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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 09 2014 at 6:42pm | IP Logged
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SQUILT stands for Super Quiet Uninterrupted Listening Time. It's a music appreciation program for grades k-8 in eBook format complete with all kinds of musical links and notebooking pages.
SQUILT
I have followed the creator's blog, Homegrown Learners, for quite awhile now, but I just got around to looking at the sample pages on the SQUILT website. Each ebook has ten lessons, and each book costs only $10! which I did not realize or I might have tried it sooner. 
I looked at the first book, the Baroque Period, and the very first lesson is about Pachelbel's Cannon, which is probably my very favorite piece of music ever (I still remember exactly when and where I heard it for the first time  ).
There was a link to a nice bio page about Pachelbel, which had even more links to follow. And there were two performances linked- one using the original instruments, which I found fascinating to watch. What is the big guitar-like thing the one guy (seen towards the end) is playing- some type of lute?
Pachelbel's Canon
Anyway- for $10, I think I am going to give this program a try this year.
All the linked performances will be a hit with my visual crew, and all the time I will save having all the links already lined up will be a hit for me.
Last year we spent hours at the Classics for Kids website (This is Naomi Lewis, and I write Classics for Kids  ), which was great, but this year I want to do something different.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 09 2014 at 7:15pm | IP Logged
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I just downloaded my ebook... there are a ton of fun activities for each composer  . I am loving this- all the work done for me!! Score.
And I can print out just the pages I know we will use, which is great.
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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Mackfam
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| Posted: July 09 2014 at 8:40pm | IP Logged
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This looks really intriguing, Melinda! I like the lessons and I downloaded all the samples....and love that the background links are all provided in the lessons. Great price! I'm going to look into this closely this weekend! Thanks for the heads up!
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Jen Mackintosh
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Aagot
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| Posted: July 09 2014 at 9:44pm | IP Logged
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This is amazing! Really, I could not ask for more!
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jawgee
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 6:15am | IP Logged
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Wow. That looks fantastic, especially for someone like me who knows very little about classical music. I think I'll plan to use it for this year.
Melinda, you should set up an affiliate link for the SQUILT site. You'd earn back 25% of anything we purchase. 
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 8:42am | IP Logged
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jawgee wrote:
Wow. That looks fantastic, especially for someone like me who knows very little about classical music. I think I'll plan to use it for this year.
Melinda, you should set up an affiliate link for the SQUILT site. You'd earn back 25% of anything we purchase. |
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Hmm... I did not realize that there was an affiliate program. I am pretty tech impaired, so I would need dh to help me do this. While I was out walking this morning, I had the idea to become an affiliate and donate any proceeds to a charity. I will post if I ever get that far!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 12:21pm | IP Logged
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Free SQUILT lesson
I was happy to see this free lesson about one of my favorite composers, Aaron Copland, at the Homegrown Learners blog
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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KackyK
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 4:58pm | IP Logged
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Melinda, do you think that each lesson would be used over several days? I'm just wondering "how long" each book would last, kwim?
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KackyK
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SeaStar
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 5:51pm | IP Logged
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KackyK wrote:
| Melinda, do you think that each lesson would be used over several days? I'm just wondering "how long" each book would last, kwim? |
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The author says that each lesson can easily be stretched out over a week.
Ex. Listen to the music one day and fill out the SQUILT sheet (dynamics, mood, etc). Listen to the music again the next day and read the composer's bio or choose one of the different activities. Listen each day and do one small thing.
I think that without too much trouble I could even stretch each lesson out over two weeks- maybe by listening to other works by the composer or reading a living book (sometimes it takes a week or two to get a book request from the library). Or- we could listen to the music and do an activity three days a week for a total of six days of music over two weeks.
I am excited about this program because it really gives me something concrete to grab onto as far as music appreciation (vs. just listening to the music and reading a short bio and saying: yep, that was music for the week. Check.)
The best part is that the work is done for me. I just have to show up with kids 
If you did one lesson a week, you could easily finish all three books in a year with some wiggle room built in. Book 4 will also be out soon, according to the website.
I set up music notebooks for my dc today... music notebooks! What has come over me? I have never been that organized. But really all I had to do was print out pages. Finding empty notebooks to put them in took the most time .
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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jawgee
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| Posted: July 10 2014 at 6:35pm | IP Logged
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I am going to buy this. I want to wait until I can get all four books in a bundle, though. 
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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MarilynW
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| Posted: July 15 2014 at 3:46pm | IP Logged
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This looks good. I have already spent my budget and the price of this is good. I also have artist study still to get - I was thinking of the SCM portfolios, not sure if my budget will stretch.
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Marilyn
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 01 2014 at 6:26am | IP Logged
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I am bumping this one up to report that we are really enjoying our SQUILT music lessons.
There are several aspects of this program that I appreciate:
First, there are some super cool/fun/informative video clips that go along with the lessons. We were amazed at the workings of a pipe organ, and the how to make a trumpet clip was also very interesting. The major/minor video was silly and fun- I don't think we will ever forget the differences between the two.
Second, we are using the Baroque unit, and this is allowing us to put the musicians in context. Who was alive then? Who else was composing and where? What else was going on in the world during that time?
Third: this program is allowing us to study some composers that wouldn't fit into our typical CM style composer study approach. For instance, it would be awfully tough to spend six weeks studying the works of Pachelbel. Apparently the Canon in D is the only work of his that has survived. Yes, I suppose you *could* listen to different variations of the Canon in D for six weeks... hmm... I would be all for that, but my dc might not .
Or Jeremiah Clarke. I did not realize he killed himself and so his works are also quite limited. Again, six weeks of only the Trumpet Voluntary would be a bit much. (FYI, there is no composer bio of Clarke included in the Baroque plans. I wondered why and went looking, which is how I found out about his suicide, which I did not share with my dc).
So I like the fact that we are able to touch on some of these composers as a group over six weeks or more. Vivaldi is up next for us, and I know we will spend at least a couple of weeks with him, since he was very prolific .
I think I rate this program as one of my best buys for the new school year.
It is supposedly for the upper elementary/middle school crowd, but this old mom is enjoying it every bit as much as her kids!
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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jawgee
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| Posted: Sept 01 2014 at 5:57pm | IP Logged
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Thanks for that review!! You do realize that you make me spend money, right? "The Bible Tells Me So" will be here tomorrow...
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Monica
C (12/2001), N (11/2005), M (5/2008), J (8/2009) and three angels
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SeaStar
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| Posted: Sept 01 2014 at 7:02pm | IP Logged
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jawgee wrote:
| Thanks for that review!! You do realize that you make me spend money, right? "The Bible Tells Me So" will be here tomorrow... |
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Mwah-hah-hah.... let me know how you like it! 
I am dying to discuss it with someone.
Heads up for chapter four- you might want to print out the two art work pieces for better viewing. I did not realize they were in there, and we looked at them on line, but I was wishing I had had the prints in hand.
ETA: If it makes you feel any better, I ordered a copy of the Kreeft book that Sunny recommended: "You Can Understand The Bible".
I used some Swag buck earnings to help defray the costs, but I don't know... we might need to schedule a 4Real Financial Intervention
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Melinda, mom to ds ('02) and dd ('04)
SQUILT Music Appreciation
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sunny
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| Posted: Sept 01 2014 at 7:20pm | IP Logged
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SeaStar wrote:
jawgee wrote:
| Thanks for that review!! You do realize that you make me spend money, right? "The Bible Tells Me So" will be here tomorrow... |
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ETA: If it makes you feel any better, I ordered a copy of the Kreeft book that Sunny recommended: "You Can Understand The Bible".
I used some Swag buck earnings to help defray the costs, but I don't know... we might need to schedule a 4Real Financial Intervention |
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And I just bought Squilt! Are we all great sales persons or just push-overs!?! Seriously I think they are all terrific purchases! am laready happy with Squilt. Let us know how you like The Bible Tells Me So!
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4Real Forums : The Arts in the Everyday
Topic: Anyone ever try SQUILT? for music apprec?
