The Homeschool Music Collective Podcast

Colleen Kessler is a homeschooling mom and author.  In today's episode, Gabi and Colleen discuss her most recent book, Raising Resilient Sons. They touch on the challenges of parenting while also educating our children and the emotional toll it can take.  Colleen stresses the importance of giving ourselves grace and forgiveness for our mistakes and communicating those things to our children.  She discusses the importance of intentional connection with each child and your spouse as well as group connection each day.  You can find Colleen on Twitter, Instagram, and Pinterest @colleenkessler and Facebook @raisinglifelonglearners or her website.  She is currently selling her book Raising Resilient Sons, wherever you can buy books, and encourages you to find a local bookstore to buy it!  She also has a Membership where you can find support for your unique children.{Unfortunately, we were unable to find the article mentioned in this podcast.}

In this episode, Gabi interviews Mary Prather, founder of Squilt Music and Homegrown Learners.  This homeschool mom runs her business with her husband and they have 2 children, one in college and one in high school.  Mary is a music educator at heart and loves teaching music and the love of music to children of all ages.  This love has led her down a path to owning a business with her husband and teaching children all over the country.  Listen in as we explore her homeschool journey and how Squilt Music came to be.You can find Mary on Instagram @squiltmusic and @homegrown_learners and also  at her websites for Squilt Music and Homegrown Learners.

In this episode, Gabi welcomes us back after a bit of a break.  She explains how life has been a bit crazy for her and how music has helped her keep perspective and reset her mindset during this difficult time.  Join us to hear about how music can help us through the difficult times in our lives!

You are in for a treat today! I'm speaking with music teacher Jocelyn Manzanarez in today's episode.  Jocelyn and I are very like-minded when it comes to introducing music to our little ones as well as our support of the recognized benefits of music learning!  Jocelyn owns and operates Musically Minded and until 2020, took her amazing skill and talent to child care centers, teaching music to the little ones in their care.  She began her career as an elementary music teacher, but quickly discovered that it wasn't the best fit. She wanted to expand music learning to a greater population--she set out on a journey to do just that!2020 rocked her world, as much as it did everyone else's and she switched gears to provide virtual classes.  These classes not only provide music learning for students, but also help parents and teachers to learn and recognize the many benefits of music education.  The research is there.  Music helps build a better brain. Jocelyn is set to show the world just how well it does that.  You can find Jocelyn at her Facebook Page, her Youtube channel, her website, Instagram and if you're interested in support, her Facebook Group: Circle Time Success.

Every new homeschooler I meet is brimming with excitement or nervousness with all the plans in the world about how they are going to educate their children.  Sometimes everything is completely planned out to a 'T' and sometimes not, but always there is an energy that suffuses everything.  We homeschoolers like to think about what is best for each of our children and we get excited at being able to reach them and teach them ourselves.Many times, we get so engrossed in what we are doing each day that we don't take the time to stop and assess.  Things start to pile up, Mom gets stressed out and stuff starts to fall apart.  Burn out happens.  This week,I is talk to homeschooling momma Erica Johns.  Erica is at the end of her homeschool journey, within the last year with the youngest child.  She has been through the ups and downs of homeschooling and she shares with us about her burnout experience and what she learned from it.You can connect with Erica at her website, Enrichmentstudies.com , where she helps other homeschoolers find activities that enrich their lives while improving brain function--what a as a bonus!

What a treat it is to speak with mother and daughter, Amber and Ann Marie Semerau, in today's podcast!  Ann Marie is a pianist and composer and Amber taught her all the way through school.  Amber talks about why they chose not to give Ann Marie formal music education.  Ann Marie talks about her experience and how being given the time to dabble and play with her passion has opened doors for her.  Listen to get some perspective on the end game of homeschooling and seeing the results of the work of love that homeschooling can be.Ann Marie Semerau has two albums, “The Forgotten Quest” and “My Heart” that can be found on Spotify, iTunes and anywhere you buy music digitally.  She can be found on Instagram @pianoannmarie and Facebook Ann Marie Semerau. Amber Semerau has a podcast called Homeschool Success Stories that can be found at all the podcast places.

Homeschooling can be hard on the most normal families.  When you add in chronic illness, it takes it to a completely different level.  Come with me as I speak with Aimee Smith about her journey in homeschooling and how it led her to find rest.  We start at the beginning with all the hopes and dreams that new homeschoolers have and dive deep into the guilt of not doing enough, asking for too much help and the self-judgment that comes with all of those emotions.  We discuss her path to diagnosis and what that did for her homeschooled family and also for her.  Aimee was led to find rest in a season of her life and now shares that message with the world at aimeesmith.com.

I am so thankful to be able to continue my conversation with Candace Dugger about the realities of bullying in our homeschooling communities and our children's lives in today's episode.  Candace is an expert in addressing bullying and teaching educators and parents and children how to handle bullying.  Not only as the victim, but also as the perpetrator.  Bullying is multifaceted and it has evolved onto our technology platforms in video games and social media.  We need to learn the new language of bullying and how it is affecting us and our children in order to protect.  Candace Dugger helps us to learn.She has so many resources and recommends watching the documentaries Bully  and The Social Dilemma.  She works with Paul Coughlin, author of Free Us from Bullying: Real Solutions Beyond Being Nice to spread knowledge of what bullying is and how to recognize and address it.  Candace also has many courses coming up that she talks about in the episode You can find more information at https://www.bulliedbrokenredeemed.com

In today's podcast, Eran Katz and I discuss the psychology of parenting and how becoming a parent is like being given the deed to a ship; a ship to navigate with precious cargo - our children. Eran Katz is a clinical psychologist and parenting counselor specializing in attachment theory. He's also the father of two children who are his best parenting teachers. He believes that parenting is one of the most important jobs we ever do. This is why he created Apparently Parent and The Parenting MAP Society, to help you move your family from chaos to harmony and build an enduring, meaningful relationship with your kids. We talk about Eran's new MAP to help guide us (Mind Attachment Purpose) on our journey as parents.  I ask him about child anxiety and he walks us through a way to help our kids feel safer when they are feeling anxiety in their world.   You can find Eran Katz and all his tools at:  https://www.apparentlyparent.com/

Can you be a mother, a musician and a music educator all at the same time?  Of course you can! Listen as I chat with my sweet friend, Carly Walton, who has a thriving course and music membership that teaches and supports music teachers in expanding their instruction in the online space.  Teaching online isn't always the option that private music teachers prefer, but the world is changing, isn't it?  When COVID hit, Carly's membership community exploded, as music teachers all over the world had to move their studios online.  My friend Carly was there to save the day!

Bullying.  It is a hard subject to broach.  It causes pain internally that is seemingly not understood.  It is a private pain that lingers in the dark shadows of our mind.  It can change who a person is before they can stop it.In today's episode, I am speaking with Candace Dugger, a nationally recognized anti-bullying expert.  She helps us learn how people can heal from those traumas and also how to recognize bullying.Candice also gives us a bit of direction on how we can help within our communities.Our guest has built a beautiful program that teaches parents and leaders that work with children to not only recognize bullying behavior, but also how to help bullied victims reclaim their lives.  She and her team organize events using interactive activities and projects to help your group become effective anti-bullying warriors.Find Bullied Broken Redeemed at www.bulliedbrokenredeemed.com to find resources.Products to help can be found on Amazon.Their Facebook Group can be found here.

Today it's from the heart--I'm chatting about music education and sharing 3 main takeaways from my own study of music.

Have you ever experienced or felt like you were on the verge of 'overwhelm?' What do you do when you find yourself in times of struggle? Join me for this quick chat on a simple tool that you can pull out of your arsenal and get yourself back on track.

Today you're in for a real treat!I'm honored to be talking with renown veteran homeschooling momma Cindy Rollins, author of the lovely book Mere Motherhood: Morning Time, Nursery Rhymes, and My Journey Toward Sanctification and the accompanying book A handbook for Morning Time.Cindy homeschooled her nine children for over 30 years using Charlotte Mason's timeless ideas from the beginning. She co-hosts The Literary Life Podcast with Angelina Stanford and Thomas Banks.Her heart's desire is to encourage moms! We talk about living books, homeschool rhythm and of course, Charlotte Mason. I think you'll find so much encouraging truth in this short but mighty conversation.Have a listen!

Listen as I chat with veteran homeschooling momma of 4, Julie Polanco. In this episode, Julie shares her reasons for homeschooling, the impacts it's had on her home and family and ultimately what a regular homeschooling day looks like in her home.

Today I'm chatting with Alfrea Moore, a relatively new homeschooling mom that came to homeschooling from a different educational environment. In just the short year that she's been a homeschooling momma, she has come to realize that the homeschool choice that she has made has been the loveliest of things for her children as well as herself. I loved listening to her chat about her journey—to come from one side over to another and be able to see the benefits and advantages really start to take shape, even though there was uncertainty and insecurity in the beginning—I found it so encouraging! If you're new to homeschooling, I think you'll find wisdom in Aflrea's journey. Have a listen!

Meet Shannon Mokry, an eclectic homeschooler that combines various elements into her home rhythms.

Today I'm chatting with another homeschool mom that uses a classical approach to homeschooling in her home!I'm talking with Justina of Jus' Classical. Justina is a musician, oboist, singer, song writer, creator, video producer, blogger, actress, classical educator, photographer and entrepreneur. She has a degree in music therapy and has worked as an early childhood music teacher for over 18 years.At her church, she also helps with the music ministry, playing oboe in the orchestra, and teaching Sunday school to early elementary-aged children, using her Westminster Shorter Catechism songs. Justina is also a devoted wife and a self-described crazy and busy homeschooling mom of three blessings, ages 14, 12, and 9.It is her great aspiration to encourage other home school moms and families, especially in their focus on Christ, but also in making memorizing painless through music as well as enjoying great art and classical music! Justina defines the elements of a classical approach to homeschooling in our conversation.  Have a listen to our chat!

We're continuing our season of Homeschool Helps. Today we're talking with Inga Masek, a former elementary school principal and elementary teacher (like me) who enjoys educating her children at home.They've been using a customized classical approach and have loved it!Inga and I quickly discovered that we had SO much in common, having both been school administrators and even found that we both struggled with some of the same things in our homeschooling journey. I think you'll find our conversation enlightening.Listen in!

Jen Dodrill has been married 34 years, is a proud mom to 5 kids, and she homeschooled the youngest three using the eclectic style. The “baby” graduated in May, but Jen refuses to bow to empty-nest syndrome! She teaches Oral Communication as an adjunct instructor and writes curriculum under History at Home at TeachersPayTeachers. When she's not working, she's spending time with her kids and adorable granddaughters. Connect with her on her blog – Jen Dodrill History at Home, Instagram, Facebook, and her favorite place – Pinterest!

Listen as I chat with veteran homeschool mom of 8, Durenda Wilson. Her book, The Unhurried Homeschooler, helped me in the early years.It was such an encouraging conversation—I was honored to have her on the show and I know you'll benefit from the wisdom and advice she gives. You can find Durenda at durendawilson.com. She also has a podcast called the Durenda Wilson Podcast (iTunes, Spotify, Overcast).You can also find her on Facebook, and InstagramFind her course: The Unhurried Homeschooler Mentoring Course.  Her books (Available on Amazon) The Unhurried Homeschooler-A simple, mercifully short book on homeschooling, Unhurried Grace for a Mom's Heart-31 days in God's Word.

Listen as I chat with Kathryn Brunner, a seasoned music educator who is passionate about child development and music literacy. With 20 years of teaching experience, she is on a mission to help parents and children enjoy making music together at home. She has taught hundreds of children how to become artists at the piano, and she has had the privilege of leading thousands of young children in joyful musical play in her piano and Musikgarten studio, place of worship and community. She now offers her early childhood music classes online at mymusikathome.com to prepare children for a lifetime of meaningful musicianship. Kathryn is a member of the Early Childhood Music and Movement Association and the National Association of Music Teachers. She holds a degree and certifications in music from Gardner-Webb University, George Mason University and Musikgarten International. Kathryn has served as a speaker for local, state and national music teachers associations.

Listen as I chat with Abigail Zieger is a music educator, classical singer and performer, blogger, and homeschool mom of four kids. She has been privileged to share music with both young and old through her work with children, special needs adults, and the elderly through non-profit organizations. In her spare time, she enjoys writing homeschool resources at Woven Homeschool.

Listen as I chat with Heideli Loubser,  a homeschooling blogger, copywriter and supplier of educational toys. She loves exploring the homeschooling journey with her two young children and sets out to help other overwhelmed parents do the same with her blog.This chat was so fun!  Two creatives talking about music and life--you can find Heideli at http://homeschoolerslife.com or her FB page: https://www.facebook.com/homeschoolerslifepage/.

Listen as I chat with Gena Mayo, a veteran homeschool mom of 8 and also a music educator for over 25 years. Her passion is to bring the resources and encouragement so that all homeschool moms can include music in their homeschools. Her website, 'Music in Our Homeschool' provides music lessons and reviews of music curriculum. Gena also has an online course site of music courses for all ages. 

Welcome back for Season 2! Chatting with me is S.D. Smith, author of the Green Ember series. Listen as we talk about what role music plays in his life and in his home.You can find S. D. Smith's books at www.sdsmith.com/store or www.amazon.com among other booksellers. If your library uses Hoopla you can get all of Sam's audiobooks for free www.sdsmith.com/hoopla.Get The Green Ember Audiobook free when you sign up for his email newsletter at www.sdsmith.com/updates. You can find Sam on social media — facebook:@SDSmithAuthor Instagram: @SDSmithereens

Join me as I chat with Rachel Marquez, homeschooling momma of 7. Listen as we chat about scheduling, chaos and harmony in a busy homeschool.

Listen as I chat with Veronica Whitley about what music looks like for her family.

Join me as I chat with Dr. Alia Khaled, a homeschooling momma that has brought music education into her home. You can find more about Dr. Khaled at www.AlifBaaWorld.com.

Join me as I share a bird's-eye view of the many amazing benefits that music study can have for your child.

Today we talk about something that all homeschooling mommas should be doing.  Listen as I talk about celebrating wins.

Listen as I chat a bit about the purpose and intention behind the Homeschool Music Momma Podcast.

A brief intro to the show.