edward stored away all of this beauty in his mind too put into his music -- the peace of the woods, the singing of the wind in the trees, or the birds flying swiftly through the sunlit air. Soon he had written this little piece for the piano, in honor of the poet Heine, and called it 'A Little Piece After Heine'".

So enthused to show his teacher his own musical works, one day he presented to his teacher a small roll of papers from his pocket. Initially he was chastised by his teacher when his teacher said, "So! You write music in the week instead of practicing!" "Herr Kleber smiled and nodded his head as he played the new music, stopping often to show his pupil the mistakes that he had made and how to make them right. 'Even simple music must have rules my boy. Take his book of the great masters -- Bach and Mozart and Haydn, and do the rest until you have studied their melodies over and over.'" This is how Stephen Foster would learn how to become the great composer he was.

At the young age of 10 Johannes Brahms was a brilliant musician and gifted pianist. He soon found favor by the renowned Master Marxsen. Wanting to make sure that young Hannes was truly as talented as his former teacher, Herr Cossel, said he was, Master Marxsen gave Hannes a composition to look at. He told Hannes to go home and to come back in two day to play for him. On the appointed day Hannes returned. "Quickly Hannes sat at thte beautiful instrument, then turning, handed the book of compositions to the great teacher. 'Yes, my boy, I remember what music I gave you in the book,' Marxsen declared. 'Open it, now, and let me hear how far you can go.' 'But I do not need the music, sir,' the boy replied, and closing the book, he put it on the bench beside him. Marxsen stared, dumbfounded. What is this? Surely it was not possible the boy had learned to play some of the difficult composition without the music -- in this short time! But as the master listened to the music Hannes's small hands brought ringing from the keys, he could scarcely believe his ears. The young pianist played on to he very end of the long piece, without making a single mistake."

Young Tchaikovsky hated boarding school. While still young, at one point he got ill and was sent home to recover. More or less he was homesick. His parents surprised him by promising to take him to the opera. In exchange he promised to go quietly back to school. "A few nights later, as the heavenly music accompanied the best singers in all the city, Peter drank in the glory of sound and watched the beautiful scenes as if in a dream. His first opera in the city of St. Petersburg!" Young Tchaikovsky was never the same after watching this performance. He went back to school but music became his first love from then on.

I was fascinated to learn that Swan Lake was Tchaikovsky's very first attempt at choreography. The ballet was written for his nieces and nephews. Several years later, Tchaikovsky would go on to write his first full length ballets.

I was very impressed with this curriculum and would definitely recommend it to others. In addition to the Music Appreciation Book 2: for the Middle Grades you can also purchase a supplemental Coloring Book and a Lapbook. Also, check out what my fellow crew members have had to say by clicking the link below.

To read more reviews click here.