Music and homeschooled youth: A case study

Abstract

One dimension of music education and community music activity remains virtually unexamined: the homeschooled community. The purpose of this research was to examine the nature, values, and teaching-learning strategies of the North Jersey Homeschool Association (NJHSA) Chorale. This case study, conducted over a period of three months, chronicled numerous musical and social interactions of the NJHSA Chorale. Analyses of the data revealed four themes related to this organization’s nature, values, and teaching–learning processes: care, community, cultural pluralism, and spirituality. The conclusions of the study include (but are not limited to) the following: the aims and values of the NJHSA Chorale resonate with central issues in contemporary educational philosophy and with central aims of community music in particular (e.g., music making for life-long learning and for community well-being).