Round out your homeschool education

Bullfrogs (beginning cello)

Crickets 1 & 2 (beginning violin)

Learn to play strings in community

Many children are fascinated and excited to play string instruments. As Shinichi Suzuki said, “Musical ability is not an inborn talent but an ability which can be developed.” Bullfrogs and Crickets provide an opportunity for a child to begin playing a string instrument and make music with others. Music-making in community is a natural way to learn and is fundamental to Mr. Wedge’s approach to playing an instrument.

In a weekly 45-minute group lesson, students with little or no experience on the violin or cello will not only begin to play but experience the joy of playing together with others. The students will learn basic technique and many fun tunes. They will learn to play with others in a way that hones their sense of intonation, technique, and timing.

Students who begin in the Bullfrogs or Crickets program will ultimately be prepared to join the Cadence Youth Orchestra.

• Bullfrogs is designed for the beginning cellists. It also appropriate for players who are taking private lessons to enjoy and learn from ensemble playing. The source material is timeless folk, fiddle and hymns. Bullfrogs can be taken multiple times to allow for continued growth.

• Crickets 1 is designed for the beginning violinist. It also appropriate for players who are taking private lessons to enjoy and learn from ensemble playing. The source material is timeless folk, fiddle and hymns. Crickets can be taken multiple times to allow for continued growth.

• Crickets 2 is for graduates of the first year's class. This will increase focus on music reading and theory to prepare for orchestral playing. We will incorporate more Suzuki repertoire.

• Homework: Practicing 1-2 times per week

Drawing 2

Develop your own personal drawing style

Drawing 2 will help students accomplish a higher level of achievement in their drawing skills. They will work in larger size sketchbooks to create drawings with more contrast and detail. Students will learn to communicate rhythm and motion in their drawings. Media used are pencil, charcoal, ink pen with the addition of watercolor wash on their ink drawings. Students will also be introduced to colored conté crayons. New drawing techniques and style will include fractured faces, extreme extenuated face portraits in colored conté and free-hand drawing machinery. A mixed media drawing focus is also an important aspect of Drawing 2. This class will help students develop their own personal drawing style.

• Sections: Drawing can be taken multiple times to allow for continued growth.

• Prerequisite: Drawing 1 or teacher approval based on student’s portfolio or sketchbook

• Homework: 45-90 minutes per week

• Supplies: Students will receive a supply list in advance of the class.

• Credit: High school students will receive 1/4 credit for this course.

Etiquette

Being at ease & putting at ease

Courtesy, manners and civility add luster to the other virtues and make our Christian witness more appealing. This course provides instruction in etiquette, the art of behaving as Christian ladies and gentlemen. The heart of the course is not about knowing which fork to use, but about being at ease in various social situations so as to bless and honor others freely, unencumbered by anxiety and uncertainty. Scriptures will inform students’ hearts, as they learn the essentials of etiquette in relationships and a variety of social settings.

• Sections: The 10-week section in the fall is for grades 5-8. The 6-week section in the spring is for grades 3-5.

• Homework: Less than 30 minutes per week

Informal Logic

The art and craft of argument

Straw Man, Mob Appeal, Sweeping Generalization. Can your student recognize a false argument? Human beings love to argue, but is the goal to uncover what is true or to prove we are right? A guiding verse for this course will be 1 Peter 3:15 “But in your hearts revere Christ as Lord. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect.”

In this class students will gain a biblical appreciation for the use and limitations of 28 logical fallacies and be shown how to be a confident truth seeker while applying the concepts in a humble, loving, and charitable manner that nurtures relationships. This class is skills based nurturing the ability to govern and discipline oneself through reason, combining caution, wisdom, and foresight to make sound, ethical, and practical judgments.

Middle and high school students will argue (and sometimes quarrel), but they won’t argue well without good training. Students who complete The Art of Argument will learn how to reason with clarity, relevance, and purpose . . . and will have fun and grow in fellowship along the way! Informal logic is a foundational subject by which other subjects are evaluated, assessed, and learned. Therefore, students' study and mastery of the 28 logical fallacies will provide an essential lifetime framework for filtering good and bad reasoning as well as writing and speaking effectively. 

• Homework: 1-2 hours per week

• Credit: High school students will receive 1/2 credit for this course.

• Text: The Art of Argument student workbook from Academic Press

Orchestra Allegro & Allegretto

Making music to share and enjoy

In keeping with the culture of Greenhouse, Cadence will seek to make and share meaningful music in a community. The orchestra is designed for string players of various skill levels, and open to parents and older siblings of students as well. A family-friendly concert will cap each 11-week session. The repertoire will span classical, folk and sacred music.

Greenhouse offers an intermediate orchestra (Orchestra Allegretto) and advanced orchestra (Orchestra Allegro). Generally, the intermediate orchestra is for those who have completed Crickets 2 or Suzuki book 2 (or equivalent); while the advanced orchestra is for those have finished book 4 or more.

• Sections: Intermediate (Orchestra Allegretto - Crickets 2 or Suzuki book 2) and Advanced (Orchestra Allegro - Suzuki book 4+)

• Instruments: Violin, flute, viola, cello, and bass. We may accept other instruments on a case by case basis to accommodate siblings (no piano or guitar).

• Prerequisites: To be part of the Advanced Orchestra requires approval from the Director and will be based on an audition, or current repertoire with the student’s private teacher.

• Homework: Practicing 1-2 times per week

Rivendell Writers & Readers Guild

Inspired by the Oxford Inklings

The Oxford Inklings group showed the world the power and potential impact of a small group meeting weekly in Christian fellowship to intentionally grow as writers and thinkers. In that same spirit, we will meet for 90-minutes each week to share original creative writings, offer feedback, and engage in hearty group discussion. The discussions will focus on topics near and dear to Chesterton, Lewis, Tolkien, and the Inklings, for example: Christ-centered Biblical worldview, the power of writing, imagination, spiritual maturation, abiding discipleship, apologetics, the writing process, poetry, the power of story, and living in what Lewis calls the True Myth.

Students must be willing to engage in literary analysis, philosophical inquiry, creative and analytical writing, honoring group discussion, and healthy feedback. Each participant is expected to arrive ready to read, write, and participate in small and large group discussion each day. This style of learning is decidedly independent and self-directed. In addition to many writing and reading skills, students will gain essential experience in large and small group discussion and cultivating Kingdom Fellowship within an academic setting.

• Homework: About 1-1/2 to 2 hours per week

• Credit: 1/4 credit for high school students. Those taking the class for credit will be evaluated based on participation, writing, and achievement of personal goals collaboratively set by Mr. D. and the student.

• Text: Bandersnatch: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R. Tolkien, and the Creative Collaboration of the Inklings by Diana Pavlac Glyer and James A. Owen

Writers Workshop

Join our literary fellowship!

In the spirit of the famed literary fellowship of J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis, Writers Workshop offers the supportive and engaging environment of an authentic writing community. Growing writers struggle together through the hard parts of writing, as well as celebrate together finished products by presenting in Author’s Chair. While drafting, revising, and editing various writing projects, students develop writing skills and confidence. In learning to give and receive encouraging and specific feedback, students grow as writers and as servant leaders. The teacher also provides feedback through in-class conferences, and parents are equipped and encouraged to give conferences at home. The inspiring environment emphasizes growing as skilled and confident writers – and thriving as followers of Christ, growing together in authentic community.

Writing Projects: Memoir, Expository Essay, Poetry, Persuasive Essay, Fiction, and Personal Choice.

• Homework: 30-45 minutes 2-4 times per week

• Parent Orientation: If your family is new to Writers Workshop, then it is essential that a parent attend the Orientation on Thursday night, August 21, 7:00-8:15 pm.