The Music of Public School

I had been homeschooling for almost 18 years before I decided to put the kids in public school. Although there were good reasons for that decision, there also was grief and mourning on my part about all the things that weren't and wouldn't be.

 

Over the last years there have been good things about public school and things I don't care for (homework for one) but there also have been unexpected benefits. One of the benefits has been the way my kids have been enmeshed in band, singing and drama. It's not like it would have been impossible to do that while homeschooling, it just is a lot easier to get a bigger group of kids together for chorus or band when there are so many of them stuck in one building.

 

Dawn has really enjoyed chorus and drama and has been branching out in helping with the costuming for the high school and junior high plays. Jane played in band and now has joined chorus. In addition she played in the junior high school play. Kate enjoys band. The younger ones sing in less formal choruses and regularly get to go on stage at school during their weekly 'morning sing' and Erik at our local opera house.

 

I grew up with a lot of music (most of it outside of school though). I played the recorder in elementary school, and switched to the violin when I turned 12 years old. The violin enabled me to play in orchestras and for many years I was an active orchestra member, traveling to all kinds of exciting locations and having tons of fun.

 

I am happy to see that my kids are enjoying music and drama as much as I did when I was a child. These pictures are from one of the performances at our local opera house in which Dawn and Jane were singing. It is hard to get good pictures with the low light, but at least you get a taste of the ambiance.

 

Finding music in unexpected places and tremendously enjoying it!