Just how am I planning to add all this in?

Although we're still not quite finished with this year yet, just writing this blog has me starting to think about next year already. And even though this year will begin my tenth year of homeschooling, I still get excited. Each and every year, planning for the next year begins with this same excitement. Thank goodness! And I find that my excitement trickles down to the boys as well.

Just knowing now how important arts are in the homeschool curriculum and how integral they are to my children's formation gives me the impetus to make sure they will actually happen next year. Hopefully there will be some sort of a "arts co-op" in our local area by then, perhaps on Fridays; this would certainly be ideal! But even if that never materializes, I will never again push off art & music study to happen just on Friday afternoons. Talk about setting myself up for failure! That's my first goal: set aside time during Mondays to Thursdays for music & art study, or for arts appreciation.

Goal #2: Piano lessons. As a piano teacher myself I see how good this is for my students' development. Even though I anticipate many complaints, I intend to begin lessons again with them. A keyboard is such a foundational instrument that it's a perfect place to begin, but of course if they request to study another instrument they may. (I would be really happy with a request, because it shows a desire to learn!) I'll keep you updated on this one!

Goal #3: To play more classical music in our home. I'm one of those people who love silence.... perhaps because it's so hard to come by in a household with five boys! I've always believed that by my playing classical music on the piano I was exposing my boys to it, which is true, but next year I will bump it up a bit more and play the Classical XM station in the morning before school starts.

This is a good beginning, I think. Just let me finish this year first!!!!

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