The fastest way to add a rich musical streak to your homeschool is: Just listen to it. It's that simple. The tricky part is getting the radio station or the CD player on track with the program.

With young kids, it's easy to make the music choices. If you're beginning to homeschool with older kids, you may have a bit of a mutiny the first time you put on Beethoven. For that matter, you may not like stepping outside your favourite styles that much yourself.

But it's important to stretch our thinking! Learning is about expanding experience, knowledge and understanding. So here are some suggestions to add music without having to be a maestro.

• Find a radio station that plays classical music.
• Find out about ethnic music.
• If you want keyboard skills in your house, but aren't sure about purchasing a piano, look for a keyboard under $200.
• Research online about how to make your own banjo out of an ice cream pail, some fishing line and a bit of board.
• Make a habit of humming little tunes and getting the kids to try and copy them.
• Try playing a note on your instrument and then singing it. (This gets especially hilarious when a whole group tries to sing it together.)
• Buy a set of music flashcards with all the notes and symbols. Make sure it comes with an answer key of some sort so you can figure out what you're looking at.
• If someone really, really wants lessons - or you really want them as part of your homeschool curriculum - see if you can barter with a local musician.