Homeschool Music Appreciation Curriculum Review: Classical Encounters
When I come across a curriculum that’s both beautiful and easy to use, I know it’s something worth sharing with you. If you’re looking for a homeschool music appreciation course that is both beautiful and easy to you, this is it. That’s exactly how I feel about Classical Encounters—a music appreciation curriculum written by an incredibly talented musician who also has a heart for making music accessible to families like ours.
If you’ve ever wanted to bring classical music into your homeschool in a meaningful way (without needing a music degree to pull it off!), this might be exactly what you’ve been looking for.
What Is Classical Encounters?
Classical Encounters is a thoughtfully designed curriculum that introduces students to classical music through storytelling, guided listening, and rich connections to history, art, and culture.
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Created by Sadie Hoyt, a classically trained musician and teacher, this curriculum doesn’t just cover music in isolation. It invites families to step into the worlds of composers—exploring the time periods they lived in, the art and architecture of their day, and of course, the incredible music they wrote.
Families can either purchase individual studies (like The Story of Classical Music bundle) or join the membership program to access the full library of curriculum. Either way, you’ll have everything you need to weave music appreciation into your homeschool.
What I Love About Classical Encounters
There are a few things that stood out to me right away:
- It’s beautiful. The lessons and accompanying Listening Journals are aesthetically pleasing, thoughtfully laid out, and engaging for kids of multiple ages.
- It’s approachable. You don’t have to be a musician to teach this. The curriculum is written in a way that guides you step by step, while still leaving plenty of room for your family’s style.
- It’s written by a musician. I love knowing that the lessons are coming from someone who deeply understands and loves classical music. That passion comes through on every page.
- It integrates the arts. One of my favorite features is how the curriculum ties in painting tutorials from European watercolor artists—helping students bring to life the architecture and decorative arts of each composer’s time period. This adds such a rich, hands-on layer to the study.
How We’re Using Classical Encounters
In my home, we’re using Classical Encounters during our morning meeting time with my 12th and 7th graders. It works beautifully as an enrichment tool—something that doesn’t feel like “extra work” but instead adds joy and beauty to our mornings.
One of the best things is how adaptable it is. If we have just 20 minutes, we can still fit in a composer lesson and listening time. On days when we have more margin, we can linger over the painting tutorials or spend extra time journaling. It really flexes to fit the time you have available.
Classical Encounters: The Quick Details
- You can join the membership to access the entire curriculum library for a monthly rate.
- Or, if you’d rather start small, you can purchase individual studies directly from the shop.
- Each study includes guided lessons, Listening Journals for children, and art integration that connects history, culture, and music.
- Designed for multiple ages—perfect for family-style learning…my favorite!
Final Thoughts
If you’ve been wanting to add classical music to your homeschool but weren’t sure where to begin, I can’t recommend Classical Encounters enough. It’s beautiful, easy to use, and truly enriching—not just for my kids, but for me too.
This has been one of those resources that reminds me why we homeschool in the first place: to give our kids a rich education filled with truth, beauty, and goodness.
Take a look at Classical Encounters for yourself here: https://classicalencounters.co/
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