Hitting a High Note in Year One

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On a sunny Friday morning, Ruben Watson watches members of the Lewis County Homeschool Band march back and forth across the parking lot of Centralia Christian Church.

Sometimes there’s a stray sour note or a step that doesn’t match, but Watson never flinches and the smile never leaves his face. He’s enamored with his students and all he sees is how far they have come.

“I give the parents and the kids all the credit,” Watson said with a grin. “I just get to be along for the ride.”

The Lewis County Homeschool Band, a cooperative band comprising homeschool students from throughout Lewis County and south Thurston County, started this fall. The effort was first suggested by local homeschool mother Cindy Maxwell, whose son, Corban, 13, participates in the band. Maxwell said she had been looking for an opportunity for her kids to participate in a band for homeschoolers where she felt the conductor mirrored her own commitment to nurturing the students’ passions. Maxwell said a friend who is part of the Tacoma Area Homeschool band suggested their director, Ruben Watson. Maxwell watched a few videos of Watson working with the Tacoma musicians and knew he would be a good fit.

“He’s an enthusiastic and inspiring person, just the kind of person I want teaching my kids,” Maxwell said

Watson, a music educator for 27 years who lives in Dupont, said the admiration is mutual. He said the first time he traveled to Centralia for a rehearsal, he immediately felt right at home and fell in love with his new students.

“These kids are so professional. They are just a treasure, they really are,” Watson said. “They are so well behaved and they act so kind toward each other.”

Formerly a public-school educator, Watson has taught private lessons in saxophone and clarinet for 22 years and directed a community band for 19 years. For the last couple of years, he has been director of the Tacoma Area Homeschool Band and said though he supports public schools, he has been so impressed learning more about homeschool kids and families.

“The families treat each other with so much respect, kindness and caring. It’s how you would want everyone to be,” Watson said. 

To begin with, the Lewis County Homeschool Band comprised just a handful of students. Now, less than a year in, it is 19 musicians strong. Marlana Fagerness, of Rochester, whose kids Bliss, 12, and Clint, 13, are part of the band, said she has been impressed with how quickly they have progressed under Watson’s direction.

“A lot of them had never played their instruments before,” Fagerness said.



For Ginger of Olympia, whose kids Ginnette, Daniel, and Annette, participate, it’s easy to see why the band has been successful.

“I enjoy the camaraderie and the opportunity to play traditional band music and have an instructor who is interested in each student and the development of their musical abilities,” Ginger said.

Mothers Julie Gullett and Alicia Armstrong have been the organizers that have kept the ball rolling for the band as it has progressed.  Alicia’s daughter Cassidy, 13, of Rochester, plays cornet in the band and said she has been amazed with how many students have been drawn to the opportunity.

“I didn’t expect it to get this big this quickly,” Cassidy Armstrong, said. “But it’s a great band and I really enjoy it. If I wasn’t already a member, I would absolutely join it.”

Gullett’s son, Isaac, said he was skeptical at first but has come around to the group.

“I didn’t really like it at the start then it got fun after a few weeks and I now I have a lot of friends here and I like it,” he said.

And now, the Lewis County Homeschool Band is taking on a new challenge, moving their music to the streets. Members will be marching with the Tacoma Area Homeschool Band in the Junior Daffodil Parade April 14 in Tacoma. The Lewis County Homeschool Band alone will march in the Summerfest Parade July 4 in downtown Centralia. Most of the musicians expressed excitement about getting to perform for a different group of people in a different setting. But they admitted that preparing for the appearance has been a lot of work.

“The trickiest part is having to play and stay in your line with your group,” said Cora Parsons, 10, of Centralia, who plays flute in the band.

Gullett, whose sons Isaac, 12, and Nate, 9, participate in the band, said both parade appearances, like the band experience itself, will be a family affair. Parents and younger siblings are a regular sight at band rehearsals. These “littles,” along with parents and even some grandparents, will be part of the group marching in these parade appearances. 

“It is one of the advantages of homeschool,” Gullett said. “The whole family is together.”