I have spoken many times about my advocacy for picking up an instrument in adulthood. It is never too late! Learning an instrument can be fun, rewarding and exercise your brain. However in this blog I am going to target those who learned an instrument as a kid/teen but have not picked up their instrument in 10+ years.
As most of you know, when i was a teenager I was a member of the Burlington Teen Tour Band. This is where i met most of my closest friends and where i now work part time as one of the drum instructors. This year the band is celebrating their 75th anniversary! Whenever the band celebrates a milestone anniversary we construct an alumni band to march in that years Burlington Sound of Music Parade. I wish all groups did this because it gives their past members an excuse to pick up their instruments in a time of their lives where they are often too busy. This year some of my friends want to do it, one in particular is extremely excited!
He told me months ago that he was going to dust off his old tenor sax for the alumni band and asked if I could help him re learn how to read music. My biggest curiosity is how hard is it to pick up an instrument after 10+ years of not touching it? I don’t know because I have never had to experience that. So naturally I am very excited to find out and help him regain his musical knowledge.
A few nights ago he texted me saying he had finally put it together and played a few tunes. I could tell he was really excited about it. Imagine having a long lost skill come back. What an amazing feeling! It sounds like it may be more like riding a bike than I thought. But the lesson here is that picking up an instrument after all this time will have its challenges, but I believe that it will bring even more joy, be more rewarding and way less frustrating than picking up an instrument for the first time. So if you haven’t played your instrument in 10 years, it’s time to unlock that long lost super power.