Experience "History Through Music- Review

 Diana Waring has been a leader in the homeschooling community for many years, producing history curriculum, encouraging homeschoolers to think outside the box and learn courageously alongside their kids, laughing out loud and singing!

I'm thrilled to introduce you to a set of music we had years and years ago, but through multiple cross country moves and a house fire, has been lost. Thankfully,  Diana Waring re-produced the wonderful Experience History Through Music! Series and we have them in our house, once more, only this time by a different name, and on CD!
There are 3 titles in this series

America 1750-1890: The Heart of a New Nation

Westward Ho!: The Heart of the Old West

Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder

It's common knowledge that if you want to really understand a culture, you consider the artwork of the time. That is exactly what  Diana Waring has done in Experience History Through Music! Series!
Each book/CD in the series is similar. There is a glossy covered book, complete with stories about the songs, tons of photographs and wonderful artwork, the sheet music and a professional recording of every song in the book! This is learning history at it's best- hands on and out-loud!

My Dad was a musician, and started out in college as a piano major. We all started to play the piano at age 5 under his tutelage, and singing was de riguer in our home. We sang in the car, for our grandparents and always at Great Aunt Dolly's, who always listened with such rapt attention, you would have thought we were the Mormon Tabernacle Choir come to call. My dad taught us parts, utilizing so many of the simple, fun and heart felt songs found in these books. Memories, baby, of long, hot car rides with no air conditioning, and my Dad's demanding perfection, with the wind blowing our words and the heat away.

We sang, "The Old Chariot" and "My Sweet Sabbath Home" at my Grandparents little Plimoth Brethren Church, the faithful gathered every Sunday to declare in song their belief and faith. Windows open, deep in Hoosier country, so that anyone driving by (in car or buggy- this was Amish country, y'all) could hear the sweet sounds of the souls gathered within. Listening to the Musical Memories of Laura Ingalls Wilder choked me up more than once. These songs brought back memories of my childhood and the songs that saturated it, sung with dear ones, many of whom have gone ahead.  It's amazing how much emotion a song can invoke- a time, a place, a season.

And that, my friends, is exactly the point of this 3 book/CD series. To capture times past. To give our children a taste of eras that demanded courage, strong will, hard work and a killer sense of humor. It's all in here. Songs to inspire, cause one to dig deeper -gooey duck, seriously?, laugh, cry and think deeply about what it took to carve a country out of wilderness.

Musical Memories; if you are old enough, these CD's will bring them back. And they will hearken to a simpler time when the simple act of song drew folks together, established community and brought joy to those who listened, regardless of the amateur quality of the singer. Theses are songs that tell of the rich history of this country, of families that valued hard work, faith and family.

Each book features 13-16 songs. This would be a fantastic unit study, a terrific way to incorporate music into your homeschool or in addition to studies you are already doing. We are continuing to read through Notgrass American History and will be doing Classical Conversations, Cycle 3 (American History) in the fall. This fits right in to both. My kids are not only reading about how this country was formed, memorizing history sentences, but singing about it all, too!

The books are every bit as much a visual feast as the songs are a treat for the ears. Each song  has commands 2 pages in the book, full of informative text and one or more photographs or pieces of  artwork. Fantastic! 

Experience History Through Music These book/CD sets are available for $18.99 each BUT for the month of July, you can get all 3 books, with CDs, for $50!

Experience History Through Music These book/CD sets are available for $18.99 each BUT for the month of July, you can get all 3 books, with CDs, for $50!

And don't forget about the HUGE $700 Give-away  going on NOW in conjunction with this launch. There is still time to enter to win! 

You can stay connected with Diana Waring and all her products through these social media outlets: Website: http://dianawaring.com Facebook:  http://www.facebook.com/dianawaring Twitter: http://twitter.com/DianaWaring Pinterest: http://www.pinterest.com/dwaringpresents Google+:   https://plus.google.com/b/117887965102531201372/117887965102531201372/posts Newsletter Subscriber Link:  http://www.dianawaring.com/resources/newsletter

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