Cultivating Musical Gifts in HS kids

[Barry Goldwater]

Any experience with Home Schooled DC in developing musical talent, up to and/or including any commercial enterprises (writing songs/lyrics, performing, publishing original work)? Any hints regarding outlets for performances and sharing work, working with professionals, workshops/camps, getting material copyrighted, just about anything...Looking to prepare them if (Big IF) they want to pursue a career when they're adults.

[OrganicAnn]

Gee Barry I thought you were dead and gone.

[Peela]

I would just follow all the normal channels that other people follow. I know a hs young woman who is the only hs person to be accepted into our state's top university, and she got into their music program.

 

Connect the Thoughts have some advanced music programs.

 

http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper--arts.php?course=21548

 

They also have an arts curricula for those considering entering a career anywhere in the arts field:

 

http://www.connectthethoughts.net/upper--arts.php?course=22213

[Jean in Newcastle]

There are a number of homeschooled musicans who have a professional career. The grandchildren of the Von Trapp family (The Von Trapp Children) are some current ones. From what I understand, they took lessons (voice) and their teacher is the one who directed them to a recording studio. Now they tour around the world.

[Dmmetler]

If you have a college school of music check there. Most either have a set program in place (Community music school, prep department) or are more than willing to connect their upper division and graduate students with pre-college level students for instruction, and will also take students in college classes. Performance classes generally don't transfer, but are a good experience in group performance at a high level. Private lessons don't transfer, either, but again, are worth doing, and it often comes out cheaper to pay the per-semester tuition for a 1 credit hour private lesson than to pay for the same private lesson outside the college setting.

 

Community bands and youth orchestras are wonderful. Most community bands are adults who play for fun, but usually are very welcoming of student musicians as well. Usually the only cost is to buy the shirt the group wears for performance, and maybe a yearly fee to help the group purchase music. They're not going to be high level, but they will give performance experience. Youth orchestras tend to be at a higher level musically, because they're the kids who elect to do an extra ensemble, but can be expensive-similar to being on a travel team in a sport.

 

For vocal music, check out houses of worship. If you object to singing religious music, you're going to struggle in a vocal music major, because so much of vocal music history IS religious music, and churches/synagogues usually have great options for learning and performing music of the style that group focuses on. Sacred Harp singing is wonderful for developing vocal independence. And best of all, they're cheap or free (some will have a small materials fee, especially for young children). Some areas have Boys choirs, girls choirs, or youth choirs (Think Vienna Boys Choir here). Again, these tend to be the equivalent of the traveling team in sports, so can cost a lot.

 

A community music or non-major's level songwriting course is something I'd suggest for kids who want to write music, but haven't done a lot of theory yet. Formal composition often waits until the Jr. year in college, and that can be a long time for a motivated student to wait if what they want to do is write music.

 

If you're going to transfer theory, especially, the student needs to sit with a theory professor and do a topic-by-topic comparison. Sequences are different from school to school, and it is entirely possible that what is taught in theory II at one school is taught in theory III in another, and vice-versa. Even theory I is dubious).

 

 

Music history and literature are pretty safe to transfer. Be aware, though, that some programs are more focused on research and analysis, and some on memorization, and if you move from one to another, it can be tough.

 

Please note that most schools of music do NOT give advanced placement for music majors for AP tests-they're considered the non-major level and count for elective credit only, which, for a music major, is completely useless. You are MUCH better off having your advanced student take a college class at a reputable school of music.

 

If your student wants to learn multiple instruments, it's worth it to pay for a few lessons, at the very beginning, to learn the embouchure, hand position, posture and basic techniques. A good music student who is fluent on one instrument already (and I do suggest taking private study on your primary instrument AND piano all the way through if you want to major in music) can usually apply the skills to another instrument once they get past that point, but it's very, very easy to teach yourself bad habits that are nearly impossible to break. Again, upper division college or graduate students are wonderful. They know what they're doing, have hours during the day free and usually work cheap. Since you don't need continuity of instruction for a 2nd, 3rd, or 18th instrument, that's ideal.

 

Music camps are expensive, but very, very helpful. These range from one week day camps, usually held on college campuses, to whole summer experiences like Blue Lake or Interlochen. It's worth it to do at least one whole-summer experience before declaring a college music major, because that's going to, better than anything else, show the student what the level of proficiency and the expectations in such a program are. It is very, very easy to develop the "big fish in a small pond" syndrome in music, where you're the best of the people you regularly play with in your local youth orchestra or school band, forgetting that most of the people in that organization are there because it's a fun activity. Only when you're around a group where EVERYONE plans to be a professional musician can you really get a sense of whether this is something that is worth the costs to you.

 

And, most important, listen to a lot of different kinds and styles of music, attend as many live concerts as you can, read about music, music literature, music styles, and music history, and practice, practice, practice.

[Barry Goldwater]

Thank you all, these suggestions are very helpful...will be discussing w/ DW.