What Instrument are You?

When I was head of the music program, a parent would approach me about which instrument their child should play. I had a whole spiel:

Take them to several local concerts – high schools or local orchestras are just fine– to see which instrument sound they are attracted to. I also warned that at the first couple concerts he child would only notice the drums. As drums do not train the ear, we did not have them at the school. I also suggested listening to classical CD’s in the car to try and discover what instrument the child was most aware of when listening. It is a good starting point.

Try to discover which tone they were attracted to:

• High - violin, flute
• Medium – clarinet, saxophone, viola, French horn, cello
• Low – bassoon, bass, tuba (As a bass player and a person who loves the low tones, I would never have done well on the violin.)

Did they want to blow or use a bow?

After these questions were answered, we would begin the process of choosing a teacher. We suggested one sample lesson with three different teachers. Usually, when they walked out of the sample lesson, it was clear if it was going to be a good fit or not. This process was very successful as we very rarely had children wanting to switch teachers.

Most parents believed that every child should begin with the piano. So not true. The piano uses all ten fingers, two staves of music, and is primarily a solo instrument. The other instruments are usually played as a solo instrument as well as with groups, have one staff, play one note at a time, and requires a strong knowledge of music theory.

In secret, I have noticed certain personally types are attracted to specific instruments: the oboe players are always odd, the basses are naughty, the trumpets are the handsome/cocky ones of the orchestra, and the flutes are, well, flute-like.

As I knew every child, I would often lead a child or parent to an instrument and a sample lesson. Natalie and I would discuss a child and would both come to the same conclusion: “He is such a clarinet!” or “She is so bright and analytical, she has to be a French horn.”

I changed the program from over 65% piano students to over 50% students of other instruments. It created a broader base, richer ensembles and just better for the whole program.

I will never forget meeting new parents at the summer meet-and-greet. One asked me in front of their child how to make him practice the piano more without it being a constant battle.

I turned to the child and asked, “Do you like playing the piano?”

His reply: “I have telling them for years that I want to play the clarinet!”

I turned back to the parents and said, “Maybe we should hear this. I would suspect that there would not be a problem with practice if he played an instrument he liked.”

By September, he was a clarinet student.

Problem solved.

Next: Throwing the Disabled Bomb