by Tracy Farr
I hereby challenge you to a round of music
When I was little, I was forced to take three years of piano lessons. I hated those lessons. I would rather have had worms stuffed up my nose. Of course, now I wish I’d never stopped taking those lessons.
When I was little, I loved all kinds of sports. I played basketball, football, baseball, and soccer. To not be able to play sports would have been like taking away my ability to pee standing up. Now I play the banjo and a few other instruments. Sometimes I play the didgeridoo, but mostly to make people laugh.
When I was little, I hated my elementary music teacher. She was mean, old, and ugly. I hated every moment I spent in her class, but she taught me a lot about teaching music – or should I say, how NOT to teach music.
It’s funny how life can throw you a loop. Today, I enjoy playing music. I’m not great at it, but the wonderful thing about music is that you don’t have to be great at it in order to enjoy it.
Music is nothing more than human emotion expressed through a combination of math, science, and physical dexterity. Did you take math in school? Of course you did. And science? Probably more than you wanted. Was PE your favorite part of the day, besides lunch? I know. That was a stupid question. So, how come you never learned to play a musical instrument? Or, for those who did, why did you stop?
Our society puts a lot of emphasis on learning the “important” subjects like math, science, English and football, but a lot of us believe there are other things to learn which are just as important. That’s why I’m issuing the following challenge: Whether you be young or old, rich or poor, in sickness or in health, I hereby challenge you to oil that old trumpet, pull out that old saxophone, buy some new strings for your old guitar – and give music another try. It’s a fun thing to do.
“But I don’t have an old instrument sitting around the house, and I don’t have a lot of money to purchase one.”
You don’t need a lot of money. Buy yourself a harmonica or a pair of drumsticks and get after it.
My favorite instrument to play is a $14 Irish flute – better known as a tin whistle or penny whistle. You can purchase one through the Internet and have it delivered in a few days right to your doorstep. They’re just round tubes of metal with plastic mouthpieces. They easily fit in a coat pocket or purse. Whenever you feel like blowing a tune, just pull it out of your pocket, and have a go at it.
I learned how to play “Danny Boy” on my penny whistle while driving down I-30. I waited until no other vehicles were around and held the steering wheel with my knee. I learned the song in less than 30 miles. Of course, it was a pretty stupid thing to do, and I can just imagine the conversation I would have had if a state trooper had pulled me over:
“Sir, let me see your license and insurance card, and did you know it is illegal in the state of Texas to play ‘Danny Boy’ at 75 mph? It’s a slow song and should be treated with respect. Have you been drinking tonight?”
The two reasons most people give for not learning how to play a musical instrument are that they don’t have enough time and they think it’s a sissy thing to do. Well, don’t say that to Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. He played a baritone in school. And don’t tell Clint Eastwood that playing music is sissy. He plays piano.
And as for not having enough time – I say poppycock! If you have enough time to sit on the couch and watch television, you have enough time to learn how to play G and C chords on the guitar and sing “Kumbaya!”
Again, here’s the challenge: Dust off those old instruments, or buy yourself a new one, and teach yourself how to play music. Better yet, find someone to help you. You won’t be great at first, but you don’t have to be.
Oh, and when you’re ready to learn “Danny Boy,” give me a call. We’ll throw caution to the wind and take a road trip. I’ll watch out for troopers.
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Tracy Farr lives in East Texas with his wife, three children and some goats. To read more of his stories, visit his website at http://www.tracyfarr.net.