Art & Music Education

In her book The Hidden Art of Homemaking, Edith Schaeffer argues that everyone has a talent or skill ready to be discovered and put to use for the glory of God. Often, that talent lies dormant, and the individual is frustrated by the empty spot in their life it should fill. Finding your talent should be a priority, though it's no drudgery—discovering what God has made you good at is a joyful and exciting process.

Similarly, Olympic gold medalist Eric Liddell never put his running before his duty to Christ; instead, he used his talent as a sprinter to glorify God. As he expresses in the brilliant film Chariots of Fire, "I believe God made me for a purpose, but He also made me fast. And when I run I feel His pleasure." God gives us talents to use in His name, and our joy in them is really our joy in Him.

Eric Liddell's talent led him to compete internationally; the "hidden art" Schaeffer describes is a little more modest, though no less glorifying to God when pursued humbly and gratefully. For Schaeffer, one's hidden art can be something as simple as arranging flowers on the kitchen table, or as elaborate as writing a story or painting a landscape. Everyone has different strengths, and each should learn to cultivate their own.

Our goal in teaching our children art and music isn't to raise a bunch of Van Goghs and Mozarts. If your child is a creative genius that's wonderful, but even if she can barely stay in the lines when coloring, her gifts are just as valuable to the Lord, and her discovery of them is just as important for her growth and personal happiness.

There are a few books in this section designed to help kids appreciate great art of the past, to learn about composers, or to identify the work of different painters and architects. However, most of what we offer is intended to help students across the whole range of ages to acquire and develop whatever skills they may have in sketching, painting, composing, instrument-playing, sculpting, acting, etc.

It's important to remember that no one will ever do anything perfectly, and first attempts are generally met with complete or near-total failure. Failure is often seen as an enemy, or simply as a hurdle to be overcome. Real failure, however, is integral to eventual success and (more importantly) to learning and character development. If a child managed to get everything right the first time, there would be no room for improvement, no reason to work hard.

Exercising one's creativity is essential. Humans were created in God's image, which means in part that we are creative beings, and whenever we're creative in ways that honor God, we're imitating Him. To the extent we can train our kids to do this, we should. Encourage them to do the best they can, because in the end they're doing it for God, and He expects nothing less.

Review by C. Hollis Crossman
C. Hollis Crossman used to be a child. Now he's a husband and father who loves church, good food, and weird stuff. He might be a mythical creature, but he's definitely not a centaur. Read more of his reviews here.
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291 Items found Print
Active Filters: Adult
1000 Artists' Books
by Sandra Salamony with Peter & Donna Thomas
from Quarry Books
for 9th-Adult
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
101 Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
40th Anniversary from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
101 Hymn Stories - audio book on CD
by Kenneth Osbeck, read by Wayne Shepherd
from Oasis Audio
for 6th-12th grade
in Audio Books & Dramas (Location: CD-AUDIO)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
101 More Hymn Stories
by Kenneth Osbeck
from Kregel Publications
for 6th-12th grade
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
$18.99
102 Favorite Paintings By Norman Rockwell
by Norman Rockwell
from Crown Publishers
for 7th-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$7.50 (1 in stock)
159 Celtic Designs
by Amy Lusebrink
from Dover Publications
for 5th-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
20 Ways to Draw a Mustache and 44 Other Funny Faces and Features
by Cara Bean
from Quarry Books
for 3rd-Adult
in 20 Ways to Draw (Location: ELE-ARTDR20)
$14.00
20 Ways to Draw A Shoe and 44 Other Sneakers, Slippers, Stilettos, and Slingbacks
by Julia Kuo
Csm from Quarry Books
for 3rd-Adult
in 20 Ways to Draw (Location: ELE-ARTDR20)
$14.00
20 Ways to Draw a Strawberry and 44 Other Elegant Edibles
by Zoe Ingram
from Quarry Books
for 3rd-Adult
in 20 Ways to Draw (Location: ELE-ARTDR20)
$14.00
3-D Designs - Coloring Book
by Wil Steganga
from Dover Publications
for 4th-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.99
365 Promises From God's Word In Color: Scripture and Coloring Pages
from Christian Art Publishers
for 6th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$9.99
60 Minutes to Better Painting
by Craig Nelson
from North Light Books
for Adult
in Painting Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTPAI)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Abide With Me
by John H. Parker, Paul Seawright
from New Leaf Press
for 7th-Adult
in History of Hymns (Location: XCH-HYMN)
Advent Coloring Calendar
Clr Csm from Paraclete Press
for 3rd-Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$11.99
African-American Arts: Music
by written by Angela Shelf Medearis and Michael R. Medearis
from Millbrook Press
for 6th-Adult
in Music Appreciation (Location: ELE-MUSAP)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Aida
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Barry Bart
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Alexander Hamilton - Coloring Book
by Steven James Petruccio
Clr Csm from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in History of America Coloring Books (Location: COL-HISA)
$5.99
All Shook Up
Pivotal Moments in American History
by Glenn C. Altschuler
from Oxford University
for Adult
in History for Adults (Location: ADU-HIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Anatomy Coloring Book
by Wynn Kapit
4th edition from Pearson Education
for 9th-Adult
in Anatomy Coloring Books (Location: SCI-ANACOL)
$29.99
Andrew Wyeth
by Andrew Wyeth
from New York Graphic Society
for Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Arrow Pointing to Heaven
by James Bryan Smith
Revised from B&H Books
for 10th-Adult
in Biographies (Location: BIO)
$14.99
Art and Artists of Russia
by Richard Hare
from Methuen
for Adult
in Vintage History & Biographies (Location: VIN-HIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Drawing People
from Walter Foster
for 7th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Art of Illuminated Letters
by Patricia Seligman, calligraphy by Timothy Noad
from Past Times
for 9th-Adult
in Calligraphy (Location: HAN-CALLIG)
Art of the Graphic Memoir
by Tom Hart
from St. Martin's Griffin
for 9th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Art of the Renaissance
by Peter and Linda Murray
1999 reprint from Thames and Hudson
for 9th-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Art: Over 2,500 Works from Cave to Contemporary
from DK Publishing
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
At Play: Teaching Teenagers Theater
by Elizabeth Swados
from Farrar, Straus and Giroux
for 7th-Adult
in Theater, Drama & Film (Location: ELE-THEAT)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Baby Blessing
by Welleran Poltarnees
from Laughing Elephant
for Kindergarten-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Bartered Bride
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Howard Arnold
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Beatles vs The Rolling Stones
by Jim Derogatis and Greg Kot
from Voyageur Press
for 9th-Adult
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Beauty in the Bible - Coloring Book
by Paige Tate
from Paige Tate & Co.
for 6th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
Beginning Painting DVD - Mini Course
for 1st-Adult
in How Great Thou Art (Location: ELE-ARTHGTA)
$28.00 (1 in stock)
Beginning the Bagpipe
from Croft-Mor Publications
for 4th-Adult
in Musical Instrument Instruction (Location: ELE-MUS)
$9.00 (1 in stock)
Berta and Elmer Hader: A Lifetime of Art
by Joy Hoerner Rich, Karen Tolley, John and Judy Waller
from Joyful Productions
for Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$15.00 (1 in stock)
Best Known Gilbert & Sullivan Operas and Bab Ballads
by William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan
from Halcyon House
for 9th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Big Book of Geometric Designs and Illusions to Color
by Koichi Sato, Spyros Horemis
illustrated edition from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$7.95
Big Book of Painting Nature in Watercolor
by Ferdinand Petrie (paintings), photographs by John Shaw
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for Adult
in Painting Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTPAI)
Blackboard Drawing
by Mildred Swannell
from Yesterday's Classics
for Adult
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$15.95
Bless the Lord, O My Soul - Coloring Devotional
by Christian Art Publishers (Compilation)
from Christian Art Publishers
for 7th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$14.99
Bliss Flowers Coloring Book: Your Passport to Calm (Adult Coloring)
by Lindsey Boylan, Jessica Mazurkiewicz
Clr Csm from Dover Publications
for 6th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
Bodleian Library, Oxford
by Susan Clarke
from Jarrold Publishing
for 9th-Adult
in Clearance: History & Geography (Location: ZCLE-HIS)
$1.00 (1 in stock)
Book of Music
by Gill Rowley
from Bounty Books
for 8th-Adult
in Music History (Location: ELE-MUSHIS)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Book on the Bookshelf
by Henry Petroski
from Vintage Classics
for 10th-Adult
in History of Books & Language (Location: HISV-BOOK)
$16.95
Boris Godunoff
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Paul Kinnear
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Brunelleschi's Dome
from Penguin Books
for 11th-Adult
in Renaissance & Reformation (Location: HISW-REN)
$7.00 (1 in stock)
Built to Last
by George Sullivan
from Scholastic Inc.
for 8th-Adult
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Calligraphic Ornaments
Dover Clip Art
by Kiyoshi Takahashi, designer
from Dover Publications
for Adult
in Crafts & Hobbies (Location: SS-CRA)
$5.00 (1 in stock)
Calligraphy School
by Gaynor Goffe and Anna Ravenscroft
from Reader's Digest
for 9th-Adult
in Calligraphy (Location: HAN-CALLIG)
Carl Larsson's A Family
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 3rd-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
Carl Larsson's A Farm
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 3rd-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
Carl Larsson's A Home
by Carl Larsson and Lennart Rudstrom
from G.P. Putnam's Sons
for 3rd-Adult
in Art History & Appreciation (Location: ELE-ARTHIS)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Carmen
by Robert Lawrence, illustrated by Alexandre Serebriakoff
from Grosset & Dunlap
for 5th-Adult
in Vintage Fiction & Literature (Location: VIN-FIC)
Carols for Choirs 1: Fifty Christmas Carols
by Reginald Jacques and David Willcocks, edited and arranged by
from Oxford University
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Celebration Series - Piano Repertoire 1
by RCM Examinations
from Frederick Harris Music Co
for 8th-Adult
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$12.00
Celtic Blessings
from Paraclete Press
for 6th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$4.00 (1 in stock)
Chapels and Meeting Houses
by Kenneth Lindley
from John Baker
for 8th-Adult
in Architecture and Sculpture (Location: ELE-ARC)
$2.00 (1 in stock)
Christmas Carols
by Compiled by Frank Edwin Peat, Illustrated by Fern Bisel Peat
from Saalfield Publishing Co.
for Adult
in Christmas & Advent (Location: HOLIDAY)
Christmas Carols
by Karl Schulte (selected and arranged by), illustrated by F. D. Lohman
from Whitman Publishing Company
for 3rd-Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Chronicles of Narnia Official Coloring Book
by C. S. Lewis, Pauline D. Baynes
Clr Csm from HarperCollins
for 6th-Adult
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$18.99
Clothing for Women
Lippincott's Home Manuals
by Laura I. Baldt
1922 Printing from J.B. Lippincott Co.
for Adult
in Vintage Nonfiction (Location: VIN-NFIC)
Color Choices
by Stephen Quiller
from Watson-Guptill Publications
for Adult
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Color the Classics: Beauty and the Beast
Color the Classics
by Jae-Eun Lee
Clr Csm from Waves of Color
for 7th-Adult
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
$13.95
Color the Pacific Northwest
by Zoe Keller
Clr Csm from Timber Press, Inc.
for 5th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$12.95
Coloring Dragons
by Amy Brown
for 3rd-Adult
in Literary & Fantasy Coloring Books (Location: COL-LIT)
Coloring Paris
by Tomislav Tomic, illustrator
from Walter Foster
for 6th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
Complete Idiot's Guide to Creating a Graphic Novel
by Nat Gertler and Steve Lieber
from Alpha Books
for 8th-Adult
in Cartooning (Location: ELE-ARTCART)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Complete Plays of Gilbert and Sullivan
by William Gilbert & Arthur Sullivan
from W. W. Norton and Co.
Drama for 9th-Adult
in 19th Century Literature (Location: LIT6-19)
$29.95
Composers Activity-Pak
by Amy Pak
from Home School in the Woods
for 3rd-8th grade
in Hands-On History Activity-Paks (Location: HISRF-HOH)
$12.00
Concepts of Piano Theory - Advanced Supplement
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Music Theory (Location: ELE-MUSTHE)
Concepts of Piano Theory - Level 2
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$4.50 (2 in stock)
Concepts of Piano Theory - Level 4
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Music Theory (Location: ELE-MUSTHE)
Concepts of Piano Theory - Level 5
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$5.60
Concepts of Piano Theory - Level 6
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$5.60
Concepts of Piano Theory - Older Beginner
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Clearance: Art & Music (Location: ZCLE-ART)
$4.90
Concepts of Piano Theory - Teacher's Key
by Ron Sadler
from ReSa Publications
Piano theory book for ages 10 and up
in Music Theory (Location: ELE-MUSTHE)
Creative Calligraphy
by Malcolm Couch
from Todtri Productions Limited
for 9th-Adult
in Calligraphy (Location: HAN-CALLIG)
Creative Drawing
by Howard J. Smagula
from Brown & Benchmark Publishers
for 9th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Creative Haven Abstract Designs - Coloring Book
Creative Haven
by Brian Johnson
Csm from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$3.50 (1 in stock)
Creative Haven Arabesque Designs - Coloring Book
by Nick Crossling
First Edition, Fir from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$6.99
Creative Haven Beautiful Birds - Coloring Book
Creative Haven
by Dot Barlowe
First Edition, Fir from Dover Publications
for 7th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$6.99
Creative Haven Fabulous Fashions of the 1950's
Creative Haven
by Ming-Ju Sun
from Dover Publications
for 5th-Adult
in Adult Coloring Books (Location: COL-ADULT)
$7.99
Cry from the Earth
by John Bierhorst
from Four Winds Press
for 6th-Adult
in Native Americans (Location: HISA-19NAT)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Cut and Assemble a Crusader Castle in Full Color
by A. G. Smith
from Dover Publications
History Reference/Art Project for 7th-Adult
in Oversized History Books (Location: HISW-OVER)
$6.00 (1 in stock)
Dancing for Fun - Book 1
by Mark Greathouse
from Great House of Music
in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE)
$16.95
Dancing for Fun - Book 2
by Mark Greathouse
from Great House of Music
in Dance (Location: ELE-DANCE)
$22.95
Dazzling Designs - Coloring Book
by Koichi Sato
from Dover Publications
for 2nd-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.99
Decorative Tile Designs Coloring Book
by Marty Noble
Clr from Dover Publications
for 4th-Adult
in Abstract & Mosaic Coloring Books (Location: COL-ABS)
$3.99
Dionysus Rising
by E. Michael Jones
from Ignatius Press
for Adult
in Culture & Discernment (Location: XCU-DIS)
$18.00 (1 in stock)
Discover & Draw Dragons
by Eugene Caine
from Walter Foster
for 5th-Adult
in Dragons & Mythical Beasts (Location: FIC-DRAG)
$10.00 (1 in stock)
Discovering Hope in the Psalms
by Pam Farrel, Jean E. Jones, Karla Dornacher
from Harvest House
for Adult
in Bible Reading & Study (Location: XBI-STUDY)
$8.00 (1 in stock)
Dore's Illustrations for "Paradise Lost"
by Gustave Dore
from Dover Publications
for 10th-Adult
in 17th Century Literature (Location: LIT4-17)
$14.95 $7.50 (1 in stock)
Dragons & Fantasy
from Walter Foster
for 4th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
Draw Real People
Discover Drawing Series
by Lee Hammond
from North Light Books
for 5th-Adult
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$15.99
Draw the Titanic
by Andrew Staiano, illustrated by Jason Pederson
from Scholastic Inc.
for All ages
in Drawing for Beginners (Location: ELE-ARTDRAW)
$3.00 (1 in stock)
Drawing Expressive Portraits
by Paul Leveille
from North Light Books
for 6th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
Drawing for Older Children & Teens
by Mona Brookes
from Penguin Putnam
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
Drawing Lessons
by Willy Pogany
from Dover Publications
for 9th-Adult
in Advanced Drawing Instruction (Location: ELE-ARTDRAD)
$14.95
Drawing on the Right Side of the Brain
by Betty Edwards
from Jeremy P. Tarcher
for 7th-Adult
in Art & Drawing Reference (Location: ELE-ARTREF)
$5.00 (2 in stock)
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