FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Music Comes Alive is a comprehensive, engaging, literature-based study of music designed to empower you to bring the joy of music into your homeschool. It is open-and-go, fully planned out and requiring no preparation. Music Comes Alive is designed to be taught by anyone, including those with and without a musical background. Each of our products is designed for a specific grade range, with parallel tracks for K-2nd and 3rd-5th grade. This approach allows students of multiple ages to learn together, while still meeting specific age groups at their level. See Get Started.

Each Music Comes Alivecurriculum is designed to be used once a week for an entire academic year (34 weeks). This approach allows music appreciation to be a regular part of your homeschool, integrating seamlessly in with your other subjects. Lessons follow a four-week pattern for eight months: (1) musician of the month, (2) fundamentals concept, (3) instrument, and (4) engaging activity. Two additional lessons about a Christmas carol are provided for use in December.

The length of each lesson depends on your student’s grade level. For Primary curricula (K-2nd grade), we estimate the lessons will take approximately 15-30 minutes. For Elementary curricula (3rd – 5th grade), we estimate the lessons will take approximately 20-40 minutes. If you choose to access the Digital Resources that support the week’s lesson, they may add up to 5-10 minutes to the lesson time.

We currently offer two categories of curricula for K-5th grades: Primary (K-2nd) and Elementary (3rd-5th). Our vision at Music Comes Alive is to eventually provide curricula for K-12.

Primary A:“Medieval Melodies to Musical Theater” is our first Primary curriculum, released in 2024. Two additional Primary tracks are planned: Primary B and Primary C. These curricula are designed to be used in any order for grades K – 2. Each Primary curriculum will introduce new composers, many new instruments, and contain a variety of activities. Fundamentals content does overlap in all three Primary curricula, covering basic rhythm, pitch notation, and other beginning music concepts. This overlap ensures your young children are exposed to these basic concepts multiple times before proceeding to more in-depth fundamentals concepts in 3rd-5th grade.

Elementary A: “Medieval to Modern” is our first Elementary curriculum, released in 2024. Two additional Elementary tracks are planned: Elementary B and Elementary C. These curricula are designed to be used in any order for grades 3-5. Each Elementary curriculum will introduce new composers, many new instruments, and contain a variety of activities. Fundamentals content in Elementary curricula are mostly distinct, with minimal overlap for introductory/review purposes. For example, the Elementary A fundamentals curriculum exclusively covers pitch notation (notes on the staff).

At Music Comes Alive, we approach our work with a Christian worldview, believing that truth, goodness, and beauty comes from God and is worthy of study wherever it is found. However, our curriculum does not require that you be a Christian to use it. Feel free to adapt the perspectives offered in the curriculum to your family's needs as you see fit. We make every effort to ensure that the books and resources we select reflect truth, goodness, and beauty in God’s creation. That said, these books and resources are not necessarily written from a specifically Christian perspective. As you and your students engage with these books, we encourage you to guide your students in exercising critical thinking, making their own choices about what to accept and reject in any text. We believe you know your child best. In the Music Comes Alive: Curriculum Guides, we provide notes for parents if there are any possible concerns about content. These notes enable you, the parent, to choose the most appropriate material to present to your child.

Music Comes Alive currently emphasizes the history of Western Music, including sacred, classical, and vernacular styles of music.

While we cannot provide specific advice, we encourage customers to be familiar with your local laws and regulations concerning home education. We suggest reaching out to other homeschooling families in your area to learn from those already homeschooling in your state. Consider joining or reaching out to homeschool-related associations, such as: https://hslda.org/.

Yes, Music Comes Alive is intended to integrate well with other subjects. Our curricula may touch on subjects including: history, art, math, science, and writing.

Yes, answers to the Activity Pack questions are provided as an appendix to the corresponding Curriculum Guide. Please confirm that the edition year of the Activity Pack matches the edition year of the Curriculum Guide you are using.

Yes, we can provide a sample for both Primary and Elementary levels. Please reach out to info@musiccomesalive.com to request a digital or print sample.

The print formats of our Curriculum Guides and Activity Packs are beautiful, full-color resources printed on quality paper, with your choice of binding (spiral or three-hole punched). These tangible products assist in bringing music to life! The print version of the Curriculum Guide is a one-time purchase that may be reused, whereas the Activity Packs are consumable products. If you are using the print version, use the QR codes in the Curriculum Guide to access the Digital Resources. The digital formats of our Curriculum Guides and Activity Packs are beautiful, full-color PDF files, designed to afford you the flexibility of digital use. Your purchase of a digital bundle grants you an individual license to use within your immediate family. For group use, see FAQ: Group Use. If you are using the digital version, use the hyperlinks in the Curriculum Guide to access the Digital Resources. If you would like access to both formats, you may add a digital Curriculum Guide to a purchase of the corresponding print Curriculum Guide for a discounted price.

We offer all the required books and many of the optional books for purchase on this website. The required books are available on the site as a bundle. You may also purchase the books through other booksellers. You may be able to find second-hand copies of many of these books at second-hand bookstores or through used-book websites. Finally, your local library may have copies of many of the books. If you need help finding a book and cannot locate it on our website, please contact us at info@musiccomesalive.com.

No, many, if not all, the books should be available through your local library or available second-hand.

Yes, please contact info@musiccomesalive.com, and we can provide you with a link to the appropriate item to add to your shopping cart. Both digital and print versions of old Activity Packs are available.

You must purchase a Curriculum Guide to access the Digital Resources. You may access your Digital Resources at https://resources.musiccomesalive.com. Login with the same account (email) you used to purchase your product. Once logged in, a link will be displayed taking you to the appropriate Resources page. The Curriculum Guide also contains hyperlinks and QR codes that will take you to each specific resource referred to in the Guide.

In order to access Digital Resources, you will need a mobile phone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer with an internet connection that can view a website and media content. Ideally, we recommend using a product purchased within the last ten years and making sure your operating system is up to date. To use the QR codes in the print Curriculum Guide, you will need a phone or tablet that can read QR codes. An iPhone, iPad, Android, or Android-based tablet sold within the past five years should be sufficient. If using the digital Curriculum Guide, we recommend using a program that can view PDF files. Adobe Reader is available for Windows and Mac computers. Alternative PDF readers are available for Linux computers. Additionally, many modern browsers (e.g.: Chrome, Firefox, Safari) can view PDF files in the browser without requiring you to install a PDF-specific program on your computer. If you have specific questions about accessing Digital Resources on your device, please email support@musiccomesalive.com.

No, there are no Digital Resources connected with the Activity Packs. Only Music Comes Alive: Curriculum Guides include access to Digital Resources. This allows parents to use their discretion in selecting which resources they would prefer to use with their children.

If your order is over $200, we provide free domestic shipping. For orders less than $200, we use delivery services for packages (e.g.: USPS, UPS, FedEx), and shipping cost is based on the size and weight of your order as well as how soon you want the order delivered. See Shipping & Returns.

If a digital product is purchased, it becomes available as soon as the order is fully processed. We work to ship orders of physical products as soon as possible. The status of your order is displayed on your account order-status page. Print products are shipped within one week of ordering. Books that are in stock are shipped within one week. If a book or product is backordered, your account order status will display its status until it is delivered to you. Delivery should occur within 3-10 business days once your order leaves our facilities. See Shipping & Returns.

Yes, please reach out to support@musiccomesalive.com if you have any questions. In general, delivery services such as UPS, FedEx, DHL, etc. are used for shipping internationally, and require a street address and phone number. However, you are responsible for all other charges (e.g.: duties, taxes, brokerage fees, etc.) for delivery to non-US destinations. See Shipping & Returns.

Please reach out to support@musiccomesalive.com if you have any questions. Shipments are generally insured against damage and/or theft and are handled accordingly. See Shipping & Returns.

Using our website, you may add products to your shopping cart. We offer several methods of payment. See Payment Methods. Products displayed on the website are for individual family use only; if purchasing for a group, please contact info@musiccomesalive.comso the appropriate products can be selected and ordered (see FAQ: Group Use).

Your credit card will be immediately charged for products purchased. If an item on your order is backordered, you may request a refund for that item.

Please reach out to support@musiccomesalive.com and we will do our best to accommodate your request. However, if your order has already been shipped, you will be asked to cover any return shipping charges for the change request.

Unfortunately, due to the nature of digital products, no refunds are available for digital product purchases. For physical products, if you are not satisfied with your product, we can refund your order if you request a refund within 30 days after the purchase date. We must receive the undamaged, returned product within 60 days of the purchase date. See Returns & Exchanges.

Yes, we offer occasional discounts: Groups, Co-ops, and Schools can obtain discounts with ‘Group’ versions of products. ‘Group’ products may include additional resources to assist with the classroom environment. To obtain a group product, contact us at info@musiccomesalive.com. Books and other products may be bundled and discounted to make it easier to acquire the teaching resources used with Music Comes Alive curriculums. See specific products for discounts or contact us with questions regarding discounted products. We offer sales at various times throughout the year. Subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on upcoming sales and other offers.

Group versions of the Curriculum Guides and Activity Packs are available for groups, co-ops, and schools. The Curriculum Guide (group version) includes additional classroom materials. A group discount is provided for both the Curriculum Guide and the Activity Pack. However, the consumable Activity Pack is an annually renewable license that must be re-ordered each year. You will receive a reminder email before your license expires. Group items are available but must be requested directly from us. The individual version of Curriculum Guide and Activity Pack is not licensed for group use. Please email us at info@musiccomesalive.com for group purchase options and quotes.