Miacademy’s Online Art and Music Curriculum

Art is everywhere. It doesn’t just decorate our walls and soundscapes — it is the heartbeat of our community, and it tells our stories. When we immerse ourselves in art and music, it helps us empathize and connect with the world around us. Children in particular benefit from the life skills and the sense of community that fine arts can offer.

Why Are Fine Arts Important?

The purpose of a fine arts homeschool curriculum is to give students the tools they need to forge a relationship with the arts. This will help foster their creativity and self-expression, which are vital to human development. There are many benefits to incorporating fine arts lessons into your child’s homeschool curriculum:

  1. Fine arts improve mental health outcomes. Studies show that engaging in creative pursuits increases positivity and reduces stress, depression, and anxiety. Creativity can even improve immune system functioning! When children pursue their creative interests, it makes them happier and healthier.
  1. Fine arts facilitate social and emotional growth. Creative pursuits give students the opportunity to express themselves in a safe environment. Doing this consistently helps students become comfortable with who they are and has a positive impact on social, emotional, and academic well-being.
  1. Fine arts build communication skills. With fine arts, homeschool students can learn how to communicate through self-expression and provide constructive feedback in collaborative environments. This vulnerability when sharing ideas provides invaluable life lessons in how to communicate with others in a healthy way.
  1. Fine arts increase concentration and coordination. Fine arts improve right brain and left brain connectivity, facilitating the execution of complex tasks. Creative works require focus. As a result, students can become immersed in what they are creating and find joy in challenging processes.
  1. Fine arts foster empathy and an appreciation for culture. Art tells a story, and when students learn to appreciate the stories of others, they build compassion and understanding. This perspective will help them navigate the world as they experience new challenges.

These benefits help create a balanced education that prepares students to succeed in all areas of their lives.

Woman teaches young boy how to play the violin

Homeschool Music Curriculum

Music education has a wide variety of benefits for students. Some of these include:

  1. Language development
  2. Increased IQ
  3. Improved spatial temporal skills
  4. Improved overall brain function 

Whenever your child begins their musical journey, it’s important to learn the basics first. This is where a quality music homeschool curriculum comes into play! Here’s a breakdown of the courses in our homeschool music lessons.

All About Instruments (Grades K-3)

While this course is intended for younger students, music lovers of all ages can benefit from these lessons about instruments. Students learn about:

  • Different types of musical instruments, such as percussion instruments, wind instruments, and stringed instruments
  • How various types of musical instruments are typically played
  • How the structure of instruments affects their pitch or tone
  • History of various musical instruments

Music Reading (Grades 3-8)

In our Music Reading course, students will learn how to read and write music in a self-paced and supportive environment. This course includes lessons on rhythm, note reading, and musical symbols. Our three rhythm lessons cover note structure and the differences between types of notes, such as quarter notes and whole notes. 

In our Note Reading and Musical Symbols lessons, students will explore the following topics: 

  • The grand staff
  • Bass and treble clefs
  • Musical symbols
  • Musical expression

Additionally, students will dive into the history of musical composition as they learn to appreciate works of the past. We encourage students to read their favorite music, write their own, and share their compositions with our secure online community. This safe environment fosters both student confidence and connection with their peers.

Song Writing (Grades 4-6)

In this course, students will learn how to write their own songs! This includes the following topics:

  • Creating lyrics
  • Arranging the lyrics into a song
  • Creating the music for a song
  • Combining lyrics and music together 

This course encourages students to tap into their creativity while learning even more about music. Once students have written their own songs, we encourage them to share them with their family and peers!

Mom and daughter painting at the table

Homeschool Art Curriculum

Kids are creative and curious by nature. Given time and materials, it can be truly remarkable what projects they take on all by themselves! With that said, there are things we can do to cultivate creativity in a homeschool environment. 

Art lessons can have a wide range of benefits for students. Some of these include:

  1. Language development
  2. Improved decision making
  3. Higher academic performance
  4. Increased creativity

To develop skills properly, it’s best to start at the beginning. Our art curriculum for homeschoolers helps students learn the basics as they work toward more advanced skills. These online art classes for homeschoolers include the following:

Art Class (Grades K-5)

While this course is intended for K-5 students, our homeschool art class has something for everyone! Our curriculum captivates learners with engaging, detailed video lessons on many different mediums of art. Topics covered include:

  • Drawing
  • Shading
  • Painting
  • Making prints
  • Mixed media
  • Sculpture
  • Color theory

Art Around the World (Grades 4-8)

In this course, students will learn about and practice art techniques from cultures around the world. This not only expands creative horizons but also helps students connect with the world around them. Some of our art projects include…

  • Aboriginal-inspired dot painting
  • Chinese watercolor
  • Crazy creature flipbook
  • Indonesian-inspired batik
  • West African printmaking

Drawing Essentials (Grades 6-8)

In our Drawing Essentials course, middle school students begin learning about drawing tools and practicing various drawing techniques. With high-quality videos and extension activities to guide them, students will learn about some of the following topics:

  • Symmetry
  • Drawing 3D shapes
  • Shading
  • Drawing the human face

They will even take a stab at creating their own self-portrait! For inspiration, students will learn about famous artists from the past and the techniques they used. Students can even sell their works in Miacademy’s exclusive online shop, which will promote their entrepreneurial skills and give them real-world experience running an art studio.

Miacademy’s Homeschool Fine Arts Curriculum

Our students have access to high-quality videos, challenging practice questions, and printable extension activities that support each lesson. Plus, every course is easily customizable, empowering students to work toward mastery at their own pace.

Your child can create their own original works and easily collaborate with others within our safe virtual community. They can even sell their art for gold to purchase art from others or activate additional features on the site. This gives students an immersive experience that encourages them to practice and share what they are learning!

In addition, Miacademy doesn’t just offer a quality homeschool curriculum for music and art. 

We offer thousands of accredited courses that include core subjects and various other electives. We’re also home to a vibrant, secure online community to help foster creativity and educational growth! Finally, you can find everything in one place on the parent portal and customize it all with the touch of a button.

With dozens of lessons added every month, there is always something new to learn at Miacademy! If you’d like to learn more, visit our website or contact one of our helpful customer service agents! They’ll be happy to help with any questions you may have.

Updated 3/1/2024

FAQs

Will there be additional lessons in the future?

Yes! Here at Miacademy, we are always creating new content, with many new lessons released every month.

Are the materials shared within the site moderated?

Yes, we have moderators working diligently to provide a safe and positive learning environment for all students. That way, you can feel at ease knowing your student is part of a completely secure online community.

What counts as art for homeschool?

Fine arts take on many forms. These include drawing, painting, ceramics, music, architecture, photography, theater, and many others. All provide educational benefits for young learners.

How do you incorporate music into homeschooling?

There are many ways to use music to enrich learning. Some examples include having students write songs about their learning or incorporating lyrical analysis to support language arts. Additionally, reading and playing music can improve students’ academic performance overall.