The Mission Statement of Scholé Songs
Inspired by a Biblical worldview and Classical approach to learning, Scholé Songs exists (1) to partner with parents & teachers by providing a broad catalog of quality songs and chants to supplement any elementary curriculum and (2) to make memorization easy and enjoyable for students in the grammar stage of learning, equipping them to absorb and retain as much of the true, good, and beautiful as possible.
Inspired by a Biblical worldview….
We are unashamedly Jesus-followers here at Scholé Songs, and it definitely affects our worldview. We believe that the Bible is absolutely true, and it is the lens through which we look at each subject. God created the heavens and earth, but he also created mathematics and language. He has remained sovereign through the course of human history. Science is the constant search for truth as humanity continues to unravel the many mysteries of this world that God created. Every good thing comes from God (James 1:17), so we cannot hope for our children to love anything that is good, true, and beautiful apart from Him.
… and Classical approach to learning…
Scholé Songs was born out of our understanding of a Classical education. We directly identify as being an integral part of the grammar stage of the Trivium, a time-tested three-stage system of learning which includes the grammar, logic, and rhetoric stages. Within the grammar stage, students are taking in as much information as possible in order to later be able to work with it to a point of understanding and then mastery. I liken this stage to a child gathering as many Legos (facts/knowledge) as possible before putting them together to make a masterpiece (understanding/application).
…Scholé Songs exists to partner with parents & teachers…
A friend once said that she just wanted a seat at the table of her son’s education. She didn’t want to be the only voice he heard, but she wanted to at least be one of the voices. At Scholé Songs, we believe every parent should be involved in their child’s education at some level. No one should be more invested in the education of a child than the ones who love him/her the most. We also realize that one educational model doesn’t suit every individual need and family circumstances. If anyone knows the need for grace as you try to navigate all the educational options for your child, I do. I have seen all the options work incredibly well, but I can also tell you stories of when each of them failed certain children they were serving. However, regardless of the program, I have seen the fruit of diligent study of memory work in the early years of education! No matter if you are a full-time homeschool mom or a grandparent trying to supplement the secular curriculum of public schools, you will not regret the time spent singing with the children in your life. Our goal is to make it easy for you to find things to fill up your child’s mind and heart with that will serve him for years to come.
Likewise, we want to provide resources that are useful to teachers. I have also found myself in the classroom at the mercy of a dry, scripted curriculum. I’ve felt the challenge of making 30+ spelling rules accessible to children in a way that they can use them with fluency. We want to provide a database of songs and chants that will make it easier for teachers to get information off the page and into their student’s minds and create a classroom a delight for the students who enter it.
…by providing a broad catalog of quality songs and chants…
As we tackled year after year of memory work, I realized that my children (especially my dyslexic ones) could remember things infinitely faster with songs and chants than with recitation or drill. Recitation has its place, and I’m a big fan of it if you have the time and space to come together and do it together on a regular basis. However, I found that when I could commit our car time to memory work and push play on a playlist whenever we were in the car, it suited our needs much better. Many of the memory programs only provide music for some of the memory work, but leave you to find other memory devices for others. I wholeheartedly endorse all forms of memory (tricks), but for my dyslexic son and auditory learner, songs/chants are what was easiest. Mnemonic devices that worked for me only confused him. Our goal is not to make you sing our entire catalog in one sitting, but to have a database of songs for you to use at your discretion. Are you studying Astronomy this year? Then come pick out a few of our astronomy songs. Is your child struggling with subject pronouns? We have a song for that.
…to supplement any elementary curriculum…
Scholé Songs is not meant to be used in isolation, but as a support for other curriculums. In most cases, it is simply used as a review to activate prior knowledge that the teacher is wanting to build on in a specific lesson. Depending on the age and unique situation of your family, you may want to only use a specific subject or group of songs, and that’s great! Our goal is to eventually have 4 full cycles of memory work that will include Timeline, History, English, Spelling Rules, Latin, Scripture, Science, and Geography. However, we want you to have the flexibility to use our resources in whatever order or way that is most helpful to you.
…making memorization easy and enjoyable for students in the grammar stage of learning…
Our content is most appropriate for ages 4-12. While in most school contexts, “grammar stage” refers to grades PK-5, in actuality, the grammar stage is the beginning stage of any type of knowledge that is new. If I were to take up photography as an adult, I would still initially be in the grammar stage of learning as I learned all the definitions, rules, and techniques that go into making a beautiful photograph. For students at the beginning of their school years, there is so much knowledge that we need to pass on in order for them to begin to play with it and use it in meaningful ways. We believe that the easiest and most enjoyable way to pass this information along is through songs and chants. Students can freely activate visual, auditory, and kinesthetic learning styles by interacting with our songs and chants.
…and equipping them to absorb and retain as much of the true, good and beautiful as possible.
Charlotte Mason believed in training children’s appetites for knowledge. Just as we have to develop a taste for healthy foods in our children, we have to teach them what kinds of knowledge are healthy for them. Students will not inherently ponder the wonder of an adverb, but many years down the road, they will appreciate the ability to use adverbs to make their writing come to life. If we can make it easy for your child to recall what an adverb is later in life, then we have succeeded!
Soli Deo Gloria