Really the only reason I was leaning towards Choice #1 in the 1st place, which is a Language Arts Academy (choices of 1. French, 2. Spanish, or 3. Japanese--how cool is that!) is mainly due to the demographical breakdown and the low percentage of kids on the free lunch program there. Choice #2 is much more racially diverse and has a higher percentage of free luncher's. I just don't want her surrounded by a bunch of ghetto/barrio kids, or at least as few as possible. Am I a total snob for that? Of course, I went to an elementary/junior/1st 2 years of high school surrounded by inbred rednecks and poor white trash and was totally miserable for most of my childhood school career so I guess you take a risk no matter what public school you go to.
Anyway, we'll see what happens. S and I already discussed what we will enroll the baby in at either school: Choice #1, she'll take Spanish. Choice #2, she'll take Music Enrichment. As much as I would love to enroll her in Suzuki Violin so she can take after me, there's some reasons I'm not ready to do that at this stage of her life.
- Man, we just cannot afford to do that right now. I was thinking today of how amazingly expensive it was for me to play the viola for 12 years and I don't know how in the world my mother managed to make it all happen!!! It cost her thousands and thousands of dollars, year after year. My mind spins thinking of it. (Of course, I would say that she definitely got her return and then some on her investment, since playing the viola got me into college, got me through getting 2 degrees, which led me to the good career and salary I have today, which provided for my house, car, 401K, etc. etc.)
- While I definitely am going to "force" music onto the baby b/c it has been proven time and time again the benefits of music on the brain, I don't feel comfortable forcing a musical instrument on her. I want her to pick out what she wants to do so that she owns it, and owns her passion and commitment to it. At Choice #2 starting in 1st grade she will have to finally choose something, but the choices expand then to include voice and piano. So she's gonna play something, dammit, but it'll be her choice. I'll never forget the day in 5th grade when they brought in the orchestra from the middle school to play for us, and I had an epiphany: I wanted to do that! Although it was the percussion and specifically the xylophone that grabbed me, I chose to play a stringed instrument, and I chose the viola b/c "everybody" plays the violin! Of course I had to be a little different! And owning that passion, it being all mine, is what motivated me to keep it up and then get good at it.
- Although we are working on the baby being and acting more like us, which will happen naturally anyway once she comes to live with us full-time, in the end I don't want her to completely be my "Piece of Clay", like Marvin Gaye sang about!
Had a great time at home last night with S. We lounged around and watched one of our new fave shows, The Pick-Up Artist. We would love to send Mano on that show, as he needs it! Either that one or Beauty and the Geek!
2 comments:
HEY! I decided to play viola for the exact same reason!!! The 5th grade orchestra exhibition only had THREE viola players and like 75 violins/cellos!!! I said to myself "boy howdy! Sign me up with those non-conformists!!!"
Oh yeah and FWIW I think going to school with underprivledged free lunch kids taught me appreciation for what I had, & tolerance of other walks of life. (I think?) I definitely didnt start running with the ghetto crowd or anything. I think bad/good kids alike will find their posse one way or another regardless of school demogs.
You know me and music education. Do they have vocal instruction? That might be a good way to get a child the music theory before having to choose an instrument. By the way, I had free lunch from K-12. I am not ashamed of it. I liked pizza day the most. Although you would think I had more gratitude for a socialized system; instead I have nothing but disdain for socialism.
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