Music Education in Homeschooling: Jamie’s Story

Abstract

Jamie is a homeschooled student from the metro-Phoenix region of Arizona in the United States. An accomplished musician, Jamie’s resources for music education came not only from private lessons and music classes available through homeschool learning cooperatives, but also from public school, community college, and civic bands, choirs and orchestras. In this narrative case study, I present a longitudinal account of Jamie’s homeschooled education through high school and her matriculation into college and discuss Jamie’s perceptions of homeschooling, the benefits and limitations of music learning in the homeschooling environment, and the issues surrounding her attendance at the local public school to participate in music classes.