Herald-Dispatch, Huntington, West Virginia, 17 December 2006, Renaissance Center holds Christmas music festival

Jamie Hensley of Huntington brought her daughter, Samantha, 5, to participate in the children’s choir performance in the old Huntington High theater. Hensley and her daughter live near the building and come to the choir practice Tuesday afternoons.

“We home-school,” she said. “We heard great things about the program. It’s a way for her to interact with children her own age. It’s nice to have this building.”

Victoria Times Colonist, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, 17 December 2006, Making a joyful noise: Love of singing keeps youngsters coming back to children’s choir

The group has 11 home-schooled kids in its choirs. Both parents and kids say they were attracted to the performance-oriented choir because it is fun and formative. It also gives kids a chance to socialize and interact with a broad group.

Jennifer Young found out about the choir for her daughter, Hillary, from a home-schooler message board website. She wanted her kids to be able to choose the kind of music instruction they wanted, especially since Hillary wants a career in it.

“I’m more into music than anything else. I want to be an opera singer,” says Hillary, 14.

Heather DeRome says the choir experience only adds to her kids’ already music-filled life. Both she and her husband, Doug Hensley, play several instruments, and he teaches guitar at the Victoria Conservatory of Music.

“I think singing is one of the best ways to develop musically,” says DeRome.

Their kids, Rowan, 11, and Julia, 8, are both interested in a future in music. Rowan’s sights might be set a little farther than the typical 11-year-old. Inspired by the stories of Mozart as a child prodigy, Rowan has already written a symphony — several pages of music at least. He didn’t know how to read music when he started, so he would sing a little tune and his parents helped him to learn to write it.

WKOW, Madison, Wisconsin, 2 January 2006, Homeschool Speech and Debate Tournament

Home school students from a five state region will compete in Speech and Debate. This event is sponsored by affiliates with the National Christian Forensics and Communication Assosciation (NCFCA).

When: January 4, 5, and 6, 2007

Tracy Press, Tracy, California, 2 January 2007, Festival gives musical talent a boost

Nine-year-old Aissa Lee calmly tuned her mandolin, looked to her mom for encouragement and let out a boisterous melody while her fingers picked in beat. A piano, ukulele, fiddle and banjo all her instruments lined the wall behind her while she played one of her favorite bluegrass tunes.

…

Aissa, a third grade home-schooler in Tracy, said the youth festival was a chance to play with others who understood her love of music.

posted by Valerie

Tags: children's choirs, community activities, home-schooling, homeschooling, musicians, speech and debate

This entry was posted on January 4, 2007 at 4:43 pm and is filed under International News, Socialization, Successful Homeschoolers. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.