Day 21

Monday again!  How does it come around so fast? 

MUSET, the homeschool orchestra, was good.  Luke is hanging on to his cold for all he's worth, so he did not play (or even bring) his trumpet.  What I didn't find out until later is that he did what I asked him to, which was to follow along in the music and try to see where he would be playing.  That was one of the up points.  Another was when the leader complimented Emily on her enthusiasm.

On the down side, which really isn't a down side, I found out that Emily is truly lacking in music-reading and tracking ability.  No, not ability, but skill.  This isn't really a negative because now we have a point to start at.  This is what is missing from the public school scenario.  If a kid is lost in band, he's lost, and he MIGHT get help, and he might not.  More than likely he'll eventually find himself out of band.  Homeschooling, I can find out the problem and address it.  Now we have a unit study to do! 

This reminds me of math.  Not math now, but when I was in high school in NYC.  I had taken algebra and geometry in junior high, so by the time I was a junior, I was in trigonometry.  I could not make heads or tails out of what the teacher was saying.  My not-so-bright solution?  "It's the first semester.  I'll fail this, and they'll let me repeat it next semester."  Not so bright.  I sat in the back of class and read fiction all through the semester.  When I think about it, I'm appalled at myself, but more appalled that a teacher would allow that to go on!  And my plan backfired, as it turned out that they didn't offer the first semester again, so I got pushed onward anyway.  What a mess. 

Had I been homeschooled, I may have gotten lost, but it would have been noticed and rectified.  Rectification, the signature of homeschooling!  Now, I have rectification of my own to do with Emily.  I think she'll feel good about getting the hang of it.  We started going over the notes and rests, beats and time.  It will be good for me, too, as I try to beat my clarinet into submisson.  I hope that my playing a new instrument will be inspiring to both Luke and Emily.  I hope it will show them that you can always have a passion for learning something new.