Florida Homeschool Music Curriculum: A Living Books Approach That Actually Works

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Honestly, music was the subject I felt the most lost about when we started homeschooling. Math? We found our groove. Reading? We figured it out. But music felt like this big intimidating thing that required lessons and instruments and a piano in the living room — none of which we had when we were just starting out.

What I eventually realized is that Charlotte Mason didn’t treat music like a performance subject. She treated it like a living thing. Something you absorb. Something you experience. Something kids grow into naturally when it’s woven into the fabric of daily life — just like nature study or poetry or picture study.

And you know what? That clicked for me. Because that’s exactly how I grew up in the ’90s. I didn’t have formal music theory lessons. But we sang in the car. My grandmother played hymns on her upright piano every Sunday. Music was around us constantly. And it stuck.

So here’s how we’ve built a music education for our kids that feels natural, rich, and honestly — really fun.

What “Living Books” Even Means for Music

If you’ve been in the Charlotte Mason world for more than five minutes, you know the phrase “living books.” Books that feel like they were written by a real person who loves their subject — not a dry textbook. Books that spark something in your kid instead of putting them to sleep.

The same concept applies to music. A “living books approach” to music means:

• Listening to real composers — full pieces, not 30-second samples
• Reading stories about musicians’ lives — not just memorizing dates and facts
• Singing folk songs and hymns together — as a family, badly and beautifully
• Letting kids respond — through narration, art, movement, or just sitting and listening

That’s it. No worksheets. No music theory workbooks in first grade. Just exposure, experience, and time.

If you want to support this with actual books, we love pulling biographical picture books about composers from the library. There are wonderful ones about Beethoven, Vivaldi, Mozart, and even more modern musicians that read like stories — because they are stories.

We also keep a nature journal nearby during composer study, and my kids will sometimes sketch what the music “looks like” to them while they listen. It sounds a little woo-woo but honestly it’s one of my favorite things we do.

Composer Study: The Heart of Our Music Curriculum

Composer study is one of the core habits in a Charlotte Mason education, and it’s probably the easiest piece to implement — even in a busy season.

Here’s our simple rotation:

One composer per term (roughly 6-12 weeks). We pick one composer, read a biography or two, listen to a few of their major works, and just… let it sink in. We talk about it at breakfast. We play it in the car. We let it be background music while the kids color or play outside on the back porch.

Some of our favorites so far:

• Vivaldi (Four Seasons is a natural fit — my kids especially love “Summer” because Florida kids understand weather drama)
• Beethoven
• Bach
• Ella Fitzgerald (yes, jazz absolutely counts and she’s extraordinary)
• John Philip Sousa — the Florida connection is fun here, since Sousa actually performed in Pensacola during his touring years

You don’t need a formal curriculum for this. YouTube, Spotify, and your library card will carry you most of the way.

Folk Songs and Singing Together

This one is so simple it feels almost too easy. But Charlotte Mason was very clear: children should sing. A lot. Together.

We sing folk songs at morning time. We sing hymns because that’s part of our faith. We sing silly camp songs because kids need to laugh. If you want a peek at how we structure our mornings, I walk through all of it in our post on Morning Basket Ideas for Charlotte Mason Homeschool Families (What We Actually Do Each Day).

Some folk songs we come back to again and again:

• “Simple Gifts”
• “Red River Valley”
• “She’ll Be Coming Round the Mountain”
• “This Land Is Your Land”
• “Down in the Valley”

None of this requires a teacher or a curriculum. It just requires you to be willing to sing, even if you don’t think you’re a good singer. (Spoiler: your kids don’t care.)

Instrument Exploration Without the Pressure

Here’s my honest take: I don’t think every child needs formal instrument lessons in the elementary years. Charlotte Mason actually agreed — she emphasized a wide exposure to music before formal training, not instead of it.

That said, if your child is begging for piano lessons or falls in love with the violin — go for it. Follow the child.

What we do in our home:

• We have a small keyboard that anyone can noodle on freely
• We have a few simple rhythm instruments (a hand drum, some maracas, a xylophone for the littles)
• My older one has started recorder this year because it’s accessible and affordable
• We talk about instruments when we hear them in the composer pieces we study — “Did you hear that? That’s a cello.”

The goal in the early years is familiarity and love. The technical skills can come later, when they’re developmentally ready and personally motivated.

Tying Music Into the Rest of Your Homeschool

One of the things I love about the Charlotte Mason approach is how naturally everything connects. Music doesn’t have to be its own isolated subject.

Nature study + music: We’ve done composer study alongside nature study when the themes overlap. Vivaldi’s Four Seasons pairs beautifully with seasonal nature journaling. Debussy’s La Mer goes perfectly with a unit on the Gulf Coast and ocean science. My kids lit up making those connections.

For our Florida homeschool art curriculum, we pair music with picture study — both feeding the same part of the brain that learns to observe, feel, and respond. I wrote more about that in our post on Florida Homeschool Art Curriculum Charlotte Mason Style (What We Actually Do and Why It Works). We love using Faber-Castell watercolors for response art after a listening session — something about watercolor feels right for music.

Read-alouds + music: Some of our favorite read-aloud books naturally lend themselves to musical exploration. When we read The Story of Ferdinand, we played Spanish classical guitar in the background. When we read through stories about the American West, we pulled up folk songs from that era.

Outdoor time + music: My kids have started a habit of humming or singing while they do chores or play outside. They’ll head out to check on the chickens in the morning singing whatever folk song we’ve been working on. That’s the goal right there. Music becoming part of who they are, not just something they do during school hours.

Does This Count for PEP Scholarship Purposes?

If you’re a Florida homeschool family using the Florida PEP scholarship (formerly FES-UA), you know you have to track and document your purchases and learning activities. Music curriculum can absolutely be a covered expense — we’ve used it for purchasing instruments, sheet music, and yes, books about composers.

If you’re newer to the scholarship and want to understand more about how Florida homeschool law works in general, I’d point you toward our post on Florida Unschooling Laws: What Families Actually Need to Know Before You Start — it covers a lot of the legal ground that’s helpful for any Florida homeschool family.

Resources We Actually Use

A few things worth having on hand:

• A good nature journal for musical response drawing
• Faber-Castell watercolors for art response during listening time
• Read-aloud books that connect to music history and composers
• A copywork notebook — we sometimes copy out song lyrics as handwriting practice, which my kids actually enjoy more than regular copywork
• Spotify (free) or YouTube for streaming full composer works
• Your local library — genuinely your best friend for this

The Bottom Line

You do not need a boxed music curriculum. You do not need a music teacher in your home three days a week. You need songs, stories, time to listen, and a family willing to be a little silly and a little reverent about beautiful music.

My kids know who Vivaldi is. They can hum Bach’s Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring. They make up songs about our chickens and sing them at the top of their lungs in the backyard. That is a music education. That is exactly what I wanted for them — the same kind of music-soaked childhood I had in the ’90s, before screens swallowed up all the quiet.

If you’re just starting out and feeling overwhelmed, pick one composer this term. Listen to one piece a week. Sing one folk song at breakfast. That’s enough. More than enough, actually. You’ll be surprised how much sticks.

📖 You Might Also Like:

• Morning Basket Ideas for Charlotte Mason Homeschool Families (What We Actually Do Each Day)
• Florida Homeschool Art Curriculum Charlotte Mason Style (What We Actually Do and Why It Works)
• Charlotte Mason Nature Journal Ideas for Kids (What We Actually Do Year-Round in Florida)

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I need a formal music curriculum for my Charlotte Mason homeschool?

No — Charlotte Mason’s approach to music was rooted in experience and exposure, not formal instruction in the early years. Composer study, folk song singing, and regular listening to great music are considered a complete and rich music education for elementary-age children. A boxed curriculum is entirely optional.

How do I do composer study with young kids at home?

Choose one composer per term and make their music part of your daily background — play it during meals, car rides, and quiet time. Read a biographical picture book or two about their life, and let your kids respond through drawing, narration, or simply talking about what they heard. Keep it simple and consistent rather than formal and structured.

Can music curriculum expenses be covered by the Florida PEP scholarship?

Yes, music curriculum and related educational materials — including instruments, books about composers, sheet music, and approved music programs — can generally be covered by the Florida PEP (formerly FES-UA) scholarship. Always check the current approved vendor and expense list through your scholarship managing organization for the most up-to-date guidance.

What are good living books about composers for kids?

Your local library is the best starting point. Look for picture book biographies about Beethoven, Mozart, Bach, Vivaldi, and Ella Fitzgerald — many are written in a story format that young kids genuinely enjoy. The Opal Wheeler composer biography series is a beloved classic in the Charlotte Mason community, and Diane Stanley has written excellent musical biographies for older elementary kids.

How do I teach music theory in a Charlotte Mason homeschool?

In the early elementary years, most Charlotte Mason educators delay formal music theory in favor of rich exposure and musical experience. If you want to introduce theory gently, singing solfege (do-re-mi) with folk songs is a natural on-ramp. Formal theory can be introduced more intentionally in the middle school years once a child has a strong foundation of musical love and listening experience.