Music education, although it can be lots of fun, can also be one of the most challenging subjects to teach. This is particularly true in a school setting, where kids are often in music class because they have to be there, not because they want to be there.

Even in a school of music, music education can still be a challenge.  Here’s why.

A lot has to do with the complexity of music education. Here’s a list of things necessary for a good music education:

• Reading musical notes
• Playing an instrument
• Understanding rhythm
• Understanding time and space
• Math and music
• Aesthetics and music
• Acoustics and music
• Morals and music
• History of music
• Science and Music

Each one of these is a subject in itself, and it can appear daunting to the homeschooling family.

But attaining the complexity of a music eduction is no different than any other subject. You start with a few basic principles and eventually deal with great complexity as the student absorbs and understands the basics.

What, then are the basics in a music education? It’s what I call the “Three R’s of Music Education: Reading, ‘Riting and Rhythm.”

The first two of these — Reading and ‘Riting — are a combo package. They must be taught together. That’s how you teach language, and it is no different in music.  By combining sight — what you see — with production — now write it — you combine the students senses to reinforce what it is she is to learn.

The last of the three ‘R’s’ — Rhythm — is a little more challenging. When you speak you use rhythm. You say some words louder than others, or stronger than others, to emphasize what it is you are attempting to convey.

Music takes those emphasized sounds and puts it in a more regular pattern. It might be simple duple or triple meter (two beats or three beats) or more complex forms of this, called compound rhythm.

Here the student is learning to hear and produce sounds in a more meaningful manner to convey the message of the music.

These three ingredients form the backbone of a good music education.  And they are not difficult to achieve.