cammom, my DS is in a musical ensemble - a local music school offers an ensemble class and group performance opportunities - DS loves it, looks forward to it on the weekends, writes his own music and practices it in order to play it and receive feedback from the group and has made several friends in the group because of shared interests and time spent together. The group is made up of 7-10 year olds and has diverse skill sets and skill levels. They put up 2 performances on stage per year and do a weekly mini performance in their class. If your music writing son can get into one such group, he can be himself, feel validated, not be labeled as a "smart kid" and have fun with a group of peers. It is also great for self-esteem and will make him feel that his contribution to the group is worthy.
