I was an army brat, moving every couple of years growing up (and even as an adult, as I was in the army, myself). For me, I can remember having an actual music class in third grade (learning really very elementary theory - notes, styles, melodies, singing, playing - well playing on - several instruments). Then nothing until 6th grade, where they asked if anyone wanted to learn an instrument. I wanted to learn trumpet and what happened was the junior high school music teacher came to the elementary school once a week and pulled me out of class for a lesson (I didn't do so well in history that year).

In 7th grade (junior high), I played in the band, but half-way through the year, my dad got reassigned from California to Washington, DC. I ended up going to school in Fairfax County, where I continued band through 9th grade, when we moved again to Kentucky.

I say my claim to fame is that I got to play at Wolf Trap Farm Park (well, as a freshman, I played in the high school band there for the seniors who were graduating). I finished high school playing in band, and then also participated in local music theater, as well as in the pit band for shows. Off to military college in Georgia, where I also played in the band. Not since 3rd grade, however, did I have a general music class, and not since 6th grade did I ever have private lessons (which I regret).

Now my son learned to play viola in the 5th grade, then joined the band on percussion in the 6th grade. His junior high also started a jazz band, and he played drum set for it in 7th and 8th grade, as well as in concert band. We were able to get him private lessons from a retired Sgt Major who happened to previously be the lead percussionist in The Army Band. This guy loved to take young kids under his wing and teach them that percussion wasn't just about playing rock and roll on a drum set.

In high school, he was in the marching band (and was the head of the drum line from his sophomore year on), as well as concert band, and his school earned Virginia Honor Band each year he was there. He also played in our county's wonderful youth symphony program where he got to go play at Carnegie Hall (practice, practice, practice) and they won the competition there (deservedly). He went through a multiple audition process and was also selected for the Virginia Governor's School for Performing Arts. He played in All-District and All-State band. He was also selected to play in the Young Artist program, where he got to play with the National Symphony Orchestra.

But it was only through band and orchestra that he received music education; there are not "general music" classes anymore.

He's now getting ready to start his senior year at West Virginia University on a full-ride music scholarship and just last week returned from five weeks of playing at the Eastern Music Festival in Greensboro, NC.

I guess I'll just have to live vicariously, since I never had all the opportunities he has had. I suspect that if we did not live in the Northern Virginia area, he would not have necessarily had those opportunities.

Unfortunately today, education equals preparation to pass some standardized test, rather than learning to do things, solve problems, think creatively, and be ready to enter a harsh world out there. That's very sad...

John

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