90: Celebrate America 250 with Music and Art: A Homeschool Journey Through 250 Years of Freedom

How can your homeschool family join the national celebration of America’s 250th birthday in a way that’s meaningful, creative, and easy to do? In this inspiring episode of the Music in Our Homeschool podcast, Gena Mayo shares how to celebrate America 250 through her brand-new course, Music and Art of America: 250 Years of Freedom.

Gena takes you behind the scenes of this patriotic journey—18 short, 15-minute weekly lessons that guide your family through 250 years of American music and art. You’ll explore everything from Colonial fiddle tunes and Revolutionary songs to jazz, Broadway, country, and film scores—each paired with fine art from iconic American artists like Winslow Homer, Grant Wood, and Mary Cassatt.

In this heartfelt episode, Gena also reflects on her own family’s summer trip to Philadelphia, Boston, and Gettysburg, sharing how standing in the places where history happened reignited her gratitude for the courage and creativity that built our nation.

Whether you’re a homeschool mom, co-op leader, or simply a lover of history and the arts, this episode will show you how to make 2026 a year of gratitude, freedom, and national pride—all through music and art.

👉 Learn more and enroll at MusicinOurHomeschool.com/MusicandArtofAmerica

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Transcript

Celebrate America 250 with Music and Art: A Homeschool Journey Through 250 Years of Freedom

Speaker: [00:00:00] Hello, Harmony Heroes and welcome back to the Music in Our Homeschool podcast. I'm your host, Gena Mayo, and I'm especially excited about today's episode because we're celebrating something truly special: the upcoming 250th birthday of the United States of America. That's right. America 250 is coming in 2026, and I've created a brand new course called Music and Art of America: 250 Years of Freedom t o help you and your family celebrate in a meaningful and easy way.

It officially launches today and there's a special launch week sale happening right now. So stick around because I will share the details before we close, or you could head over to the show notes now if you'd like.

This past summer, my family and I took an unforgettable road trip that brought America's early history to life for me all over again. We walked [00:01:00] the cobblestone streets of Philadelphia and saw where the Declaration of Independence was signed. We toured Boston where the echoes of the revolution still seemed to linger around every corner. And we walked in Gettysburg, bringing back the deep sadness of when our country was torn apart.

Standing in Independence Hall, I could almost hear the voices of our Founding Fathers as they debated and dreamed about freedom. Seeing the Old North Church in Boston where Paul Revere's famous signal lanterns once hung, made realize how just ordinary men and women shaped something extraordinary.

And then seeing the battlefield of Gettysburg, where so many died for freedom It just brought it back full circle. These moments made me so grateful for our nation's story and reminded me why I love teaching it through music and art.

As we [00:02:00] approach America's 250th anniversary. I wanted to create something special for homeschooling families, something that helps us not only study history, but feel it. Music and Art of America: 250 Years of Freedom is a journey through eighteen short, 15-minute weekly lessons. If you start in January, you'll be finished by summer.

Each week your family will explore a new era of American music from Colonial fiddle tunes and Revolutionary War songs to cowboy ballads and Civil War songs to ragtime, big band, jazz, Broadway, country, and even film scores. And every lesson pairs with a piece of American art-- paintings by artists like Winslow Homer, Frederic Remington, Grant Wood. Horace Pippin, Paul Revere, Mary Cassatt, and more. Together these [00:03:00] lessons weave the soundtrack and the story of America's past 250 years.

It's perfect for families who want to make 2026 a year of patriotic celebration without feeling overwhelmed. You'll do it in just one 15-minute music lesson each week.

Now, I have to admit this project is close to my heart because I'm a pretty patriotic person. I still tear up every time I say the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem. And if I see veterans marching in a parade or standing up in church, you can bet I'm choking up then, too. There's something so powerful about remembering the courage, the creativity, the unity that brought this country together on the basis of freedom. And even with all the division we are experiencing today, those foundations still bind us together.

And honestly, that's what I hope this course brings to you in your homeschool, a [00:04:00] sense of gratitude, patriotism, and pride. When your kids sing "Yankee Doodle," listen to Scott Joplin's "Maple Leaf Rag," or do a dance to Glen Miller's "In the Mood," they'll be learning more than just music. They'll be connecting to the heart of what it means to be an American.

Let me give you a quick peek of what's inside. You'll start with Colonial and Revolutionary music, learning how early Americans used songs to celebrate faith, freedom, and community.

You'll explore Spirituals and Civil War tunes, discovering how music carried both sorrow and hope. You'll tap your toes to ragtime, jazz, big band swing, and even experience the rise of rock and roll and Broadway musicals. You'll finish with lessons on American classical music, modern film scores, country music, and a few of my personal favorites to help us celebrate how our nation's creativity continues to [00:05:00] thrive.

Each week, you get a short lesson to read, embedded videos to watch (or you could just listen to the music if you prefer), art appreciation through the wonderful Enrichment Studies Fine Art Pages, and a fun activity to do like learning to dance the Charleston or a country line dance, bucket drumming to some rock rhythms, or even writing lyrics to a song.

Music and Art of America: 250 Years of Freedom is great for all ages, elementary through high school. Use it for your family Morning Time at a homeschool co-op, or as an addition to your history or geography curriculum. You can use it any way that works best for you. It's very flexible, self-paced, and ready to start any time, but I personally think January is the perfect moment to begin, and that's when I'm going to do it with my 8th and 10th graders. How perfect to be done by July 4th, 2026, [00:06:00] America's 250th birthday.

If you want your homeschool to join this national celebration of 250 years of freedom through music and art, head over to MusicinOurHomeschool.com/MusicandArtofAmerica. From November 3rd through 10th, you can use the coupon code AMERICA to get 30% off the lifetime-access course. This is the perfect way to honor our country, learn history through creativity, and even enjoy meaningful family time together each week. So join me as we celebrate America's 250 years of freedom through the music and art that tell our nation's story.

Thank you for listening today and for letting Music in Our Homeschool be a part of your family's learning journey. Until next time, keep the music playing and the joy growing in your [00:07:00] homeschool.