Using SQUILT With Classical Conversations

The beauty of the SQUILT Music Appreciation curriculum is that it can go so well with ANY homeschool curriculum.

 Classical, Charlotte Mason, Interest Led, even Unschooling - no matter your style or curriculum, SQUILT is versatile and designed for multiple ages and learning styles. 

Regardless of what core curriculum you choose for your children, music should ALWAYS be included. To deny children a music education is to deny them of so much beauty and goodness in our world. 

One schooling program that presents an organized approach to studying the orchestra and composers is Classical Conversations.  In each cycle of CC instruments are studied and then composers and their works are studied as well.   

Let's take a look at how SQUILT can coincide with each cycle of Classical Conversations. 

Throughout the post I will refer to 4 volumes, Baroque, Classical, Romantic & Modern. You can purchase volumes separately in our store, or save and purchase the Musical Era Bundle. 

Volumes 1 & 2 of SQUILT (Baroque and Classical Eras) most closely align with Cycle 1. 

10 pieces studied in Volume 1: Baroque Era (1600-1750)

• Cannon in D by Pachebel
• Chaconne for Organ in g minor by Couperin
• The Prince of Denmark’s March by Clarke
• Spring” by Antonio Vivaldi
• Gloria in excelsis Deo by Antonio Vivaldi
• Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 by JS Bach
• Toccata & Fugue in D Minor by JS Bach
• Air on the G String by JS Bach
• Hornpipe by Handel
• Hallelujah Chorus by Handel

• Water Music by Handel
• The Well-Tempered Clavier Prelude and Fugue in C Major by JS Bach

Notice, the EXACT same pieces aren't studied, but through learning extensively about Handel and Bach (and other Baroque Era composers), children will be able to articulate their thoughts about ANY piece of Baroque music. 

Children will also learn about RHYTHM, TEMPO, DYNAMICS, INSTRUMENTATION, and MOOD. This is the language of music... the grammar of music, if you will. 

10 pieces studied in SQUILT Volume 2: Classical Era (1750-1820)

• Surprise Symphony/Haydn
• Minuet/Boccherini
• Piano Sonatina/Clementi
• The Magic Flute/Mozart
• Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle/Mozart
• Flute & Harp Concerto/Mozart
• Symphony No. 5/Beethoven 
• Fur Elise/Beethoven
• Emperor Piano Concerto/Beethoven
• Symphony No. 4/Schubert

During Cycle 1, there is one piece in the Foundations Guide from the Classical Era:

• Piano Concerto no. 22 in E-Flat, Third Movement by Mozart

Again, no direct overlap in pieces, but an overlap in composers and an overlap in the grammar of music. The goal for our children is to identify the particular sound of an era.

Cycle 2 in CC involves music from the Classical and Romantic Eras. 

• Symphony No. 5/Beethoven - this exact piece is found in Volume 2: Classical Era
• Symphony No. 4, Third Movement by Brahms - this exact piece is found in Volume 2: Romantic Era

Pieces studied in Volume 3: Romantic Era (1850-1900):

• Impromptu in G Flat by Schubert
• Dies Irae by Berlioz
• Minute Waltz by Chopin
• Libestraum No. 3 by Liszt
• Ride of the Valkyries by Wagner
• “La Donna e Mobile” from Rigoletto by Verdi
• Symphony No. 4, Third Movement by Brahms
• “November” from Seasons by Tchaikovsky
• “Love Theme” from Romeo and Juliet Fantasy Overture by Tchaikovsky
• Also Sprach Zarathustra by Strauss

In Cycle 2 we get a DIRECT overlap of pieces studied, with so much more to hone your children's music appreciation skills. 

In CC Cycle 3, the music studied is transitioning from the Romantic to Modern Eras. 

Pieces studied in Volume 4: Modern Era (1900-present)

• The Entertainer by Scott Joplin
• Bolero by Maurice Ravel
• Evening in the Village by Bela Bartok
• Rite of Spring by Igor Stravinsky
• I Got Rhythm by George and Ira Gershwin
• Sabre Dance by Aram Khachaturian
• Fanfare for the Common Man by Aaron Copland
• Mambo from West Side Story by Leonard Bernstein
• Superman March by John Williams
• Overture from Phantom of the Opera by Andrew Lloyd Webber

Pieces studied in CC Cycle 3:

• Symphony no. 6, Fourth Movement (Symphony Pathetique) by Tchaikovsky
• La Mer (The Sea) by Debussy – the only composer that does not overlap in the SQUILT curriculum
• Rite of Spring by Stravinsky

The above options are all great if you want to teach music appreciation from scripted PDF volumes - but at SQUILT we do have another option as well...

Do you want ME to teach all of this for you?

There are many Classical Conversations families that participate in our monthly music appreciation membership, SQUILT LIVE! 

The membership includes access to over 75 recorded lessons (from ALL eras of music), BASICS lessons about instruments, eras, and what to listen for in music, and live lessons with me each month.

And here's a little secret: I am a CC mom - my youngest is in the Challenge program now - so I've taught every cycle of music appreciation and also have the larger picture of what music appreciation looks like in the Challenge years, too. 

I'm happy to help you with your music appreciation plan - feel free to email me at mary at squiltmusic dot com and I will answer any questions you might have!