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Jackie Shellabarger

Homeschool Music class offers in-person AND on-line video classes! Homeschool Music Class will enrich your child’s life by providing a well-rounded education, teach them to read the language of music, and it provides JOY! Learning to play an instrument and to sing can build your child’s self-esteem and self-worth. Music has also been shown to increase your child’s performance in academic subjects: math, reading and listening skills.

I have taught Homeschool Music class for more than 25 years as an in-person class and now I am offering it for on-line students as well!

Multiple studies show that students who have skill based music instruction outperform their peers academically who have not received this kind of instruction. https://www.kaufmanmusiccenter.org/the-power-of-music-education/

What is meant by ‘skill based’ music instruction?

New musical skills are experienced aurally and orally and experienced physically through movement and song BEFORE the visual or written notation is presented. Students hear and feel the new rhythm, solfege or note by experiencing it with their ears first! Just like a child learning to talk – first they hear, then they speak and then they read. I follow the same steps in teaching musical concepts.

Every lesson I teach has the steady beat as the foundation on which all the other music skills are based. Things like rhythm, solfege, melody, music notation, movement – are based on the steady beat! Studies show that students who are proficient in showing and maintaining the steady beat, do better academically and even behaviorally than students who do not have a steady beat proficiency.

As a former public school music teacher, turned Homeschool Mom, I saw a need for music instruction for my own kids. When they were young, I started the first ‘music class’. When I earned my Kodaly certification nearly 20 years ago, it totally transformed the way I teach music! Learning how to teach the Kodaly way really opened my eyes to the best way to teach music skills.

I teach music skills using folk songs and high quality music compositions. Starting with my youngest students, skills like the steady beat are first experienced through movement and songs and later they are practiced through notation. As students progress in their musical skills, they are able to sing pitches while using solfege hand signs and able to sing, read and play music from the music staff.

What makes Homeschool Music Class different for all the other on-line Music and Recorder programs? Each stage of learning is presented and reinforced in at 3 different ways:

1. Each lesson is clearly presented on the video (lessons are viewed on YOUR schedule)

2. Each lesson has a Guided Practice – This is where I walk the student in a complete ‘follow along’ video through each of the steps on the homework songs so they can be successful. You, the parent, do NOT have to do any of the reinforcement or reteaching of the material. Hooray! Parents LOVE this feature of Homeschool Music Class!

3. Each student is required to send me a video every one or two weeks of a required solo. I always respond back promptly to encourage, give tips or make corrections if needed.

4. Bonus! Classical music appreciation is included in every lesson starting with the Windsongs 1 class (1st/2nd grade).


Classes offered for beginning Music Class students

PreWindsongs – K5/1st grade age – see PreWindsongs video for description.

Windsongs 1 – 1st/2nd grade (or older) See Windsongs 1 video for description. 

Recorder Essentials Plus – age 9 and older – see Recorder Essentials Plus video below.  

Advanced classes: Windsongs 2, Windsongs 3, and Windsongs 4 are also offered for those who have completed the lower levels of Windsongs.


Recorder Essentials Plus - Ages 9 and up

Recorder Essentials Plus class – Age 9 and up! This class is offered as a video class OR as a in-person class. This is a one year stand alone program. Here is a performance of the in-person class.

Recorder Essentials Plus class teaches students age 9 and up musical skills on the easy to play recorder. This class is unique because students are required to send me a solo EVERY lesson.

This really helps me keep up with their progress and also enables me to head off any problems. I always respond back promptly with a video to help and encourage them. Additionally, students have a Guided Practice with every lesson which is a complete ‘follow along’ video where I review each of the homework songs and go through all of the steps with the student that make learning easy and fun.

Online Student


Windsongs 1 Ages 6 - 8

Windsongs 1 - Ages 6 - 8 (or older)
This class is available as a video class or as an in-person class.

This is a beginning class for students that are at least 1st grade age. Students learn to read and play music starting with solfege - mi re do - and progress to reading those notes (B A G) in the music staff. Students are required to send me the solos or other music assignments every 1-2 weeks. Students fill up their sticker chart as they earn special stickers while they progress through the required solos. This class is filled with music activities and songs that make learning to read and play music easy and fun! 

BONUS: Classical music listening/appreciation is part of every lesson!
Students in this class are able to progress in their music skills each year as they progress to other Windsongs levels: Windsongs 2, Windsongs 3 and Windsongs 4.

This 10 min. overview of Windsongs 1 is best viewed in YouTube so you can see the info in the info description box below the video

 
Click Here for more info
 

6-8 Year Olds After One Week

More videos of student in-person performances for all of my classes are available on my YouTube or Facebook page 

Online Student

Group Online Class


PreWindsongs Ages 5-7

PreWindsongs Ages 5-7
This class is available as a video class and as an in-person class.

View this 6 min. video in YouTube to access the link in the description box with all of the skills taught. More videos of student in-person performances are available on my YouTube or Facebook page.

 
Click Here for more info
 

This is a beginner class that teaches 6-8 year olds the foundations of music. This is basically a non-reading class and focuses on students feeling the steady beat, learning the difference between rhythm and steady beat and being able to demonstrate this with our learned songs and rhymes. We also learn how to move appropriately to the music with our bodies and to show with our hands and bodies the contour of the melody. Students  learn how to read simple rhythms and solfege.

BONUS:  There is a literacy connection where 6 singing books are taught during the year that gets students singing confidently and encourages reading!

Online Student

 


  Comments: What parents have to say

"Ms. Jackie’s music class is amazing. My oldest’s kindergarten year I did everything wrong. He was miserable and I was miserable. The only thing I got right was taking this music class. Ms. Jackie is amazing, the students love her, the parents love her ... I can’t recommend the class highly enough. I have two currently in her class and she’s been wonderfully helpful with sending out videos of her classes to keep the kids going with the lessons while we can't meet in person. If you only sign up for one class while homeschooling, this is it! L.E. 
   


"5 stars to Mrs. Jackie and her excellent program! We love Homeschool music class and highly recommend it to everyone looking to provide their child with a first rate music education! Mrs. Jackie offers high quality music instruction while paying close attention to detail for each child’s success! Both of my children now read music easily and have been able to easily pick up new instruments due to the solid foundation in music theory that Mrs. Jackie provides in her classroom. Also, Mrs. Jackie educates the whole child by making sure to praise students for their growth while challenging them with constructive feedback to go even farther with their skills and talents! We are truly Blessed to have such a dedicated music teacher at our disposal in this homeschool community and we urge others to try homeschool music class for their family too:) L. H.K.

 
"Mrs. Jackie does a wonderful job teaching the children through play, songs and stories. My son loves her class and learns something each week. Her classes offer a solid foundation in music and I love that he has this opportunity! L.C.

 

"Jackie is an amazing teacher who incorporates a great balance of technical music instruction with music history, learning games, and even songwriting skills. It’s the perfect intro to music class for elementary children! N.S.

"Your class has given my children a very reasonably priced opportunity to be involved in a classroom setting learning something I never could have taught them. They have learned the rewards of doing homework as well as the consequences of not completing it, and I believe music studies have helped my children comprehend math concepts such as fractions. I am very pleased with the progress my children have made in the homeschool music classes, and I highly recommend it... we love it"!  A.T
   


"I love Mrs. Jackie's emphasis on children honoring God by honoring their parents.  Both Spring performances that I have attended included a play with this key theme of obedience."  N.K.


 
"I love seeing my son learn to read music - something I can't do! I saw him gaining confidence in his abilities because, even though he's not yet a strong reader (books), he COULD read music. I know that my son has some auditory processing issues, so I felt that the ear training involved in learning to play some songs by ear was very beneficial for improving his auditory processing. Socially, I saw my son becoming more confident around his peers. Because my daughter took the Kindergarten class, I saw her develop skills such as listening to rhythm, that will make her experience in the first grade class much more effective. She is already trying to pick out songs on the precorder that her brother played last year. I also felt that music class provided a great opportunity for my kids to have a different teacher - a different authority figure- besides Mom." K.B.

 

"I've always told my kids that music is a part of life and that they need to learn to read music just like they need to learn to read a book. There's enough to do in homeschooling without the mom having to take on that job too!" A.M.

 


 

"I love Music Class because it seems to help make the other school work go so much better. When we start school work before Music Class, K. really seems to struggle to get through it. After Music Class, the thinking process seems to work much better." K.S.

 


"You obviously love what you do and you love music. My child is enthusiastic about learning music because of your enthusiasm!" D.B.

"Our family loves Mrs. Jackie's Music Class." N.K.

"You don't know who happy I am that you are teaching....I think this class was the single most beneficial thing that K.L. and C. did this past year in school!! You are an excellent teacher!" C.T.
 


  Comments: What students have to say

 

"Mrs. Jackie's class is really fun because there are fun games we play and I like to play the precorder. I've met a lot of friends that I like there." C.K. (Windsongs 1)

"I like music class because you get to make new friends and learn new songs. I like learning how to play an instrument." J.B. (Windsongs 1)



"I get to make friends, learn and have fun all at the same time. AND Mrs. Jackie doesn't let the kids get wild. I had one class where the teacher let the kids get wild and I never liked to go to it. But Mrs. Jackie never lets that happen." K. M. (Windsongs 2)

 

 

"I love learning new things and getting to be with my friends at the same time." R.B. (Windsongs 3)

"I like playing the music games, listening to the dinosaur music, and listening to the So-Me stories." J.S. (Kindergarten class)

 

"I like playing the music games, listening to and learning about the band and orchestra instruments, karate belts, and the programs we do." K.S. (Windsongs 3)

"It is challenging and fun!" P.E. (Windsongs 2)

 


THANKSGIVING NURSING HOME PROGRAMS

SPRING MUSICAL PLAY & RECITAL

Frequently Asked Questions
About Music Class  |  Money Back Guarantee  |  Rhythmic Concepts  |  Melodic Concepts  |  Class Sizes  |  Additional Benefits

About Music Class:
Since 1998 I have taught a skill based music program to homeschool students in the Chattanooga, Tn and surrounding area. I incorporate my Kodaly training in all of my Music Class as we learn solfege, songs and games that reinforce musical concepts. Music is taught through the use of traditional folk songs from America and around the world. Classical music listening is part of every lesson starting with Windsongs 1 as students learn to recognize famous classical compositions from composers around the world.
Starting in 2022, I expanded to include on-line video class as a options for those that are unable to attend in-person class. Classes are once a week for 28 weeks. Video class is about 30 min. for the youngest PreWindsongs class and about 45 min for the other classes. The 'follow along' Guided practice videos are about 10-12 min. each.

What if my student does not like music class?
Money back guarantee: If after 4 lessons, you decide that Homeschool Music Class is not the right fit for your child, I will refund your tuition.

Rhythmic Concepts:
PreWindsongs students start out learning very basic concepts such as steady beat, high, low; short, long; same, different; and progress to reading simple rhythms. In Windsongs 1 simple rhythms such as  are reviewed and expanded to more complex rhythms in Windsongs 2 such as ; to still yet more complex  ; ; by Windsongs 3 and 4. These skills are taught through singing and recorder playing of traditional folk songs and games.

Melodic Concepts:
PreWindsongs students start out with the basic concept of high - low by using so mi la songs. By that I mean songs like the familiar childhood chant that most children seem to naturally do - “ You can’t catch me”-  (so mi la so mi). Most children naturally sing those pitches on their own. I use that as a stepping stone to increase their awareness of other pitches as we also study mi re do (sounds like the beginning of Three Blind Mice) in the Windsongs 1 class. By the end of Windsongs 1, students are SIGHT SINGING and PLAYING on their precorders songs that have 3-5 pitches of the pentatonic scale: do re mi so la. By sight singing I mean they are singing songs by looking at the music that they have never heard or seen before! They are also composing and performing their own songs that they have written down on paper. THIS COMPLEX MUSICAL SKILL IS ONE OF THE RESULT OF SKILL BASED MUSIC CLASSES!!

Class options! Classes offered are on-line, video class, in-person and hybrid class.

In-person class: $30 a month based on a 7 month year.
Each student in the Windsongs classes receives instruction for 55 min. (45 for PreWindsongs) Music classes have a max of 12 students in each class. This makes learning efficient and individualized. By having small classes I can spend time with each student and still have a large enough group to play the musical games that reinforce the skills learned in class. Also, I am able to spend quality time helping and encouraging each child to be all they can be musically as well as socially.

On-line video: $20 a month based on a 7 month year       
A video lesson link is sent to the student on their scheduling preference. Students and Mrs. Jackie interact at least every other week via video like Messenger and Marco polo or video chat like Zoom, Facetime or Duo.

Hybrid video class: $25 a month based on a 7 month year       
This option combines in-person class with video class and allows the student to pick and choose when to come to in-person class. Hybrid students can participate with in-person class performances in the spring and the fall.

Facilitator led class: $20 a month based on a 7 month year       
As a facilitator, you watch the video lesson lessons with your 'group class' and help the group stay on track by encouraging the students to play and sing for you and their classmates. This also allows for student interaction with the music class games that are taught during the lessons. Facilitators can earn free tuition for their child and can even earn a monthly income. Students still interact with me every 2 weeks via video or video chat to play their 'solos'. Please ask about this option if interested.

Additional Benefits:
Students learn fine and large motor coordination through the games, recorder playing and musical activities. Students benefit socially and academically by participating in music class. Listening skills are developed and enhanced through short listening activities. Math and Reading skills are improved by learning rhythms and decoding notes and symbols. Research shows that students taking the SAT who took part in music instruction outscored non music students by 63 points in verbal and 43 in math. Additionally, test results show that for every year of music instruction taken by the student, the level of test scores increased. There is indeed a strong connection between music education and academic success!

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