Music is another elective that must be covered every year but does not need to be a formal course. Some choose a research method; others use music lessons; and still others use their children’s involvement in music activities.

Some great suggestions:

• Piano or other instrument lessons
• Voice lessons
• Involvement in a children’s or youth choir
• Participation in a musical
• Music appreciation activities (focus on an artist, his work, time period, other similar artists, etc.)
• Study of a specific genre (classical, jazz, opera, etc.)
• Field trips to concerts, musicals, or other music events (check out your local college or university for terrific music events)
• Study of a specific instrument

Music is a wonderful tool that has been proven to impact the development of the brain. I encourage you to put some real time and effort into exposing your child to a variety of music activities before the age of nine.

According to research studies, children will have developed their capacity for music by the age of nine. This does not mean they will not progress after the age of nine, but that the foundations that have been laid by that time will define how far they will progress.

In most states, students must complete a formal music course sometime between grades 7 & 12. You can purchase a formal music course through a homeschool curriculum provider such as www.curriculumexpress.com or provide formal music lessons in order to fulfill this requirement.