Overview
Charlotte Mason used solfa for singing instruction. Solfa (also known as solfège, solfeggio, solfeo, and sol-fa) is a method of teaching music that assigns syllables to each note of the musical scale. Instead of calling the notes by their letter names (A, B, C, etc.) they are referred to by the more easily sung syllables do, re, mi, fa, sol, la, and ti. The beauty of solfa lies in its ability to teach the art of inner hearing, which is the ability to hear, read, and sing music in your mind. See Sing Solfa’s Overview and Methodology pages for more information.
Recommended lesson length: 10-15 minutes
Resources
These sites were all created by music educators who also homeschool based on the Charlotte Mason method.
Sing Solfa – This site was created by one of By Study and Faith’s main contributors, Jessi Vandagriff. It has print and video lessons for children to learn to sing using solfa syllables and hand signs. No previous experience from either child or parent is required. The lessons are short and the site includes example schedules. Many of the Children of the Open Air videos are incorporated into the lessons.
Children of the Open Air YouTube Channel – This channel offers videos of a mom teaching her children to sing using solfa. They are well done and provide a good model for how you can teach your own children these concepts.
Solfa Sofa – This site has videos and downloadable worksheets. It includes flashcards and the lessons move at a faster pace than do those at Sing Solfa.