Serious music student? What does their schedule look like?

[hopskipjump]

I am curious what the schedule of a "serious" music student looks like at the 8-12th grade level.

 

Dd is at a fork in the road- and, I think, if she wants to take it very seriously, we need to amp up her routine, but I'm really unsure of what that really would look like.

 

Right now, she's at weekly hour-long lessons and her practice time varies wildly from a half-hour a day to three hours or more (depending on what else is scheduled... Hence her needing to make some hard choices, I think, on where her time is being spent).

 

Also thinking we need to add in more music theory, music history into her school day? Her teacher touches on this during lessons - but maybe I should add another mid-week lesson with someone else to cover these topics exclusively?

 

(Fwiw, she doesn't play the piano. Maybe she should start if she's considering a music conservatory for university?)

 

Signed,

The Mom Who Knows Absolutely Nothing About Music and Wonders Why Her Children Fall In Love With Things She Doesn't Understand

 

I can (and will) be talking with her instructor soon to get his input (he is amazing). But I'm very curious to know beforehand what "serious" music study looks like in other homeschooling households to see if it seems overwhelming or manageable to us. :)

[Faithr]

I've got three music oriented kids.  Don't know where the genes came from!  My oldest son who went to Berklee in Boston (majoring in composing) and is currently working as a musician/guitar teacher, was fanatical about practicing.  Even though his main instrument is guitar, he did also take a lot of piano lessons.  He practiced up to 6 hours a day on his own.  He used the website musictheory.net to study music theory intiially.  He is a music theory nut. He also then took music theory at the local community college, even though he knew it wouldn't transfer to the conservatory, he just needed it to be confident.  Sight reading is very important - I would have a music teacher focus on that.  If they teach a little now, you can ask them to bump it up.  

 

For music history/appreciation, we love, love, love the Robert Greenberg Great Courses lecture series.  Another inspiring resource is From the Top 

 

Also Discovering Music by Dr. Carol Reynolds is very good.

 

My current 17 yo is also into music but he is mild Asperger's and just doesn't have his act together emotionally the way my very ambitious older son did.  So 17 yo has decided to get an AA in music at the community college and transfer to a state school with a good music program.  He also is frequently working on his music.  He has garage band and composes a lot, arranges stuff, he can hear a tune and just play it like nobody I've ever heard.  His main instrument is piano right now but he basically can pick up anything and get a melody out of it by ear.  It is sad that his emotional stuff gets in the way of focus.  He's also ADD so he jumps around a lot.  

 

My 14 yo has a voice recital tonight.  She's into musical theater.  She taught herself ukelele but we can't get her to study any other instrument seriously besides voice.  Her plan is to go to a 4 year Catholic college with a musical theater major.

 

I would say though that at the high school level, if the student isn't willing to put in the hours needed to practice, if they don't just naturally gravitate to it on their own, then maybe it isn't something they should major in.  I'd let her structure her high school career as much as possible with you just giving helpful hints maybe.  

 

My 2 cents.

 

 

 

[Eos]

*

Edited February 6, 2023 by Eos

[Janice in NJ]

Our youngest is headed into his third year studying music as an undergrad. He went to college a year ahead of schedule, so I only have info for three years of high school. 

 

He played violin, piano, and organ. Freshman year he was in a youth orchestra/string quartet that met on Saturday mornings. He stopped with the violin after freshman year to focus on keyboards. Junior year he attended a pre-college program at the Manhattan School of Music - also a Saturday program; he studied piano and took music theory and history courses. Honestly though? He has learned theory and history as an undergrad. I would focus on the performance and not worry too much about theory/history. He also sang in a well-respected choir. 

 

Summer music camp after freshman and sophomore years. 

 

Practice time for junior year was 2 hrs/day for piano and 2 hrs/day for organ with 1 hour lessons for each per week. He played a full solo piano recital at the end of his sophomore year. He played a full organ recital in November of his junior year with another full recital in June of his junior year. So yes, FULL schedule especially when you consider that he had to commute to the church to play the organ. Junior year he also completed 6 courses as a duel-enrolled college student (19 credits) and completed 3 courses at home in addition to the college app routine along with auditions. It was a LOT for him to juggle. Obviously the college courses were scheduled, so the times were inflexible. But apart from that, practice was first on the schedule - organ in the morning. First things first. He made it a priority. 

 

Then it was off to college.

 

He is finding that college is very similar. Tons of things going on as a musician on campus; he is in a choir that sings for on-campus events and also tours (he also takes voice lessons in addition to organ lessons). He does a lot of accompanying, handles a part-time job as a church organist/choir director (off campus), plays on campus for chapel services, handles his coursework, and practices 4 hours/day. 

 

You have to love it in order to do it. It was tough for me to release him to spend so much time on music as a high-schooler. However, it was clearly a passion, so at that point, it made sense to let him experience it while he was still in high school rather than risk a false start at college. Four hrs/day spent in complete isolation (just you and the instrument) is a HUGE commitment. And it is not something everyone would enjoy. And life as a music student is unlike other majors. There are so many bits. So many tiny little things that you do that you don't seem to get any "credit" for even though they are terribly important. Learning to stay organized and juggle all of it? A learning curve in itself. For example, his primary instrument is like a 4-credit course; however, he spends at least 26-27 hours a week for THAT COURSE. A huge time commitment by any standards. And that's not just for junior/senior year; that's all four years - during the school year and during breaks. And he is required to participate in an ensemble for no credit; the group he is in practices for 7.5 hours per week with concerts (plus a 2-week tour) piled on top. Senior year students need an ensemble for their advanced conducting class; so underclassman are happy to help. However, for several months in the fall, that means late night rehearsals - they usually start after 10 PM because that's when everyone is available. And once again, bits - no credit, just something everyone does. He takes a voice lesson which is like a 1-credit course. A weekly lesson + daily practice + studio classes + a jury. A ton of work for 1 credit! And he does it every single semester. Certainly something kids should know they love before they try to pursue it as a vocation.  :001_smile:

 

For this child, hsing provided a distinct advantage. He had long days, but his instrument received his best hours. By his junior year, he had already stepped into his adult world of priorities. He earned great grades in his coursework, and he has continued with that pattern, but the bench was and still is first. Always! He had no long, drawn-out, 10-12 hours per week AP classes where you spend that kind of time for 30 weeks studying for a test in AP Lit when you really couldn't give two flips about literature. Instead? He took an honors-by-contract class with a terrific older prof at the college who studied at Oxford. He went to the college class and completed the regular coursework, and then he met with the prof once a week to discuss his research on one of the more obscure Shakespeare plays. They had fabulous and interesting discussions; it was great fun for the boy. The prof tried to convince DS to enter his final project in a competition, so the lad did well. In addition to receiving transfer credit, he submitted his paper for evaluation and received an OK for the course to count to fulfill one of his school's writing requirements. Engaging. Interesting. Great Education. And the course was completed in 15 weeks with no high-pressure exam at the end RIGHT when the boy was prepping for a recital. This was just one example of how we (without giving up on a rigorous and challenging education) took advantage of hsing to craft a schedule that fit the boy, not the other way around.

 

Have fun! Be creative! :-)  

 

Peace,

Janice in NJ

 

Enjoy your little people

Enjoy your journey

 

 

Edited June 19, 2016 by Janice in NJ

[Amateur Actress]

Another option for a serious music student (or dance or theatre or visual art or creative writing or film) is a performing arts boarding school. Our oldest spent 2 years at Interlochen Arts Academy in northern Michigan for theatre. She was homeschooled 6th-9th and went there 10th and 12th grades. They have phenomenal teachers and kids get to really focus on their arts area. Interlochen kids get into the best universities and conservatories. They also have really good financial aid, which is the only way we could afford it. There are other performing arts boarding schools, too...LaGuardia in NYC, Walnut Hill in Massachusetts, S. Carolina Governor's School and several others. I know it's a big step going from homeschool to boarding school but we realized we needed to think outside the box b/c our daughter had so much talent and potential that wouldn't have been realized with the local resources. We do not regret the decision to send her and she just finished her freshman year at a top theatre school, Mason Gross School of the Arts @ Rutgers, making the Dean's list both semesters. None of that would've happened without Interlochen.

[AggieMama]

I would definately get started on piano. It wouldn't hurt to study theory, sight reading, and music history. I tried to major in music and it was no match for me. I think if I had been more serious in MS/HS I might have succeeded.

[klmama]

I would definitely start her on piano now, if she's considering majoring in music. For freshman music theory and aural skills classes she'll need to be able to read and write music in both clefs, and playing piano is a productive way to learn.  Also, if she's a vocalist, being able to play piano will open up her options.  If she decides to go for a music education degree in vocal music, she'll need piano in order to accompany her students. 

[73349]

The girl I used to tutor left private school after 6th grade to pursue music when her parents finally acceded. She played piano and violin, eventually deciding to focus on violin.

 

What wound up working for her was to go out for an early walk/run with the dogs, shower and do ~4-5 hours of music practice in the morning, school all afternoon (her parents chose Calvert and then Keystone with the grading service), and then in the evening some tutoring (parents are scientists and felt she would get farther in some subjects with someone else supplementing what they did at home in the humanities) and rehearsals for group stuff like the youth symphony and her quartet, IIRC. She took some lessons in town, but they drove to music lessons in another city an hour or two away some weekends. Fortunately her BFF lived next door and most of her other friends were also musicians.

 

They stretched the school year so that she could complete each course during one full year, but were careful about not having too many going at the same time (e.g., might do history July-April, math May-May). They marked out the weeks of a summer program in Aspen she went to I think every year, and kept flexible enough that she could travel with her dad some (his work takes him overseas fairly often).

 

She wound up doing very well with this schedule, especially for someone who did not start playing as young as many do. She is at a highly regarded conservatory now and was well prepared for the academics. There's no way she could've finished at the private school and had the time to do music at this level.

Edited June 17, 2016 by whitehawk

[hopskipjump]

Many thanks for the input!! It looks as though it would be manageable if she chooses that path.

 

But, yeah, the crossroads is definitely here. She just can't spend as much time as she often does on this if it's not THE goal (I didn't include time she spends listening to recordings, etc..).

 

I'm planning a trip this fall to a couple music conservatories (and also other universities in the same area) so that she can see/be/hear/experience what that looks like in person. She's usually one who knows immediately if something is a "good fit" or not - so I figure she will either fall in love with what she sees, or know that it's not for her fairly quickly.

 

I think we will have to start with piano lessons first thing. If she hates the piano, that's probably a good sign that music school isn't for her. ;) (she plays a few other instruments, but her primary instrument is definitely HER instrument. Everything else is just distraction.)

 

 

[klmama]

She just can't spend as much time as she often does on this if it's not THE goal (I didn't include time she spends listening to recordings, etc..).

 

FWIW, my oldest spent an astronomical amount of time practicing, performing, listening, and composing during high school.  Despite years of thinking a music career was the goal, late in senior year dc decided that there was a better fit in another field and is pursuing that in college instead.  Dc still performs regularly and is paid well for it, so all that time was certainly not wasted!  It's a nice way to earn money in college!

[hopskipjump]

FWIW, my oldest spent an astronomical amount of time practicing, performing, listening, and composing during high school. Despite years of thinking a music career was the goal, late in senior year dc decided that there was a better fit in another field and is pursuing that in college instead. Dc still performs regularly and is paid well for it, so all that time was certainly not wasted! It's a nice way to earn money in college!

Very good to read - thank you for the reminder!! Yes, I've got to remind myself that time spent following a passion isn't time wasted - even if it doesn't become "the" thing. 😊

[Donna]

My dd will be beginning high school this year and I am in the midst of helping her figure out what it will look like. I am learning to let go of my ideas of what it should be so we can make it fit for her.

 

She has a 90-120 min classical lesson weekly and an hour twice monthly fiddle lesson (which takes all day due to travel 3 hours each way). When she is home, she practices 2-5 hours daily. If she has a busy day, school suffers, not her practicing so she tends to make it up on weekends and by doing a longer school year. We travel nearly every weekend for performances, sometimes long weekends, sometimes whole weeks and if we are home usually spend hours in pubs at least once a week jamming with other musicians for fun. Summer is full with travel for music camps, festivals, gigs, and competition.

 

Her schedule this past year tended to be wake up, eat breakfast, practice, school, practice, school....until about 4pm then often some practice with her brother in the evening. She runs her own schedule and is completely independent with practice and completing school. My job is to let her know what schoolwork to complete each day. She meets with a tutor 2 hours on Tuesday mornings for languages arts. When traveling, school is done in the car or in airports. We listen to a lot of Great Courses while driving...everything from music history to mythology to history.

 

She has interests in literature, writing, and, recently, psychology and neuroscience so I am still trying to figure out how we will fit everything in. She took a music theory course this past year (8th grade) and will take AP Music Theory this coming year. She has her main instrument but messes around picking out accompaniment to pop songs on piano or Irish tunes on flute or tin whistle. At this point her goal is to play music for a living but she is not sure yet if she wants to study only music in college or study something else. She doesn't think classical performance is her goal so if she did study music in college, possibly Berklee or the Irish music program at University of Limerick.

[frogger]

Thanks for the thread. This is interesting to me as my daughter is just getting started with ramping things up.  I was worried about the amount of music she was planning on doing and the sheer number of hours on top of her regular school work. I'm not worried that she can't switch gears when she is older (she is only 13) but I am trying to make sure school work is still doable. She is planning on three instruments this year, harp, violin, and piano which she is mostly learning because it is often required and for theory. Here I was worried about 2-3 hours (not including when she is playing around on things or just extra practice out of choice.) 

[klmama]

We did not do summer festivals, and it showed. It took her until her second master's to catch up. 

 

 

 

Hmmm....  Now I'm wondering if we're missing something that my younger musician should know about.  What kind of summer festivals?  What is the benefit?  Thanks.

[hopskipjump]

The more I am researching her instrument/opportunities... it's these festivals/camps I am worried about. :/ Apparently - most of the upper-level kids go to these from infancy.  :huh: DD wanted and asked to go to one or more this summer but since dd#1s schedule (travel, university orientation, etc) was so up in the air, I dismissed DD2s request due to the expense and timing. :o I think we have under-valued dds true love of playing, focusing instead on her more concrete interests, and she's been dividing her time among many things that could have/should have been spent on music. 

 

She's 15, starting 10th grade now (plan is to spend this year playing and to figure out where, exactly, playing fits in to her future plans). She's been playing *seriously* with her current teacher for about a year and a half... with about 2 "lesser" on-and-off years before that as we bumped around between instructors.

 

There is a local camp she may be able to still fit in this summer - the visiting instructors are outstanding. However, her instrument isn't up to standard for a camp like this, so I had figured we should first focus on instrument (these are usually hand-made... but nowhere near HERE, so we will have to travel quite a distance to a place with multiple, already-made instruments to try out), and do the camps later... but if she goes to this camp now... that would open up time for a couple distance-camps next summer...

 

Yikes. So much to think about! :willy_nilly: She has three summers (including this one) before applications. So, we are teetering on too-late as it is. Totally my fault for not fully realizing just how serious dd was and for minimizing her requests... :blushing: :sad: Ah well. Live and learn, right? :)

 

Luckily, her teacher, though young, is absolutely outstanding and I have no worries in that department. One thing we did right! :rofl:  Yay me! :thumbup: DD is a plucky, hard worker and once I gave her the go-ahead for unlimited, whenever-she-wants practice time this summer, she leapt on the opportunity and is ravenously diving into tough material and near-constant practice (when she isn't texting... :001_rolleyes:).

 

We should know by December if she's flourishing with this, or ready to make more traditional plans.

 

 

 

I'm talking Interlochen/Aspen/Tanglewood type camps. We could not have afforded them. We also should have gone beyond our local college for instruction but we didn't know any better. However, to get ANYWHERE out of our valley requires at least 3 hours of driving, over major mountain passes. 

 

One thing that we did that was WELL worth the time was to pursue All-State Honors type orchestras. In CO, we have All-State and Western States Honors Orchestras. However, they've become less and less friendly to hsers. There are often faculty from music schools carefully watching the soloists. 

 

The benefits are many, but mostly from making the connections with professionals. This extends far beyond high school too. My dd got into (as a master's student) an early music festival (I'm thinking it was Amherst but they all seem to run together to me any more), which lead eventually to enrollment to the top early music program in the US, at IU with Stanley Ritchie. Amherst lead to playing with NC Baroque, which lead to Indianapolis Baroque, which lead to 3 Notch'd Road. Dd has played with Bach Akademie several times but Helmet Rilling has retired from it. But, she's playing at Weimar again with him this year. Weimar ended up taking a full year off her doctoral program. She got home from Germany and 18 hours later had to take her placement exams. Music history can be weak for her, but the sections they had to write about just HAPPENED to be the cantata she'd just played in Weimar where is was written! And the other piece was by a composer that she'd included in her last recital. She's currently playing at Berwick, part of OR Bach Festival, with Rachel Podger. That opportunity came about because of other Baroque things. She passed ALL of her placement exams, which is quite rare to do--effectively cutting out a full years of coursework. 

 

Edited June 22, 2016 by hopskipjump

[lewelma]

I remember the crossroads when DS hit it at age 12, and he chose math.  :huh:  But he is still a dedicated music student. He does not put in the kind of hours that pp have mentioned but by the time he finishes high school he will have a post secondary diploma (LRSM) from the Royal School in the UK.  This requires performance to a high level, intermediate music theory, and music appreciation knowledge. He will also have been a part of a trio/quartet for 6 years and competed nationally for 3; and been a part of the city orchestra for 2 years.  He will have attended a 3-day weekend camp for 3 years, but no other camps.  The hours required for these accomplishments vary from a typical 9 hours a week to 20 hours a week for the month before exams (once per year).  These hours don't include the orchestra as that starts next year.  So I'm guessing 12 hours per week standard in 11th and 12th.  This does not include the 3 hours a week that he plays piano for fun. 

 

My point is that you can get some pretty good high school accomplishments even if you don't put in 4 hours a day.  I'm in NZ so don't know how competitive music schools are in the USA, but ds could easily get into music school here in NZ with these achievements. 

 

Ruth in NZ

Edited June 22, 2016 by lewelma

[Faithr]

For Berklee it was mostly about the audition.  My son did however attend one week in the summer there one year and then a longer summer program as .  Those were the only two things he went to.  I do think it helped because at least one of the people he auditioned with was a teacher who had worked with him before.  With places like Berklee especially who really accept a lot of international students, many from places like South America and Africa, the background and resume of the students varied dramatically.  The audition is the thing to ace for acceptance.  

 

Berklee's admissions office was also clueless about homeschoolers.  We had to be quite insistent and diplomatic.  They wanted my son to get a GED or show a 'state issued' diploma.  Well there is no such animal as a state issued diploma around here and we are really mad about the GED thing because he had taken a heavily academic high school load and didn't feel it should be disregarded because we weren't an official brick and mortar school.  Turns out the office had an outdated understanding of what was federally required for acceptance to meet certain requirements.  I can't remember now what the rigamarole was.  But my dh talked to some head guy there after several discussions with the regular admissions office and they finally ok'd things.  Whew!  I'd forgotten about that little bit of wrangling!