So my 12-yo son has recently developed into a bit of a musical prodigy. As a professional musician myself, the "stage mom" in me is going 
We always knew he was talented, but with various issues including ADHD and Asperger's, he just had no desire or motivation to do anything beyond just noodling around. He'd been doing really (really!) well with electric guitar this past year, and had started classical guitar lessons as well. But all of a sudden, starting this past spring, he's just BLOOMED and BLOSSOMED. He suddenly demonstrated a crazy innate percussion ability, then did a beginner's band camp this summer and took up the alto sax.
He's playing percussion now in the city band (which I direct in fact) and is joining the local youth orchestra. He's continuing to play guitar on his own and in lessons. But we didn't have a group where he could continue with the sax. This summer camp was intended as a 'feeder' program for the school band programs. But as homeschoolers, we don't HAVE a school band program!
Anyway, that's the background. I decided to look into whether he'd be allowed to join the middle school band program, for the sax. As it turns out, as an active professional musician in the community, I was already friends or colleagues with most of the people involved with running the band program. So I just asked them.
His sax teacher at the camp runs the jazz band at the middle school. She said it would be fine with her.
The lady who runs the music program overall is a colleague, I even have her on Facebook.
The fellow who co-runs the program was the organist at my church when I was a teen, and is now the organist and music director at the church where my son goes (with his father/my ex) and my son is very involved in the youth music program there. He's the nicest guy in the world and thinks the world of my son.
The director of the concert bands is a colleague and friend, and I've also accompanied her teenage daughter in music festivals -- I have both mother and daughter on Facebook.
The leader of the band parents' committee is the mother of 2 talented teenage kids both of whom I have accompanied in Festivals, she's a "fan" of mine and another really, really sweet person.
The principal of the school used to be the band assistant waaaaay back when *I* was a student at this school and very involved in the bands. I don't know if he actually knows that I'm the parent involved in this situation, if he would even remember me, but it's just interesting that's it's HIM, you know?
Anyway, the past couple weeks I've been getting lots of emails from the parent coordinator about how it was okay with this person, then that person, she'd let me know when they had final confirmation, etc etc. Tonight I just got it! The principal himself said, about having homeschooled students join school extracurricular activities (sounds like he means any activities, not just band) -- "There's no policy against it. In fact, it's encouraged!"
Considering we live in an area where homeschooling is pretty unrestricted but also pretty uncommon, I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy this was. Was it made a little easier because I happened to know everyone involved? Quite possibly. That way, they knew we were sincere, that we weren't a family of freaks just trying to take advantage of the system (not saying any homeschoolers in a similar situation would be, I'm just looking at it the way that THEY might have). Perhaps there would have been more hoops to jump through if I was a stranger to them?
But at any rate, now that it's done, if more local homeschool kids want to do the same thing in the future, they should have the same ease - and in fact even quicker results since those involved already know that it's okay.
So... yay!
We always knew he was talented, but with various issues including ADHD and Asperger's, he just had no desire or motivation to do anything beyond just noodling around. He'd been doing really (really!) well with electric guitar this past year, and had started classical guitar lessons as well. But all of a sudden, starting this past spring, he's just BLOOMED and BLOSSOMED. He suddenly demonstrated a crazy innate percussion ability, then did a beginner's band camp this summer and took up the alto sax.
He's playing percussion now in the city band (which I direct in fact) and is joining the local youth orchestra. He's continuing to play guitar on his own and in lessons. But we didn't have a group where he could continue with the sax. This summer camp was intended as a 'feeder' program for the school band programs. But as homeschoolers, we don't HAVE a school band program!
Anyway, that's the background. I decided to look into whether he'd be allowed to join the middle school band program, for the sax. As it turns out, as an active professional musician in the community, I was already friends or colleagues with most of the people involved with running the band program. So I just asked them.
His sax teacher at the camp runs the jazz band at the middle school. She said it would be fine with her.
The lady who runs the music program overall is a colleague, I even have her on Facebook.
The fellow who co-runs the program was the organist at my church when I was a teen, and is now the organist and music director at the church where my son goes (with his father/my ex) and my son is very involved in the youth music program there. He's the nicest guy in the world and thinks the world of my son.
The director of the concert bands is a colleague and friend, and I've also accompanied her teenage daughter in music festivals -- I have both mother and daughter on Facebook.
The leader of the band parents' committee is the mother of 2 talented teenage kids both of whom I have accompanied in Festivals, she's a "fan" of mine and another really, really sweet person.
The principal of the school used to be the band assistant waaaaay back when *I* was a student at this school and very involved in the bands.
I don't know if he actually knows that I'm the parent involved in this situation, if he would even remember me, but it's just interesting that's it's HIM, you know?Anyway, the past couple weeks I've been getting lots of emails from the parent coordinator about how it was okay with this person, then that person, she'd let me know when they had final confirmation, etc etc. Tonight I just got it! The principal himself said, about having homeschooled students join school extracurricular activities (sounds like he means any activities, not just band) -- "There's no policy against it. In fact, it's encouraged!"
Considering we live in an area where homeschooling is pretty unrestricted but also pretty uncommon, I was very pleasantly surprised by how easy this was. Was it made a little easier because I happened to know everyone involved? Quite possibly. That way, they knew we were sincere, that we weren't a family of freaks just trying to take advantage of the system (not saying any homeschoolers in a similar situation would be, I'm just looking at it the way that THEY might have). Perhaps there would have been more hoops to jump through if I was a stranger to them?
But at any rate, now that it's done, if more local homeschool kids want to do the same thing in the future, they should have the same ease - and in fact even quicker results since those involved already know that it's okay.
So... yay!
