Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Tuesday, October 27, 2024

{Review} The Nutcracker - Maestro Classics

Music appreciation is as important to a well rounded student as mathematics. Still, balancing the need to complete core subjects while finding time to enjoy lessons in the arts can be frustrating. The key to successfully integrating music appreciation into our school days has been finding fun, but easy to use products like The Nutcracker from Maestro Classics.


These stories in music, as Maestro Classics likes to call them, provide exposure to Classical music performed by well known orchestras while entertaining with the related story narrated over the music. For the purpose of this review, we received the physical CD of The Nutcracker in a beautiful trifold case which also held a small booklet about this production of The Nutcracker. Although I highly recommend the physical copy, if you need the instant gratification The Nutcracker is also available as an MP3 download.

This Maestro Classics production of Tchaikovsky's music, adapted by Stephen Simon, is performed by the London Philharmonic Orchestra and narrated by Jim Weiss. It is recommended for anyone ages five and up, and I entirely agree with that range. Even the quite young can enjoy the music and story presented in these productions. The entire CD runs almost exactly one hour and can easily be heard in a single setting, however it is also a simple matter to pause between tracks if an hour is too long in one place for your family.

The lovely full color booklet included with the CD can be used as a small music appreciation lesson on it's own. It starts with a summary of the production by acts with each scene detailed. Then has two pages on the history of ballet, the scoring for Overture to The Nutcracker, two pages on the harp, two pages on the composer Tchaikovsky, and finally a couple of fun activities.


To be honest, I was a little unclear as to how this type of production worked since we've only ever seen The Nutcracker as the ballet. It turns out it is a fantastic way to enjoy music originally meant to tell a story. The appropriately animated narrator speaks over the music while it's playing, but only enough to set the tone and guide the listener along the path of the story. The well written story invokes the perfect imagery to complement the music, then allows the music to create an auditory picture.

We listened to The Nutcracker on my computer while relaxing after a long day of appointments and physical therapy. Amber adores The Nutcracker and did a several week study of it back in sixth grade after which we went to a professional production of the ballet. Amber kept the included booklet with her the whole time, following along with the scenes. While listening Amber also read through the entire booklet and completed both of the activities. She thought it was fun, even though she is a bit above their target age.


Right away Amber noted this Maestro Classics production of The Nutcracker was shorter in length than what she normally listens to and has seen. Thankfully, she felt it was well arranged and the length did not detract at all from the overall enjoyment. It actually made it much easier to relax and listen, knowing we didn't have to commit to a long period of time.

If you want to use The Nutcracker as a basis for a more in depth music appreciation study or even a multi-subject unit study, Maestro Classics has a curriculum guide for The Nutcracker on their website. It includes topical information and study ideas for ballet, history & geography, science, language arts, art, music, and math. We looked over these pages, but decided against completing another study on The Nutcracker. However, I wish these resources had been available when we studied The Nutcracker.

No matter if you are looking for a complete unit study on Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker or simply an enjoyable listen, Maestro Classics has the perfect answer in their production of The Nutcracker.



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Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/MaestroClassics
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See how other members of the Review Crew used Maestro Classics to incorporate music into their days!

Maestro Classics Review


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Friday, May 29, 2024

{Review} PianoWithWillie from JazzEdge

Unexpected Homeschool: Review PianoWithWillie Online Piano Lessons

Recently the chance came up to review PianoWithWillie by JazzEdge, and since piano is one of my passions that I rarely have time for anymore, I took this opportunity in the hopes it would help me find the time to play again. For the purpose of the review I was given the Studio Access level of PianoWithWillie.

While this particular program is not recommended for young children without prior piano experience, both Amber and I are great candidates for the class.  Amber is thirteen and has taken six years of piano, but her current instrument of choice is the flute. Even though I have not taken formal piano lessons in 25 years, I am an accomplished classical pianist.  However, our levels of experience is not needed for the online course.  I think an absolute beginner of at least age 10 would have great success.
Unexpected Homeschool: Review PianoWithWillie Online Piano Lessons

What is PianoWithWillie and how does it work?
PianoWithWillie is a online piano program that provides lessons at a varying range of abilities and styles.  Once signed in you begin at your Dashboard each time.  Right away on the Dashboard is the Piano Start plan that helps a novice begin with lessons in the PianoWithWillie system.  The Piano Start helps you understand their system and how to navigate, as well as getting you going on the piano.

If you are a more experienced piano player, you may skip over the Piano Start and use the navigation system to go right to their Lessons area where you can select from over 300 different archived lessons.  Another alternative to combing through the lesson topics is to allow the system to create a Lesson Plan for you based on your current knowledge and interests.

My Dashboard, showing the Piano Start section.


PianoWithWillie has a 22-point assessment which not only checks your music theory knowledge, but also queries your practice habits, musical style interests, and what your current lesson goals might be.  After you complete the assessment, the program creates a Lesson Plan customized for your goals and current abilities.  You can create more than one Lesson Plan too if you have more than one goal for your lessons!

Each Lesson Plan will remain available even if you create another and you can work on multiple lesson plans at one time since it is not required that you complete a plan before going to any other lessons.  This is really one of the great attributes of this program. While the plans make recommendations for your skill level and interests, you are free to study lessons that interest you in any order.

The Lesson Plans are shown on your Dashboard and will contain a mixture of suggested topical articles to read and video lessons.  The lessons can be quite lengthy in duration, which is why it is so convenient that each lesson is broken into chapters.  For example, the first lesson in one of my plans was 51 minutes.  However, that lesson was additionally broken into 10 chapters to make it easier to complete.  The program keeps track of how much you've completed from each individual lesson as well as which portions of each Lesson Plan have been finished.

Piano Plans - Easy access to all created plans at any time.


Every video lesson is viewed in a similar format with the screen being divided into sections.  There is always a smaller section where you can see the instructor speaking, along with a larger section that shows a closeup of the keyboard. Notes, chords, and other information is superimposed on the the keyboard when needed too. From my experience, each lesson also appears to have some printable portion to it.  Whether it is sheet music for the particular song used or even just a practice planning sheet, every lesson provides much more than the video.

A huge selling point for me was that, unlike private piano lessons that have a scheduled time, PianoWithWillie can be used at any time of day or night and the music student can progress at their own speed. The lessons can be watched on a computer, or on a tablet device, such as an iPad. If you have a piano instead of an easily portable keyboard, the most effective way to use the lessons is with a laptop or tablet near the piano.  Personally, I used an iPad at my piano.

A video lesson
How I used PianoWithWillie
First I needed to decide on what my goals would be with these online lessons. Despite the years of private piano lessons I have taken, I never became proficient with anything that has a rock beat to it.  My area of interest was always Classical music and I just didn't even try to play popular music until recently. I also have the added complication of a damaged left arm. Over 11 years ago I shattered my left elbow and broke both arm bones up near the elbow.  While this was all repaired, of course the arm does not work exactly as it should anymore and my piano playing was affected. I've tried since that injury to adapt my playing, but could really use some technique reminders to help in that adaptation.

I took the PianoWithWillie 22-point assessment initially with the thought in mind to brush up on my Classical playing and restructuring my practice times.  The results came up with one lesson in my Lesson Plan along with several articles to read.  While all the information in the articles and video lesson was already known to me, much of it I had begun to neglect or at least had forgotten why I was doing it.  The lesson was a great reminder and guide to get my practice times going in the right direction again.

The video lessons in one of my lesson plans


Since the practice time lesson had been such a success, I decided to step out of my comfort zone of Classical music and retook the 22-point assessment with my interest selected as "Rock and Pop Piano". This yielded me another Lesson Plan set with more articles and four advanced video lessons. The lessons focused on rock groves and soloing techniques along with improvisation demonstrated through learning a specific rock song.

I took my new knowledge from these lessons and selected a rock/pop song lesson from the general lesson archive - Every Breath You Take.  It took some practice, but I began to feel more confident with this style of playing. In my piano music resources at home, I have books and binders of pop music attempts that I gave up on because it just didn't feel right or comfortable.  Pulling out a few of those songs, I began to plunk my way through them again and see if my lessons had any effect. I'm not sure if my playing of those pop songs sounds any different to the casual listener, but I feel more in control and actually enjoyed playing pop music after my PianoWithWillie lessons.

While one of my original goals had been to perfect or at least improve the technique of my damaged left arm, I had been almost afraid to select that option during an assessment.  Finally, after such positive experiences with the rest of the program I went ahead and completed the assessment one last time, selecting "improving my coordination and technique" as my current lesson interest.  I was again given a new Lesson Plan with articles and advanced level lessons on pain & technique, fast fingers, warmups, and scales.  This is probably where I should have started.

My practice times.  If you look closely, you can see the left arm at a strange angle.  It doesn't rotate properly, which affects my technique.
Obviously, these online lessons were not designed to deal with my specific physical limitations, however by watching their lessons on technique, specifically the one addressing pain while playing, I was able to correct some habits that had been hindering my use of the left arm and hand.

I have been nothing but pleased with PianoWithWillie. My piano technique improved and I was finally able to include a new style of music to my repertoire.  Not only will beginner or moderate level musicians benefit from this program, but I can vouch that advanced level players who may not have time or access to private lessons will also find their skills improved by using PianoWithWillie.

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Connect on social media:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PianoWithWillie
Twitter: https://twitter.com/PianoWithWillie
Pinterest: https://www.pinterest.com/jazzedge
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/JazzEDge
Vimeo: https://vimeo.com/jazzedge

Please check out what other members of the Review Crew thought of the various JazzEdge products.

JazzEdge Review


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Saturday, January 24, 2024

And All the Extras

Welcome to the last week of the 2015 Virtual Curriculum Fair hosted by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts and Minds and Lisa @ Golden Grasses.  The topic this final week is Seeking Beauty: the Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World. So, what brings beauty to our homeschool?

Succinctly, my child's smiling face, infectious laugh, and relief when we set a schedule to fit her abilities. But this is a curriculum fair, and not a philosophical discussion about beauty.   Unfortunately, we don't have much of a curriculum for this topic.  There are many ways wee seek out beauty, but very little (if any) includes formal curriculum.

Let's instead look at the items that make our girl smile and laugh? In the past she adored dance, looked forward to art classes at the local art / pottery store, her piano lessons and just about any activity with friends. Now there isn't energy for all of those activities. We did join a homeschool group with a co-op a little over a year ago and Amber loves every second of her time with this group. 

We choose to use the homeschool co-op for enrichment classes only, yet there is still plenty of topics to keep Amber busy there for the large part of one day each week. Last school year Amber started with an art class at the co-op which was fun at first, but lost its luster later in the semester.  Drama at the co-op, on the other hand, couldn't be a better experience. Last year she was a goblin in a small production of The Hobbit; for the Christmas just passed she was Mary in a pantomime; and now for the current spring production she is Susan in The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.

Photo art class and homework picture-taking; knitting for fun, and at the symphony
Amber has returned to an artistic class with photography art this semester. It is a combination of photography instruction with art projects using photos they take each week. It's a great balance of learning and art.  Additionally, Amber takes a teen Bible study, which although it is taught non-denominationally, has given her a chance to enjoy being in God's word without the concentration level required for her regular confirmation class. 

Outside of the homeschool group Amber takes weekly flute lessons and intermittently plays in a band. This is after 6+ years of piano lessons too. There is nothing more beautiful than to listen to an earnest music student on the flute.  It is truly a lovely instrument.

Those are all structured classes that add beauty to our homeschool.  However, we spend a good deal of time crafting and simply creating on our own at home too.   Amber is particularly partial to knitting and other yarn crafts.  She also loves to doodle and simply create with the art supplies on hand.  We've recently signed up for a subscription to Doodle Crate and await our first delivery.  Amber is very excited to have craft projects delivered to our door once a month along with the promise to dedicate to the projects.

Amber as Mary, working on a craft project and practicing flute before a performance
We also enjoy attending the symphony and touring Broadway productions as a family.  We never expected Amber to so enjoy these events, but she looks forward to them possibly more than the adults.

That's how our family adds beauty to our homeschool and family life.  It's not perfect, but nothing in life ever is.  Thanks for joining us during the 2015 Curriculum Fair. We've had fun sharing and reading all the great ideas from other families.

Other Weeks from the 2015 Curriculum Fair
Unexpected Homeschool: Logically Speaking: Math, Science, and Logic for 7th Grade Unexpected Homeschool: Classically Influenced, Project Strong, Adaptable Middle School History

Please check out how the other members of the 2015 Virtual Curriculum Fair are finding Beauty in their worlds.


  • The Art of Organization…or How Clutter Almost Ruined My Homeschool by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
  • The Shadow of Divine Perfection by Lisa @ Golden Grasses
  • Relaxed Homeschooling: Fine Arts in the Early Elementary Years by Brittney @ Mom's Heart
  • Fine Arts {Art Appreciation, Art, Composer Study Hymn Study} for 2015 by Chareen @ Every Bed of Roses
  • Adding Sparkle to Home Education by Sarah @ Delivering Grace
  • And All the Extras by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
  • Teaching Art Using the Bible by Tauna @ Proverbial Homemaker
  • Art In Every Subject by Kym @ Homeschool Coffee Break
  • Letting Art Just Happen in Homeschool by Amy @ One Blessed Mamma
  • Missing Art? by Kristen H. @ Sunrise to Sunset
  • Do YOU Have Time for Extracurriculars? by Michele@ Family, Faith and Fridays
  • Fine Arts in Our Classical / Charlotte Mason Homeschool by Sharra @ The Homeschool Marm
  • The Science of Beauty for a Delight-Directed Daughter by Susan @ The Every Day of Education
  • Seeking Beauty: How we Tackle the Arts in our Homeschool by Joelle @ Homeschooling for His Glory
  • Learning To Appreciate Beauty With Fine Arts Resources@ As We Walk Along the Road by Leah@ As We Walk Along the Road

If you'd like to join the fair this week, use the linky below.

http://new.inlinkz.com/luwpview.php?id=488828


Friday, August 23, 2024

Week of Firsts and Other Mental Ravings

Busy, busy. That's what our schedule looks like this school year.  I tried to make it more relaxed, really I did.  We only have one activity per day, so far, and a whole day when we have no where to go.  That's infinitely better than last year. 

Despite handbell choir practice and flute lessons adding to our busyness this week, I had high hopes for a smoothly scheduled week. On paper, it should have worked.  I have determined, though, that there are no "normal" weeks and no way to predict schedule anomalies.  We will always have an appointment for a doctor / orthodontist / dentist, a family commitment, an illness, a field trip, friend get-together, or a day when I just need to get out and shop.   So, I've decided I'm going to become a go-with-the-flow-blow-in-the-wind type of person.  Yep, or at least pretend I'm one of those people and that it doesn't drive me batty when we can't stick to the schedule.

This week Amber had her GI doctor visit, so first thing Monday morning our normal week schedule was obliterated.  The doctor put Amber on a second medication to counteract the mild side effects of the much needed medication that is working miracles for Amber's digestive problems.  At least she didn't order more immediate tests.

A happy, healthy looking child again! She even enjoys her pointe technique classes and isn't wiped out at the end.

Since we were already out and about on Monday, we stopped by the Girl Scout shop and picked up Amber's Bronze Award pin and turned in our paperwork.  Amber has now officially finished her Bronze award and Girl Scouts.  Hooray!  We will continue volunteering with Heartland Humane Society since we have enjoyed it so much.  The cat blanket knitting (Amber) and crocheting (me) continues in the evenings while we relax and we are baking for an extra Labor Day weekend bake sale too.

There it is, the Bronze Pin.  We still haven't put it on her vest.

In school this week, we finally began 6th grade spelling.  It was supposed to start a couple of weeks ago, but we had days off during those weeks so I kept putting spelling off.  Sheesh.  It's not that hard to complete.  I don't think I was as ready as I thought to start the full schedule of subjects and procrastinating on spelling was my way to hold something back.

Amber also had her first math test of the year, but since there hasn't been any new material yet I didn't expect this test to be of any difficulty.  She has been pretty much sailing through the assignments each day without even needing my help to go over the lesson portion.  Eventually, we will get back to where I teach the new concept each day and she reads the lesson in the book as reinforcement.   I'm not sure when that might happen because a good half of Saxon Algebra 1/2 looks to be a review of 7/6. However, for now she is reading the lesson herself then doing the exercises.

Amber also completed her first music appreciation lesson of the year directly after her first flute lesson.  That wasn't such great timing on my part.  Originally, the timeslot was for art appreciation, but we decided to alternate weeks between music and art appreciation.  Oh well, Amber can simply be quite musical on those days.

Firsts for the year: First Math test, first Spelling test (with kitty buddy in her lap) and first Music Appreciation project.
While being terribly nervous right before the flute lesson, Amber came out all smiles and has been practicing ever since.  Evidently, she did stellar for her first time playing a flute and she reads music excellently.  I'd hope so after 5+ years of playing piano!  Still, it only helps her self esteem to hear it from someone other than her mother.

Fred was out of town for most of the week making our days seem a bit unending since he never came home to signal the definite end of school days.  Thankfully, Amber has enough activities that we just sorta finished school in advance of activity time.  We were pathetic for dinner and ate Outback curbside to-go, twice.  Sigh.  But their salads are good and gluten-free.

We also watched an inordinate amount of Robin Hood in the evenings while working on kitten blankets.  For some reason, Amber had been loathe to move on to season 2, so we were stuck between seasons for a couple of months.  Finally, this week she decided it would be alright to try Robin Hood again.  I do believe she has renewed her addiction as we've now finished season 2 and are half way through season 3.

I won't spoil it for anyone, though it's not like you can't read it all online, but season 3 isn't nearly as good as the others.  And seriously, did they have stock in hair gel or fail to let the actors bathe? Each season more and more characters have such greasy looking hair that it just makes my skin crawl. Even Amber noticed it, and I quote "eeww.. what happened to Gisborne's hair.  It's nasty and the wrong kind of long." Poor Richard Armitage, poo-pooed by an 11 year old girl. But she's right, it's definitely not the best look.

Flute, need I say more? 

Besides watching TV, we did get in some outside play time in the evenings.  Unfortunately, our lovely cool summer has turned dry, hot and muggy, just like it always does in Missouri.  Don't let the month fool you.  Our summers go until October sometimes and I swear September must be one of our hottest months. 

Most of the week Amber slept later than I would like and I'm not sure if the scheduled school times need to be adjusted or if I need to find a way to get Amber up earlier.  She so badly needs to get her reserves back after having been sick.  One late night and she is sickly the whole next day.  I think I'll leave the schedule for a couple more weeks to see if Amber can start working toward earlier mornings without feeling sick.  If she could be ready for school by 9 am I'd consider it a done deal.

2-Square again with me.  (I won!!!!)
Knitting while watching Robin Hood.  She did pause to receive the traditional stuffed animal travel souvenir from Daddy. (That's Rosetta in her lap.  Lately, her favorite place is Amber's lap)

This weekend we have nothing planned, so of course I'm preparing house projects.  I just need us to complete two specific projects before I can start refinishing our dining room furniture.  I've decided to go with black and distress the edges.  Fred is very unsure of this, but as I keep most of the furniture covered with a table cloth or chair covers, it can't get much worse.  Besides, it's cheaper than buying a whole new set.

Have a great weekend!


Linking with:

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Friday, May 17, 2024

Finally, A Nature Study! (sorta)

We've had a week of going with the flow of life around us and fitting in school when and where we could.  Thankfully, 5th grade is almost complete which means it is a lot less stressful if we do not get the check marks on all of our scheduled subjects.

This week saw the completion of Amber's chimes choir.  The choir had three chimes performances to end their year, starting on Saturday evening, then Sunday morning (yes, I had to drive her up to church on Mother's Day for an abbreviated performance while Fred slept in!), and finally on Monday afternoon.   Not only was Monday the last day of chimes for the school year, but for the 5th graders it was their final year in chimes.  While Amber is excited to be one of the kids graduating to handbells next year, it was also bittersweet to leave the wonderful chimes leader. 

Chimes choir performed at a nursing home on Monday. 
Amber has felt even worse this week than last week with more "sick" days than other weeks.  We were supposed to wait for the 21st of May before we called the GI doctor back with an update, however Amber was doing so poorly on the 14th that I called early.  Thankfully, the doctor was pleased that we did call early because the medication should have been working already.  Amber is now scheduled for a repeat upper endoscopy on May 24th to check the progress of her damage.  Unfortunately for my little girl, she also gets to have a colonoscopy on the same day.  Amber has watched me go through colonoscopy prep, she knows exactly how unpleasant it will be.  There is no sugar coating this for her.

When Amber was able to sit up without feeling dizzy or nauseated we had school lessons at home, mostly on the couch, and also on the floor of our empty house in the subdivision across the street.  Our former home is for sale, after several years of renting, and this week we received an offer on it that eventually turned into a contract! Amber and I have spent a couple of days at the "old house" fixing little things that our last tenants left screwy.  We actually were at Lowe's (for the zillionth time) when the realtor called with the offer.  Most of the work is finished, just a couple more items on our to do list.  Then we will see how inspection goes.  Prayers that this process goes smoothly and the sale completes would be greatly appreciated.

My Mother's Day gift!  Planned, designed, and created by Amber.  Daddy took her shopping and Grandma oversaw assembly.  My favorite color is blue, so the blue flower is the centerpiece. 
And... dinner on the patio at Cheesecake Factory.  It was a last minute decision, but we were near by, hungry, and they had a 5 minute wait.
Amber really was a trooper though, patiently hanging out at the old house working on assignments, trying to help, and napping for the better part of two days.  At one point while she was dusting baseboards, Amber looked out an upstairs window then came running to me all in a tither. "Mom, I can see our house from here... I mean our house we live in."  It is so confusing to own two houses 0.3 miles apart.  I'm also baffled that the child doesn't remember watching the construction crews build our current house.  We had such fun using binoculars, spying out Amber's bedroom window to see how the "new house" was doing.

This week, when we were home, Amber has practiced piano as much as her tummy allowed.  While she is usually diligent in her piano practice, it is not always enthusiastic.  I'm not sure if it is the looming piano performance at recital, or just the current "fun song", but for whatever reason Amber has been turning down opportunities to play with her toys in favor of practicing piano.  I think it is her new obsession with Phantom of the Opera.  Today, after two hours, (I am not exaggerating) of constantly humming "Angel of Music", I finally had to ask that she find something else.  She moved on to "Phantom of the Opera".  At which point, I decided to mow the yard.


There has also been a lot of bird & wildlife watching by Amber and Biscotti (the kitty).  Our beloved bird feeder, gifted to me by my mom when we moved in here, was broken last year by the lawn mowers (first and only time I hired people to mow my yard. It was disastrous).  We finally have a new, cheap one that I bought as an after thought at the pet store.  Amber has been trying all week to identify the birds landing at the feeder.   Biscotti has been trying to attack the birds through the glass. So far we have seen cardinals, robins, finches, sparrows, crows, and hummingbirds (because the lady next door has a feeder and they occasionally get confused).  However, the best was the rabbit attracted by my roses that detoured to eat the fallen bird seed.  Biscotti spent over half an hour watching this brash critter while running from window to window, pawing, and generally carrying on.  Amber sat perfectly still, trying not to scare the bunny as the cat ran around crazy.  It was pure entertainment.

Does this count as nature study, or entertainment?
Ordering for next year's school curriculum has already begun too.  I finalized most of our curriculum decisions last month and have been waiting for some sales on the items we needed.  This past week I managed to find quite a few good deals on books we will need as well as some curriculum sales.  Once all my shipments arrive, we actually will almost be set for 6th grade.  This lets me plan at my leisure over the summer, instead of rushing at the last minute.

This week I had an ultrasound of several organs looking for the cause of my 4 year long right side pain.  Again, it showed nothing... because it's in my intestines.  On the positive side, that means there aren't any unknown tumors or growths hanging out.  I'm still waiting the results of the blood tests.  They took 9 vials of blood!  I almost wanted to ask if they needed donations that badly, or was it really necessary to draw that much.  But I kept my sarcastic comment to myself, and instead thanked the nice lady with the needle in my arm for not injuring me.

Today, Amber and I are hoping for a day of relaxation and some shopping, but it depends on how she feels and if plumber has received the special order part needed for a repair at the old house. 

Happy weekend everyone!

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Friday, May 10, 2024

Doctors and The Phantom

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here, yet it still feels like we have accomplished very little. 

Our house certainly looks like we haven't been keeping up on the cleaning.  Oh, the vacuuming, dishes, laundry, and bathrooms have been kept up (mostly), but there is no way the house is at our usual standards.  And please don't swipe your finger across any surfaces, you'll disturb our evenly distributed dust.

What exactly have we been doing?  Many, many doctor visits for all members of our family, and keeping up our previous home which is (thankfully) tenant free and for sale. 

On an extremely positive note, my husband Fred has been declared "cured" of his pheochromocytoma by the team of endocrinologists overseeing his care.  It will be one year on Mother's day (May 12th) since he fell ill.  Last year, right about this time, we were anticipating Amber's dance recital with no clue how life changing it would truly be.  After suffering a massive coronary that started during Amber's dance recital and progressed to kidney failure, respiratory failure, heart failure, liver failure, and oxygen deprivation my husband slipped into a coma in the wee hours of Mother day.

Now, one year later, Fred is fully restored to health with no detectable effects from his ordeal.  As the attending endocrinologist said "You dodged a pheochromocytoma, and now have to deal with the normal effects of aging like the rest of us."  Fred does still have genetic testing to complete this summer, to ensure the pheo was not the beginning of a nasty disease.  However, it appears unlikely.

On our way to yet another appointment.  But she wore sunglasses for the first time in years.  No more transitions glasses.
Amber and I have been going to doctors' appointments for the two of us as well.   We still don't know why Amber is having such tummy and intestinal troubles, but her GI doctor and mine are working together now.  It appears the progressive mystery illness that I've had for years, which was dumped into the general bucket of IBS (Irritable Bowel Syndrome), might be something genetic.  Amber has additional symptoms making her quite similar to the early progression of my symptoms. I hope between the two doctors they can decide what we have, because I don't want Amber to have the rapidly degrading quality of life I've had for the past 4 years.

Amber is on two new medications to heal the damage already done to her stomach.  I hope it helps her, but one of those medications didn't work for me in the past.  Amber also had more tests run this week and we await the results.  I am on one new medication (same as one of Amber's), and I have an impressive array of blood tests scheduled for Monday along with an ultrasound.  There are definitely a few of those tests that I would really like to see come back negative, Crohn's being one of them.

Crummy in the tummy, but has a kitty buddy.
Ironically, during the past few weeks we began 6th grade Biology in science, and it has not exactly been a spectacular start.  This is no fault of the curriculum which we actually do like, in theory.  It's the topic that is the problem.  Amber has found that she is more disturbed by biological images and topics than she originally thought.

We are using Elemental Science's Biology for the Logic Stage.  Amber has no problem with the definitions, timeline work, reading the text and note taking, or even some of the experiments.  Unfortunately, the images in the books and the weekly sketches are causing some definite issues.  Just looking at the pictures of cells, and having to label the parts, was too much for Amber.  In her words, the images of the cells in the Encyclopedia of Nature were "wrong looking and too organic to see".  Then, I had her try one of the other recommended spine books, The Usborne Science Encyclopedia.  Let's just say that their graphics would normally be considered better than the Encyclopedia of Nature.  In our situation, this was not a bonus.

I'm at a loss as to what to do for the problem, because in all honestly, I feel exactly like Amber and have no desire at all to look at anything organic or biological.  There was a reason I went into physics and computer science.  We are attempting to forge ahead in biology, but will probably end up doing more of an overview instead of the planned course of study.

The microscope was a big hit, especially since she doesn't have to deal with glasses anymore.
Amber has been plugging along in the rest of her subjects and is nearing the end of 5th grade.  She has 10 lessons left in Saxon Math 7/6.  Given her scores to date, and the recommendations given by Art Reed in his newsletters, I am almost certain that Amber will proceed to Algebra 1/2 next year.  It is daunting to have a 6th grader in Algebra 1/2, however Amber is actually quite gifted mathematically.    We will simply have to let her guide the speed at which we complete Algebra 1/2.

Grammar, Social Studies, Literature, Spelling, and Writing are all on target to finish on or before May 31st.  Thankfully.   Latin will continue through the summer, alternating days with Biology.  We have never given up school completely over the summers, even when Amber was in parochial school.  While we don't have a set summer school schedule, we do try to work on something each day.  But some times you just gotta have a lazy, goof off, forget about everything except fun day.

Math in the kitchen, to enjoy a day of sunshine
We have also followed Amber's interest to study the musical Phantom of the Opera, but don't tell Amber because she doesn't realize she's learning.  Amber has been practicing "Angel of Music" for her piano recital in June, but she didn't really understand the song and that affected her playing.  I chose this song for Amber to play in recital as a gift for her dad.  He has LOVED Phantom of the Opera for almost as long as I have known him and now he is able to share this interest with Amber.

Amber and I have been discussing the plot and listening to the soundtrack (with Michael Crawford).  It took quite a bit more discussing than I planned, though.  I ended up having to explain the role of opera in France at the time of the story, as well as the social structure. Amber has so many questions about historic time periods that it is easy to get side tracked.  Still, it has been a fun learning experience and Amber's musicality on the piece has improved.

This weekend we are going to watch a couple of video / movie versions of Phantom, so that Amber can see the musical, besides just hearing it.  The first is the 25th anniversary celebration of  Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall.  Unfortunately, Sarah Brightman and Michael Crawford only make appearances, but it still is a great version to watch.   We are also going to watch the 2005 movie version staring Gerard Butler.  I've heard it's not as bad as I might expect, so we will give it a try.  

That is our past two weeks in a nutshell.

Happy Mother's Day to all the moms out there and I hope everyone has a relaxing weekend.


Linking with:

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Saturday, January 26, 2024

Homeschool Without Traditional Art

This last week of the Virtual Curriculum Fair is on Seeking Beauty: The Arts and Everything that Brings Beauty to Our World.  Immediately I thought, "Oh, that's not for us".   You see, Amber and I are not artistic.  Actually, to put it that way is insulting those who can draw identifiable stick people, unlike us.

Then after thinking for a little bit, I realized we do have lots of Art and Beauty in our school and lives.  It just isn't visual arts.  We do try to expose Amber to visual arts when possible. Amber takes occasional art classes at a local studio where she can try different mediums.  She usually has fun in the class, but she clearly does not excel in art.  She doesn't even want to try art unless it is a "fun class".
Best ever results from one of Amber's art classes, the instructor did the wording... completed at age 10 yrs and 11 months. :)
I, personally, loved the Art Appreciation and Art History classes I've taken and enjoy going to art museums even though my drawing and painting abilities are non-existent. I hoped this might be the case with Amber as well.  We started off this 5th grade year using A Child's History of Art - Painting and A Child's History of Art- Architecture. Both are from The Calvert School and include art cards as well as a small spiral bound book.  It was a total no-go for Amber.  Just too dry.  No problem.  I've heard nothing but wonderful things about Harmony Fine Arts, so I purchased the 6th grade Medieval and Renaissance level.   We dutifully used it for a few weeks during which  Amber was initially thrilled, and then one day she was not.  Neither art or art appreciation are her cup of tea.

Where does that leave us with Arts and Beauty?  Music, is our obvious starting point.  Amber has taken piano since she was 5 years old.  She loves to play piano and has a natural gift for music.  She is not as motivated to practice regularly as I would like, but it fluctuates enough that overall her practice times are sufficient.  I have the responsibility of instructing her in the piano.  We use the Faber and Faber Piano Adventures series.  We've found it to be a bit slow at times, but that's about the only complaint we have.

Amber also plays on a children's chimes choir at our church and she is hoping to move up to the middle school handbell choir next year.  This is one of the great joys of her life.  She lives for each practice and performance.

Chimes performance and piano practice
Additionally, Amber took voice lessons last semester and this semester is trying out musical theater classes.  While she has always liked to sing, her voice was never well controlled.  I was shocked how much out of her comfort zone she was willing to go for these lessons.  The private voice lessons resulted in a solo Christmas carol in the Christmas concert.  Musical theater this semester will require acting and singing at the spring recital.  While Amber isn't thrilled with visual arts, apparently musical and theater arts inspire her.

Normally, I think of Amber's dance classes as Physical Education, but they too bring beauty to our lives.  Amber has moved from the age of little kid dancer bouncing around the studio to dedicated child dancer still happily leaping across the room.  Amber left competitive dancing a couple years ago, and now that she is more focused on learning dance just for enjoyment we have found that her dancing has greatly improved.  She performed her first solo (and duet) in December for the Christmas recital.  A more beautiful sight we could not have imagined.

Dance and more Dance. 
Although Amber and I are not artistically gifted, we do like crafts - especially needle / yarn work.  Amber loves to latch hook and can happily sit for hours working on a project.  We've given away many a latch hook pillow as a gift from her.   Amber has tried to cross stitch, which is my favorite craft.  She likes the idea of cross stitch but not the time requirements or squinty close work.  Amber has also recently taken up loom knitting and finds this much more to her liking than cross stitch.  Our personal service project this year is knitting baby hats, booties and blankets for local children's hospitals.  Amber has already completed quite a few preemie and newborn hats, along with a few doll hats and scarves.

Knitting hats.  Sock puppet craft made as a gift.  These are our "art" projects.
Beauty in our home and school comes from things other than traditional art.  Music, dance, crafts, and even just watching our adorable cat play all show us the beauty in this wonderful world.

I've enjoyed participating in the Virtual Curriculum Fair this year, but mostly I've enjoyed reading and gained new insights from the other participants' posts.   If you have time, look over at their posts too.


Homeschooling Hearts & Minds Virtual Curriculum Fair Button



37 FREE Online Art and Music Resources by Susan @ Homeschooling Hearts & Minds
Homeschool Without Traditional Art by Christy @ Unexpected Homeschool
Draw What? by TechWife @ A Playground of Words
Flower Pony Tail Holders - Beginning Sewing Projects by Julie @ Highhill Education
Seeking Beauty- Virtual Curriculum Fair by Karyn @ Teach Beside Me
Creating an Artsy Homeschool, even if you're not by Erin @ Delighting in His Richness
Living with an Artsy Boy by Annette @ A Net In Time





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