Music Duo Academy Review – Our Experience with This Online Music Curriculum for Homeschoolers
Inside: In this Music Duo Academy review, I’m sharing exactly what you’ll find inside this self-paced music program for kids. We’ll look at how the lessons are structured, the types of activities included, the courses offered for grades K–6, and how it worked for our homeschool. Plus, I’ll give you a peek inside Pre-Maestro 1 so you can see if this step-by-step approach is the right fit for your family.
If you’re looking for a complete, ready-to-use homeschool music curriculum, this Music Duo Academy review will walk you through exactly what the program offers and why it might be a perfect fit for your family.
We’ve added music learning into our homeschool several times over the years, and while it’s never been Marc’s main interest, I still wanted him to have a strong musical foundation. That’s what caught my attention with Music Duo Academy. This program blends structure, clear guidance, and a step-by-step approach designed for parents who want music in their homeschool without the stress of teaching it themselves.
This is a sponsored post. I was given the product to review and I might have been compensated for my time. I would never endorse or recommend programs we wouldn’t use ourselves. Read more about it in my Disclosure.
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Why Music Literacy Matters
Even if your child never plans to play an instrument, music literacy builds skills that reach far beyond singing. Learning rhythm sharpens focus, solfège strengthens memory, and reading notation boosts problem-solving and pattern recognition. There’s plenty of research linking music study to brain development out there.
A lot of parents ask, “Why not just use YouTube songs and call it music?” And yes, casual videos can be fun, but they’re not a substitute for a homeschool music curriculum. What Music Duo Academy offers is sequence and progression. Each lesson builds on the last, so skills stick and concepts don’t get lost in the shuffle.
When you try to piece things together yourself, it’s easy to miss gaps (like skipping over steady beat or notation basics). Those gaps make it harder for kids to progress later on. With a structured program, you don’t have to second-guess. You know your child is moving through a complete, developmentally appropriate path—and that takes so much pressure off the parent.
About Music Duo Academy – The Online Music Curriculum for Homeschoolers
Music Duo Academy was created by Linda (formerly Ms. Davis), a music educator with more than 25 years of teaching experience in public and private schools. She offers full-year self-paced music courses for grades K–6 that cover rhythm, melody, and music reading through folk songs, movement, visuals, games, and simple percussion.
Lessons are pre-recorded and self-paced, so you can start anytime, pause when needed, and revisit material as often as you like. Each course also includes short built-in quizzes, making it easy for parents to see progress, even without a musical background.
Families can try any course free for two weeks with access to the first three weeks of lessons, and there are no upsells or extra materials required. Linda also offers smaller stand-alone resources, including:
- Folk Song Sing-along (Free) – 15 classic folk songs with printable lyrics.
- Singing Toolbox (Paid) – Activities and tips to help kids sing confidently.
Courses Offered
Music Duo Academy’s learning path takes students from absolute beginners to more advanced elementary music skills, with each course designed to last one school year and taught by the same experienced instructor. Placement is easy using the free placement wizard on their website.
- Apprentice 1 – For kindergartners or older students with special needs. Covers singing basics, rhythm opposites (high/low, fast/slow), and percussion families.
- Pre-Apprentice 2 – For 1st–2nd grade beginners. Focuses on steady beat, basic rhythm, and simple percussion.
- Apprentice 2 – Builds on Apprentice 1 with more note values, ostinato patterns, and musical form.
- Apprentice 3 – For 2nd–3rd graders with some solfège experience. Introduces do and re, pentatone, and more complex rhythms.
- Pre-Maestro 1 – For older beginners in 4th–5th grade. Starts with rhythm and solfège, then transitions into Maestro 1 content.
- Maestro 1 – Covers rhythm, pitch matching, notation reading, and ear training through folk songs and movement.
- Maestro 2 – Expands into high do, ledger lines, complex rhythms, harmony in rounds, and song form (AB, ABA).
All courses are pre-recorded, self-paced, and designed for flexibility, so families can start anytime and work at their own speed.
What We Tried & How It Went
One thing I really appreciate about Music Duo Academy is that it offers a complete, year-long music curriculum taught by an experienced teacher, something that’s surprisingly hard to find for homeschoolers.
It’s self-paced, so you can start at any time and move at a rhythm that works for your family. The platform is clean and easy to navigate, with printable resources linked right alongside the lesson video. Lessons are about 30 minutes long, and the suggested schedule of one per week feels realistic for most families.
The variety is also nice. There’s a mix of listening to short classical pieces, singing, clapping, movement, basic theory, and simple percussion. Every five lessons, there’s a short self-graded quiz, which is a helpful way to check understanding without adding grading work for parents.
The lessons follow a consistent weekly pattern — greeting, warm-up, singing, new concept, review, goodbye — which some children may find comforting and predictable. The song selection leans heavily on traditional folk tunes, which provide an excellent foundation for music literacy. The teaching style has an upbeat, classroom feel, and the mix of activities within each lesson mirrors what you might see in a school music class.
We tried the Pre-Maestro 1 course, which is designed for younger beginners and focuses on early rhythm, pitch matching, music reading basics, and simple ear training. Students learn through folk songs, clapping and rhythm games, call-and-response singing, and short listening exercises.
I chose this level because Marc has never had formal music instruction, and this was the placement the site’s quiz recommended. On paper, it seemed perfect: a clear structure, minimal parent prep, and a straightforward “press play and follow along” format.
If you prefer watching a video, I made one for you right here:
How the Lessons Are Taught
One of the things that makes Linda’s teaching stand out is her “Prepare–Present–Practice” model. Instead of diving straight into music theory, kids first experience the music. They sing, clap, and move their bodies to feel rhythm before they ever see a note on the staff. Only after that comes the clear explanation, followed by hands-on practice to lock it in.
That’s exactly how Marc finally picked up a steady beat. He wasn’t memorizing symbols or staring at flashcards, he was clapping and stepping in rhythm, almost without realizing he was learning. By the time the notation showed up on screen, it wasn’t abstract anymore. It was something he’d already felt in his body.
What We Loved
- Clear, year-long structure – Lessons are organized into a logical sequence with one new video per week, making it easy for parents to follow without planning.
- Self-paced – Families can start anytime, pause if needed, and move through the material at their own rhythm (although lessons must be taken in order).
- Taught by an experienced music educator – Linda (formerly Ms. Davis) has over 25 years of teaching experience in both public and private schools, which shows in the clarity of her delivery and pacing.
- Minimal parent prep – Videos guide students directly, so parents don’t need a musical background or extra teaching materials.
- Regular self-graded quizzes – Every five lessons, students take a short online quiz that is automatically graded. This helps track learning progress without extra work for parents.
- Varied activities – Singing, clapping, movement, simple percussion, music appreciation and visual aids keep lessons from feeling one-dimensional.
- Clean platform and easy navigation – Each lesson has a clear title, printable resources, and no distracting extras.
- Two-week free trial – Access to three weeks of lessons before payment begins lets families see if the format works for their child.
Who This Program Is Best For
Music Duo Academy’s online music classes for kids are best suited for:
- Younger beginners (K–6) who are brand new to music and need a slow, steady introduction to rhythm, pitch, and notation.
- Kids who thrive on structure and repetition — if your child enjoys routines, knowing exactly what’s coming next, and practicing the same skills until they’re solid, this program delivers.
- Parents with little or no music background who want a complete, ready-to-use homeschool music curriculum without extra planning or prep.
- Families looking for a full-year, self-paced program that can be done on their own schedule without worrying about missing live sessions.
- Homeschoolers who appreciate traditional music foundations — folk songs, clapping games, and simple percussion activities as the building blocks of music literacy.
It may be less ideal for:
- Kids who want to focus deeply on one skill area (e.g., only singing or only theory) rather than having lessons that mix multiple activities.
Note that lessons are designed to be taken in sequence, which is great for kids who need structure, but may not work as well for families who want to skip around.
Lessons are designed with a group setting in mind, since Linda originally taught in schools. That means there’s a lot of call-and-response and movement activities that would fit well with multiple kids. As a homeschool mom of an only child, I wondered how that would translate for Marc, but it actually worked fine once we got used to it. Sometimes I joined in to make it feel less “solo,” and other times he was perfectly content doing the responses on his own. Families with siblings will naturally get more of that group dynamic, but even with one child the lessons still flow smoothly.
If your child is new to music, responds well to a friendly teacher-led format, and enjoys learning in small, consistent steps, Music Duo Academy could be an excellent way to build a lasting foundation in music, all from the comfort of home.
Coupon for Music Duo Academy- Online Music Curriculum for Homeschoolers
If you decide to try Music Duo Academy after reading this review, you can get 10% off any full-year course with the code: IHSN10.
This discount is valid year-round with no expiration date.
Final Thoughts
Music Duo Academy delivers on its promise of a complete, well-structured music education for homeschoolers. With expert teaching, clear lesson sequencing, and built-in flexibility, it’s a resource that can help kids develop a strong musical foundation from home.
Do you use a music curriculum in your homeschool? Let me know in the comments, I’d love to hear from you!
You can explore Music Duo Academy risk-free with the 14-day free trial, or start smaller with the free Folk Song Sing-along. Either way, it’s an easy, low-pressure way to bring real music learning into your homeschool.
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