We often hear parents say things like oh, I’m not sure if my child will like music. Or yeah, he tried it and I’m not sure he’s really that into it. Here’s something to think about, there’s a good chance that your child or teen may not be that into music in the beginning, and it may take some time. Letting them drop out or just withdrawing them from lessons, band, or orchestra altogether, may mean missing a lifetime worth of joy and happiness, wonderful experiences, friends! Career opportunities!

Here’s a true story from our director:

“I was pretty sure I wanted to play the trumpet the first time I heard Louis Armstrong play it. That said, once I started the process of learning to play, I realized it was much more difficult than I would have thought. And unfortunately, to make matters worse, I had a pretty unpleasant band director/teacher for the first couple of years. Not saying he wasn’t a great musician or even necessarily a capable educator, let’s just say it was not a good fit.

The first couple of years were not something that I really enjoyed. I didn’t want to quit necessarily either, but it was just another part of school. Fast forward a few years to around 8th grade when I met my private teacher Gail Phillips, and it was a whole new world. I fell in love with the trumpet. Fast forward 39 years, and I’m still playing to this day and as a matter of fact, it’s one of the first things I did after recovering from some pretty major injuries in a recent motorcycle accident.

Pic for effect (me surrounded by a bunch of other men honoring our fallen veterans on Memorial Day after just playing TAPS).

Music isn’t an instant joy and excitement for everyone. Give it time. Trust the process. Stay the course. It’s worth it.”