Piano

The first instrument I learned began around the same time I started school. My mom was my piano teacher, and I continued lessons up until my youngest brother was born, around 2nd grade for me. I took a short hiatus of 6 years up until high school, where I resumed lessons for all 4 years. In those four years, I became quite proficient with the instrument, and now I utilize those abilities to play for chapel, accompany my fellow music students at recitals, and simply jam out whenever I want to.

Euphonium

My sister was a year ahead of me in school, so when she joined band, she picked the clarinet. Perhaps as an act of rebellion to not be like her, I chose to follow in the footsteps of my dad (a trombone player), so I picked the next closest low brass instrument: the euphonium. Literally meaning “sweet-voiced” in Greek, it quickly became my favorite instrument to play. It blends the warm sound of a tuba, its bass counterpart, with the melodic capabilities of the trombone. In larger ensembles, it works well with the French horns and tenor saxophones, but it also succeeds on its own as a solo instrument. I continued to play euphonium up until my senior year of high school, when I began to make the full switch to the tuba. Still to this day, euphonium is my favorite member of the brass instrument family, and I hope I can play it again in a group sometime.

Tuba

I started playing tuba because my high school band needed one in my senior year (our previous tuba player was a euphonium player who switched to tuba, but then he started playing French horn instead). Many of the skills from euphonium carried over to tuba. When I arrived at WLC, I was expecting to stick with euphonium, but it turned out they also needed a tuba player. So I made the official switch to tuba as my primary instrument, which has turned out to be a big endeavor for me. Many people think of the tuba as the silly VeggieTales or Jaws instrument, but I have learned how to make it one that can make wonderful, melodic music. I have been using the same horn during my time at WLC, but I am hoping to expand my repertoire and play differently sized and pitched horns as I have the opportunity.

Recorder

Just like everyone else (for some reason), I spent part of 4th grade learning how to play the recorder. This was the first wind instrument I learned how to play, which ended up preparing me for joining the band the next year in 5th grade. Now I somehow have 2 recorders in my possession, although they are more of a party trick right now than anything else.

Organ

After coming back to piano for a year in high school, I decided it would be time to make the jump to organ as well. Although it may have been a hasty decision, I enjoyed learning organ for 3 years in high school. In my first year, I learned more of the fundamentals and how to play hymns, chorales, and other sacred music. In my upperclassmen years, I began to perform more complex works, like classical preludes and fugues that really pushed my limits as a musician. Since graduating from high school, I have had a few opportunities to play organ for church services here and there.

Handbells

I have had 3 opportunities to play handbells, and they all fall around Christmas. In my last high school Christmas concert, I wasn’t involved in any choirs, but I did get to play bells for one mass choir song. Since I joined choir in college, I have been able to ring out the bells for both choir Christmas concerts I have participated in. Even though you are limited in how many notes you can play, I find it enjoyable to play along with other musicians and be able to make something great together.

Harmonica

Do I really consider myself a harmonica player? Not at all, but I do have one after a spontaneous trip to Barnes and Noble with my mom, who ended up buying this for me. I have tried to learn it before, but it’s never amounted to anything serious. Perhaps one day I will be a legendary harmonicist.

Trombone

My dad and one of my brothers both play trombone as their primary instrument. I had played one for fun yet infrequently in high school. It wasn’t until my freshman year of college that things changed. After attending the WLC Jazz Band concert, I knew I wanted to participate in the ensemble. So I took it upon myself to learn the last major low brass instrument. It also happened that the low brass techniques class was offered at the same time, so I was able to get access to a trombone and practice regularly for the first time. Since then, I have been the 2nd chair trombone player for the jazz band, and although it’s been a struggle this year with Invisalign, it is certainly a fun and rewarding instrument to have under my belt.

Trumpet

During my junior year of high school, I spent some of my free time trying to learn how to play the trumpet. Unfortunately, many of my peers discouraged me from doing so. Once I began learning tuba, I had to temporarily retire the trumpet. Only recently have I brought it back into my roster. This past semester, I took high brass techniques, meaning trumpet was one of the two instruments we covered. I’m still by no means a fantastic trumpet player, but I now have at least a 5th grade proficiency level down, so that’s got to count for something at least.

Bass Guitar

Recently, I have been learning how to play my dad’s bass guitar. This is the first string instrument I’ve really begun to learn how to play, meaning it is an entirely new world for me. Unlike most of the other instruments I play, which are either for large ensembles or solo instruments, this one is more commonly used in bands. I do not happen to be in a band right now, but this way if the opportunity ever presents itself, I could be ready to go. In the future, I also hope to learn how to play orchestral string instruments, and this could be a good precursor to that. There is an old stereotype among musicians that bass players are failed guitarists, but I bypassed that by skipping guitar entirely and going straight to bass. Either way, it’s a fun instrument and I hope I can put it to practical use someday!

French Horn

Out of all the brass instruments, I find the French horn to be the strangest. It breaks the pattern of the harmonic series that the rest abide by, and it is pitched in F rather than B flat. Even then, I found it to be quite an enjoyable instrument to learn in high brass techniques this semester. It is easy to build a wide range on the instrument because of its natural tendency to play in its middle register instead of the bottom one. I also love the mellow sound of it, while also having the ability to change its tone by stopping the bell. It’s a versatile instrument that I’ll have to practice more if I want to be able to find notes easier, but I certainly enjoy it.

Voice

When I was a young child, I enjoyed singing and didn’t care what other people thought. Then, as I entered my teenage years, I became more self-conscious for no reason (as teenagers do), and I retired singing. Even when I was forced to be in choir from 5th through 10th grade, I faked it the whole way through. But once I got to college, I took sight-singing and ear-training classes for my music major. The professor, who is also the choir director, encouraged me to keep practicing and to join the choir. So I did: I practiced, I auditioned, and I got into the choir. Now I actually enjoy singing again, especially in a group of my fellow musicians. I think singing in a large choir is one of the most powerful musical activities people can do, and the best part is that just about everyone can do it, no matter what they keep telling themselves. With a bit of practice, singing is attainable, so even if you’re like me and hated the sound of your own voice, I encourage you to try it out and see the joy in music.

Instruments