If you have a Dc who seriously pursues an extracurricular (piano & other)...

[shanvan]

activity, can you answer some questions pretty please?

 

1. Does your Dc do it b/c he/she has a gift or passion in that area?

2. When did you realize your Dc needed a more serious approach than the average Dc? Or, did you just decide to see how far he/she could take the activity? In other words, how did you decide to elevate the extracurricular to a serious level?

3. Are you rearranging your Dc's schedule or amount of schoolwork to accommodate that interest or pursuit? Are there subjects you have had to drop or tone down to fit in time for commitment to the extracurricular?

4.Are you making financial sacrifices to enable a serious level vs the average extracurricular commitment?

5. What are you giving up in order to accommodate the serious interest/pursuit?

 

This is something I've been contemplating lately, in general as Dc get older and we need to focus on which activities are most important to us.

 

I'm also thinking about it b/c of 10yr old Dd's piano. Any time she plays for people they are blown away. Now, her playing isn't perfect, but she clearly has talent and is drawn to the piano whenever and wherever we see one. She makes mistakes, but the emotional quality of her playing is so captivating that people seem not to notice. She is also very good at covering up if she messes up. It doesn't fluster her like it does Ds.

 

Currently she has lessons with a local high school girl who plays very well and comes to our home and is very inexpensive.....all pluses. But, I've been wondering if Dd could achieve even more if she has a more experienced teacher. However, I am thinking a more serious teacher=more focus and more time, which I'm not sure we have. It also might mean she would have to give up some other extracurricular she loves.

 

My plan has been to keep with the girl who teaches her until the end of this school year b/c the price is right and the commitment isn't overwhelming. Then when the teacher heads to college we can look for a more serious teacher.

 

I'll add that Dd has some issues with timing that need to be straightened out. I sometimes wonder if a more experienced teacher would be able to help her more. Otoh, I have concerns about too much pressure too young leading to burnout. I want her to continue to love piano.

 

Uggh! As if choosing curriculum isn't enough. Extracurricular choices are driving me crazy this year too! :willy_nilly:

[Denise in Florida]

Both my dds developed a passion early.

 

dd21 - started playing piano in the 2nd grade. We used a Suzuki style school but her teachers also included tradtional instruction. I never had to ask her to practice, we went to two lessons a week after a year or two. We sent her to summer piano camps (anywhere from $300 to $700), locally at first and then in Tallahassee. We upgraded to a baby grand when she was 15. Music is still a passion and I am glad we supported it.

 

dd17 - has loved horses always. She rides seriously and competitively. I am unwilling to add up how much we have spent. :lol: It is huge and I would rather not know. :tongue_smilie: She will be trying out for her College's Equestrian team in about a month.

 

Because they had strong identifiable passions I was willing to focus on those rather than trying tons of different activities. They also did 4H, Teen Court and Odyssey of the Mind, but they had one major focus that drove all other financial and scheduling decsions.

 

We were very relaxed schoolers and were able to plan lessons, academics, etc. around practices, shows, recitals.

 

I don't know how I would have arranged things if they had many equal interests. As it was, it was an easy choice: first place - piano/horse, second place - anything else we had time and money for. :001_smile:

[Denise in Florida]

Specific advice for piano:

 

It is hard to overcome bad habits - make sure posture and hand position are being emphasized correctly.

 

Check that she is learning music theory not just how to play specific pieces.

 

Get a basic Hanon exercise book to practice with, if she is not doing that already.

 

Good luck, have fun, music (and horses :tongue_smilie:) can be a wonderful lifetime skill.

 

My dd21 uses her music practice time almost like a meditation. She is always calmer and happier after a long practice. Long practice for her means repeating same phrase (separately with each hand) for hours until it is perfect or the rest of the family is in tears. :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

We (dh, dd18 and I) still don't talk about 'The Scriabin Summer" without shivers.

[shanvan]

I don't know how I would have arranged things if they had many equal interests. As it was, it was an easy choice: first place - piano/horse, second place - anything else we had time and money for. :001_smile:

 

This is the problem. There are other interests that are probably close to equal--4H Dog Club and AKC showing to name one. The other interests contribute to her education in valuable ways that I don't really want to give up. So we keep taking a middle of the road approach...but....I keep wondering if I'm right.

[LadyMSews]

My oldest dd (almost 13) is very musical. She plays both the piano and the flute very well. She is also very artistic and her plans for her future go back and forth between being in an orchestra or a photographer or a fiction writer. :) She is not interested in math/science AT ALL.

 

So, while she will of course, keep studying math and science, they are not our focus. To answer your questions:

 

1. She has a gift/talent/passion for music...all our dc who are older than 6 take piano and the other older dc take a second instrument as well, but only oldest dd practices daily without being reminded and will often play for hours "just for fun".

2. It's been about 2 years (since she was about 10) since we noticed her talent and drive for music and photography.

3. We are starting to think about how her academics are going to look as we move into high school (she'll be in 8th grade this fall). This is one of the big reasons we homeschool...that we can make high school very custom tailored to each child and their interests and talents. She will still do the basics for high school, but just what she would need to get into a good music program at college. Probably not calculus or physics, :). We are still trying to figure out the details.

4. Money: yes, we spend more on her than the other dc...in fact, she is currently at a 2 week long orchestra day camp which costs about $500. We bought a upgraded flute ($800) this past year. If she continues with piano, she will outgrow our teacher this year and need to move onto the program run by our local piano "guru" that is twice as much per month for lessons. We are, to be blunt, a low-income level family, but we get help for some things from grandparents and just skimp in other areas to pay for music lessons for everyone.

5. We think music is more important than vacations, expensive cars, electronic gadgets, etc. :) We don't play organized sports, we buy most of our clothing at goodwill, we live in a small house, drive older cars, etc. No college funds, teeny tiny retirement fund. This is the life we want: me at home, homeschooling, emphasis on music and academics.

 

HTH! I got interrupted about 10 times, so I hope what I said makes sense. :)

[kroe1]

You will know your kiddo has a true passion when she asks for more and higher level instruction. If you are not willing to change the family dynamics to accommodate, i.e. Money and time, then do not encourage it.

 

I certainly could not let younger Dd have her passion if we had any other kiddos at home. It takes up 16 to 40 hours a week, and costs over $1000 a month. The sacrifices are great, but have enriched our family in other ways.

:)

[JR the hs dad]

Our oldest daughter (14) has shown very good ability in both piano and ballet. This year she is dropping piano to focus on ballet which will be 2+ hours, four days per week. She is returning shortly from a 5-week intensive program a couple states away. She makes her own meals and squeezes workouts into her school days. Realistically, her chances of making a professional company some day are very slim. We also have some youngers who might be serious dancers as well.

 

Because we've started all of our kids in the same ballet school at a young age, their interest in it can grow or wane naturally as they progress. We have tried to select activities for them that will allow them to go as far as they can without us having to eventually cut them off for financial reasons. This summer's ballet intensive probably postponed some much-needed landscaping, but oh well. We haven't had to sacrifice much of anything school-wise other than needing some additional flexibility in the schedule.

 

I think the opportunities we give our kids to pursue a passion are very valuable. Here are some good lessons they can learn:

 

1) The discipline of working hard to get better

2) Learning to deal graciously with criticism and praise

3) Coming to terms with the fact that, as good as you are, there are lots of people better than you!

4) Counting the cost of sacrificing some things to pursue your passion

 

Remember too that as Denise mentioned, piano is cheap in your time and money compared to horse riding, hockey, or many other activities. Piano is also a great skill that can come in useful later in numerous ways: teaching kids to earn additional money, being able to play for family and friends, playing at church, etc. I would definitely look at a more advanced teacher for your daughter - it may not be as expensive as you think. Hopefully you'll have several choices to consider and can do visits to find the right situation for you. I would initially stay away from teachers who only want ultra-serious students that are pursuing piano as a profession, however.

[FaithManor]

This is the problem. There are other interests that are probably close to equal--4H Dog Club and AKC showing to name one. The other interests contribute to her education in valuable ways that I don't really want to give up. So we keep taking a middle of the road approach...but....I keep wondering if I'm right.

 

 

We went through this with DD and now with the boys. DD's passion was the piano and while she did not choose to pursue it at the collegiate level, she was driven enough to make it work...sometimes she rose early to accomodate more practice or getting a jump on her schoolwork. I did not pursue literature as hard as I would have liked. It was the trade off we made in order to not overwhelm her and allow that passion to flourish. Though at times it niggles me that we didn't cover as much ground in that subject and I know we didn't do quite as well with foreign language as we probably should have, in the end, I don't regret it because she is a fantastic pianist and it means so much to her to have achieved at that level. It did not seem to hurt her education that we "let up" a little in those two areas. Since she was determined to pursue a STEM career, we did not let up in math, science, writing, or logic. The one thing I am convinced of is that there is a lot of brain training that goes on when a student pursues true excellence at an extra-curricular. There is a self-discipline they gain along with some serious brain development that seems to seep over into other areas of their lives and that leaves them with the ability to quickly make-up for a short-fall in another area so long as that gap is not some big chasm.

 

With the ds's, in order to pursue their competitive rocketry team goals. level 1 certifications, and student NASA engineering challenges, something is absolutely going to have to give...it simply cannot all be done and they are totally, 100% passionate about this. Additionally, this is going to bode very well for college admissions and scholarships if they do well, so it's something we need to make happen. This is our current plan.

 

1. This year will constitute a very strict schedule for schoolwork and rocketry

 

2. 4-H, they will definitely be participating, but they will not have 11 projects entered in the fair

 

3. We as a family will be making scheduling and financial decisions that are ALL about this extracurricular

 

4. Instead of pursuing the Intro to JAVA MIT opencourseware offering, we will be streamlining JAVA programming and scaling that back to make room for website design for the eldest's computer science elective. The team has to have a website this year. They will be involved with speaking engagements through 4-H and they have club leaders all over Michigan asking for information. They'll be maintaining contacts and downloadable documents through the website. Ds will be creating the software for them and maintaining the site. It will be enough skill level learning as well as website maintenance to count as a credit for high school. We'll pursue the MIT thing later or when he applies to college, we'll present the project in such as way that both admins and computer professors will be able to easily see that he achieved a high level of programming skill even if it was an atypical course.

 

5. Bedtimes and morning wake-up calls will be strictly enforced in order to keep us all on this routine without becoming exhausted.

 

6. We won't be having much of a social life. If you ask what this family does, the answer will be rocketry. They will have events around the state and to some NAR fly dates in Muskegon, Jackson, New York, etc.

 

I am thankful that all three of them are pursuing the same area of interest. How we'd do this in three different extracurriculars, I do not know!

 

Right now I'm not looking at letting up on any regular subjects, but I am streamlining things. For literature this year, they'll have their original reading list to accomplish but instead of designing my own curriculum as I normally do for literature, we'll be watching and discussing many of the Great Course lectures. If someone gets really sick or something, then I'll have to revisit the issue.

 

It may help that we school all year. July is the only month we take off...two weeks at Christmas, three days around Easter, three days at Thanksgiving, Labor Day, birtdays, and Memorial Day. The rest of the time barring illness or emergency, we push through.

 

Faith

[Lady Marmalade]

Our activity is dance for both kids. Competitive dancing as well.

 

1. Does your Dc do it b/c he/she has a gift or passion in that area? I don't know that my kids are "gifted" in the art of dance, but they're definitely passionate about it. They love to dance, and they love dancing with their friends. We absolutely would not do it if they didn't love it. I am constantly checking with them to make sure that they are enjoying their choices, and never have had to pressure them to stick with it.

 

 

2. When did you realize your Dc needed a more serious approach than the average Dc? Or, did you just decide to see how far he/she could take the activity? In other words, how did you decide to elevate the extracurricular to a serious level? We simply decided to see how far they'd take it. What began as one ballet class for each kid has evolved into many, many hours at the studio. Now DD has the opportunity to begin student teaching the young BTJ classes, and I can see that maybe she may have a future as a dance teacher.

 

3. Are you rearranging your Dc's schedule or amount of schoolwork to accommodate that interest or pursuit? Are there subjects you have had to drop or tone down to fit in time for commitment to the extracurricular? I would say that yes, we rearrange our schedule to accomodate. When we school we really stick with the basics. It's important to me that they still have free time, so we do math, science, history/geography/ and LA and very little else. I figure they're learning art/phy ed/music in their dance classes, so that takes care of all those extra-curriculars at once.

 

4.Are you making financial sacrifices to enable a serious level vs the average extracurricular commitment? Absolutely. It's a huge financial commitment for us at the level of competitive dance they're in. Our financial sacrifices are that we literally don't do anything else. Our life is at home, at church, or at dance.

 

 

5. What are you giving up in order to accommodate the serious interest/pursuit? We're giving up any free time as a family. All told, I spend 16 hours at the dance studio with the kids each week- and that doesn't include the Saturday Nutcracker practices that we will add this fall. We have also given up some of the things in life that are normal for other people. We don't eat out because we can't afford it. We don't go shopping for fun because we can't afford it. But we don't really mind, because the kids love dance so much. I really think that opportunities for them that could come in the future because of their love of dance are worth every sacrifice we make. What I don't like giving up is some of our church activities/commitments. Our competition weekends conflict a lot with church activities, and I really hate when that happens, because we have to go the dance direction when there is a conflict. But, I figure this is a season. I'll have the rest of my life to participate on the worship team- I only have my kids for a short while. To help them realize their dreams and passions is totally worth every sacrifice.

[shanvan]

The one thing I am convinced of is that there is a lot of brain training that goes on when a student pursues true excellence at an extra-curricular. There is a self-discipline they gain along with some serious brain development that seems to seep over into other areas of their lives and that leaves them with the ability to quickly make-up for a short-fall in another area so long as that gap is not some big chasm.

 

 

Oh, yes! :iagree:wholeheartedly. For the past year Dd has been working very hard at training her puppy (he's alittle over a year). She has had to deal with some serious issues with this dog and it has not been easy. We are all amazed at her progress, the poise and focus she has developed, and the way all of the self-discipline required has shown in every other aspect of her learning and life. Before I would have described her as having ADD. Now, I don't think that idea would ever come to mind.

 

Thanks for sharing your experience and details of how you are handling this issue, Faith. Enforcing wake up times--I have been thinking this is a must too.

 

So, how are your Ds learning website design? I need to decide how to educate my Ds in this area too. He has 2 websites he would like to start. I've been so busy buying curriculum and planning that I haven't had time to investigate website design---and I know nothing about it!

[catz]

Specific advice for piano:

 

It is hard to overcome bad habits - make sure posture and hand position are being emphasized correctly.

 

Check that she is learning music theory not just how to play specific pieces.

 

Get a basic Hanon exercise book to practice with, if she is not doing that already.

 

Good luck, have fun, music (and horses :tongue_smilie:) can be a wonderful lifetime skill.

 

My dd21 uses her music practice time almost like a meditation. She is always calmer and happier after a long practice. Long practice for her means repeating same phrase (separately with each hand) for hours until it is perfect or the rest of the family is in tears. :lol::lol::lol:

 

 

We (dh, dd18 and I) still don't talk about 'The Scriabin Summer" without shivers.

 

:iagree: My pianist is only 11, so I'm kind of at a similar point in making some decisions about passions going forward. But our teacher has a PhD and has taught at a college level and I cannot say how huge it is to have a really (over) qualified teacher. In terms of time commitment, we average one "event" (performance, contest, audition, otherwise) per month, maybe 2 at the most, and then practice of course. The biggest problem is the expense.

 

My pianist is getting quite a bit of attention lately, but I'm letting him drive it. There are some events I do encourage him to participate in. He comes at performances and contests pretty low key compared to most kids at his level, so that helps him continue. He LOVES performance (he also does theater and performance based circus arts classes), but I'm not sure piano will be his ultimate thing. I do think piano has helped him immensely in other areas in terms of follow through. And we didn't even know he could sing until he tried out for a children's musical and was cast as a lead (definite piano influence!).

 

I consider piano part of our school day right now (we practice 45-75 minutes depending on what's going on). Kid's in our PS system do music, and our music study ties into history, performance, art, etc. I definitely consider it an important part of our homeschool whether or not the kids are interested in going on in it. If my DS wants to be more intense about it than we are now, he will need to drive the effort. He is advanced for age and naturally musical, but he's lucky in that he doesn't have to work as hard as many kids at this level.

[DianeW88]

My dd is a professional ballerina. Her training definitely altered our family lifestyle (and hers) quite a bit. To answer your questions one by one:

 

1. Yes, she had a definite gift and talent for ballet. That was evident in her first ballet lessons at age five. Her instructors didn't know quite what to do with her, because she was ready for the eight year old class, and they couldn't put her there at five. :lol: Since I also danced, I called my old ballet teacher, who said to hold off on any other formal instruction until she was eight, since horrible habits that take years to correct or change (and some never can be) are usually formed before that age. She began her formal training right before her eighth birthday.

 

2. My dd's instructors could tell that she was well above her peers in ability and talent, and advanced her as much as they could when they felt it was appropriate. I basically stayed out of it...as that is the general rule in ballet for parents. When she was 11, she was offered a scholarship to a full-day professional program and we accepted it. She also began auditioning for summer intensives and received scholarships to every one she tried out for. She began attending those at age 12. By the time she was 14, she was going to two summer intensives per year (back to back in the summer).

 

3. Yes, we rearranged her schoolwork and her subjects. She had to be at the studio by 11:30 AM, and wasn't finished until 6:30 PM, M-F. The ballet school also had a huge study room with free wifi and the students all brought their laptops and books and had "study time" from 2-3 PM. Her ballet school placed a great deal of emphasis on academic achievement as well as dance, so the kids always had the opportunity for schoolwork and assignments.

 

4. Yes, our financial committment was substantial. It is expensive to have a serious ballet dancer. Pointe shoes alone were around $300 - $400 per month. Thank goodness she gets a pointe shoe allowance from her company now. Tuition was scholarshipped, but there were still expenses. She is now dancing with a professional company and pursuing her college education (BFA in ballet) with a full-ride university scholarship. So I don't have to pay for anything anymore. :lol:

 

5. We gave up vacation time (because she was performing), and my other kids gave up some "mom time" because I was usually driving my dd to or from the studio. My boys have both spent enough time in a ballet studio to last several lifetimes. My youngest started attending ballet performances when he was two. He can now recognize and identify the scores from most major story ballets. :D Once dd turned 16, she drove herself to the studio (and I did a happy dance).

[Susan in TN]

activity, can you answer some questions pretty please?

 

1. Does your Dc do it b/c he/she has a gift or passion in that area?

17ds yes.

2. When did you realize your Dc needed a more serious approach than the average Dc? Or, did you just decide to see how far he/she could take the activity? In other words, how did you decide to elevate the extracurricular to a serious level?

When he was about 14/15 and he became more serious about it himself. He spent more and more of his free time in music - composing, arranging, etc. He begged for over a year for us to find him a piano teacher (I'd taught him the basics when he was in grade school) - not because piano was "his instrument", but because he knew that a solid foundation in piano would be good for him. He was willing to get up early in the morning to practice his double bass before breakfast.

3. Are you rearranging your Dc's schedule or amount of schoolwork to accommodate that interest or pursuit? Are there subjects you have had to drop or tone down to fit in time for commitment to the extracurricular?

Yes - I have shortened his history and literature reading assignments (TOG). I'm not asking him to take any AP or Honors courses. We've dropped a couple of outside tutorial classes to save time and money. Some courses I'm letting him spread out over 2 years.

4.Are you making financial sacrifices to enable a serious level vs the average extracurricular commitment?

His private lessons are expensive. Instrument needs for a double bass are also expensive (this summer we've spent $300 just on a bow rehair and a new set of strings). Next summer we'll likely shell out quite a bit for music summer camps and we will probably need to buy a new (used) vehicle for ds to drive that will accommodate a double bass. Gas for transportation to and from activities has doubled our monthly gas expenditures. Compared to some activities, though (like ballet which dd14 does), it's not overly expensive.

5. What are you giving up in order to accommodate the serious interest/pursuit?

At this point we aren't giving up anything major. Dh has been blessed with a pretty stable job. Mostly time and a little tighter budget. My 4 younger kids won't be doing any extracurricular activites other than scouts. Ds has given up a couple of things to accommodate his pursuit of music - Tai Kwon Do (he was almost to black belt) and concert band.

 

...

[dancer67]

My yougest always had a talent for writing song lyrics since the age of 5. She is now 13. She has written 2 songs that are up on Itunes.

 

Her biggest time fram activity though is figure skating. Something she became passionate about a year or so back. We do ice quite a bit, she competes, and is very good for someone who has not skated for along time.

 

My oldest daughter always had a talent for dance. Like myself, it always came easy(well, when I was younger) I have been a dance mom for about 15 years. She is 19 now and teaches along with dancing. She competes, has won several medals, and I cannot even tell you how many days and hours we were at the studio. Thank goodness she has her license now.

[GinaPagnato]

activity, can you answer some questions pretty please?

 

1. Does your Dc do it b/c he/she has a gift or passion in that area?

Yes.

2. When did you realize your Dc needed a more serious approach than the average Dc? Or, did you just decide to see how far he/she could take the activity? In other words, how did you decide to elevate the extracurricular to a serious level?

When the time he spent on the activity became more and more, with no prompting from me, and no burn-out on his part.

3. Are you rearranging your Dc's schedule or amount of schoolwork to accommodate that interest or pursuit? Are there subjects you have had to drop or tone down to fit in time for commitment to the extracurricular?

Most definitely!

4.Are you making financial sacrifices to enable a serious level vs the average extracurricular commitment?

Fer shur!

5. What are you giving up in order to accommodate the serious interest/pursuit?

Extra expenses that aren't completely necessary (i.e. expensive vacations, lots of clothes, eating out).

Also, leisure time since I've got to cart him to and from lessons and rehearsals. Weekends are booked, and any vacations we have are planned for when he's performing and we basically vacation in the area where he's going to be.

This is something I've been contemplating lately, in general as Dc get older and we need to focus on which activities are most important to us.

 

I'm also thinking about it b/c of 10yr old Dd's piano. Any time she plays for people they are blown away. Now, her playing isn't perfect, but she clearly has talent and is drawn to the piano whenever and wherever we see one. She makes mistakes, but the emotional quality of her playing is so captivating that people seem not to notice. She is also very good at covering up if she messes up. It doesn't fluster her like it does Ds.

 

Currently she has lessons with a local high school girl who plays very well and comes to our home and is very inexpensive.....all pluses. But, I've been wondering if Dd could achieve even more if she has a more experienced teacher.

Yes, she probably will.

However, I am thinking a more serious teacher=more focus and more time, which I'm not sure we have. It also might mean she would have to give up some other extracurricular she loves.

True, but if she's anything like my ds, she will prefer her passion to other things anyway.

My plan has been to keep with the girl who teaches her until the end of this school year b/c the price is right and the commitment isn't overwhelming. Then when the teacher heads to college we can look for a more serious teacher.

 

I'll add that Dd has some issues with timing that need to be straightened out. I sometimes wonder if a more experienced teacher would be able to help her more. Otoh, I have concerns about too much pressure too young leading to burnout. I want her to continue to love piano.

 

Uggh! As if choosing curriculum isn't enough. Extracurricular choices are driving me crazy this year too! :willy_nilly:

I was you several years ago. I know how difficult this is, but I took it one step at a time, and let my ds lead the way. It's a family commitment, but one we'd happily make again.

[JenC3]

Dd 8 will be dancing (ballet) for 4.5 hours a week and also has a 45 minute piano lesson. She is at a pre-pro school. She is dancing with girls 2-3 yrs older than she is. She loves every bit, but I'm not sure it's an onsession yet.

 

Her piano teaches teaches at the college level. She plays piano unbidden for at least an hour a day. It's hard to keep track, but it's 15-20 at a time all day long. Dd plays variations of the pieces she's learned and lately is dabbling in composing. She literally can change a piece of music to sound better than the original.

 

So far it's not a financial drain, we are blessed to be able to afford it.

I consider it part of my job. My mom ran me around.

No, our schedule is okay so far for hsing.

My dh works from home so that helps out. And my dc are getting a bit older. I'm finally starting my midwifery training so no, I'm not giving anything up yet.

[Denise in Florida]

 

The one thing I am convinced of is that there is a lot of brain training that goes on when a student pursues true excellence at an extra-curricular. There is a self-discipline they gain along with some serious brain development that seems to seep over into other areas of their lives and that leaves them with the ability to quickly make-up for a short-fall in another area so long as that gap is not some big chasm.

 

With the Faith

 

AMEN...:iagree::iagree::iagree: To dedicate the time it takes to become truely skilled at something creates a brain discipline reflects everywhere.

 

When I had questions about how many things to cover in a year my mom always told me "It is better to learn one thing well than to be an inch deep and a mile wide."

[Greenmama2]

1. Does your Dc do it b/c he/she has a gift or passion in that area? Yes

2. When did you realize your Dc needed a more serious approach than the average Dc? Very quickly. As others have said - when she kept asking for more and more without burning out.

 

3. Are you rearranging your Dc's schedule or amount of schoolwork to accommodate that interest or pursuit? Are there subjects you have had to drop or tone down to fit in time for commitment to the extracurricular? Currently we fit in what school work we can around ballet & violin commitments.

4.Are you making financial sacrifices to enable a serious level vs the average extracurricular commitment? Yes.

5. What are you giving up in order to accommodate the serious interest/pursuit? Other activities.

[Denise in Florida]

 

5. We gave up vacation time (because she was performing), and my other kids gave up some "mom time" because I was usually driving my dd to or from the studio. My boys have both spent enough time in a ballet studio to last several lifetimes. My youngest started attending ballet performances when he was two. He can now recognize and identify the scores from most major story ballets. :D Once dd turned 16, she drove herself to the studio (and I did a happy dance).[/QUOTE]

 

 

This made me laugh. When my girls were old enough to stay home alone for an entire day they made a pact. Older dd would not have to attend Hunter/Jumper shows and younger dd would not have to attend recitals. :lol::lol:

 

As younger dd put it "I will live quite happily if I never hear another rendition of Pachebel's Canon in D" . Somehow that song is performed in every recital ever (is it in the Music Teachers Handbook or something?:glare:)

[Tasia]

Each of my older kids has an extracurricular (or two) that they're pursuing fairly seriously. My oldest is the only one who's actually been homeschooled so far, so I'll try to answer your questions with him in mind. He is a ballet dancer.

 

1. He started dancing, originally, because he didn't enjoy sports and Dh insisted that he do some kind of physical activity. It was clear from the beginning that he does have a gift for dancing, but there are some areas that he has to work harder in - those are his favorites. He's very passionate and dedicated to learning everything he can.

 

2. When he started dancing at 8, we knew that, as an athletic boy, he'd move along quicker than the average kid in ballet. Because it was clear to us that he wasn't going to be pursuing competitive sports, that was fine with us. After one year of a 90 minute ballet/jazz class, it was recommended that he join the foundation program for a nearby pre-professional company. He moved into the pre-professional program at 11 and just finished his second summer intensive. This fall he'll be dancing ~14 hours per week.

 

3. A little. I don't require him to do electives like art or health. Music is covered by his piano lesson and PE is covered with dance and a weekly tennis lesson. Our focus this year for 8th will be on math and English, along with getting started on French. Science and history will only take 2-3 hours each per week. Most days, his classes won't start until 4:30, but on Tuesdays he'll have a class at 1:30 and will go to work with Dh for the day. I'm not expecting much to get done that day.

 

4. Thankfully, his dance does not put a financial strain on us.

 

5. With all of our kids' activities (in addition to Dh's work schedule), it's very difficult to find time to travel as a family, or even go on outings together. Also, I feel like I'm always having to make the decision whether to drag my youngest along or be away from him for hours at a time. He's becoming much better about behaving at the dance studios and hockey rink, so it's getting a little easier.

 

As for the piano, all of my children take it, but I wouldn't say any of them are "passionate" about it. My oldest is the most interested. He takes lessons from a solid, experienced teacher and practices for about an hour per day, but he doesn't compete or perform. He's even missed the last two end-of-the-year recitals and doesn't mind. Moving to a more experienced teacher doesn't necessarily mean more of a commitment (apart from the financial side), but it will likely give her a better foundation if she does decide to continue with the piano.