As a band nerd, I spend a ton of time around music and other musicians. Most of the other musicians around my age grew up playing music from a young age, and/or grew up in a very musical family. I, however, did not have either of these experiences, so I figured I would share what that was like in the most humorous way possible. So here it is, 8 things that you'll know to be true if you too are a musician who grew up in a family of non-musicians!
1. Nobody in your family has any clue what you're talking about when they ask you about music.
"No Patrick, Mayonnaise is not an instrument".
2. You're always asked to perform something at every family gathering.
And you know you're going to mess up because you're performing alone in front of a crowd.
3. Unlike most musicians, you may not have even started playing music until a later age.
You had never really experienced music, so you didn't start playing an instrument yourself until later.
4. When asked what you want for your birthday/Christmas, you always say jeans because you know you're family won't know what kinds of bell mallets, drumsticks, or mouthpiece to get you, let alone where to even buy them.
"These drumsticks?"
5. "Well, It can't be that hard to play!"
Try again honey!
6. Practicing is always a very carefully scheduled thing in your house.
"Stop playing. I'm trying to watch TV....Not now either. Now I have to vacuum". Forget it.
7. You've been asked the questions, "Why does band practice take soooo long?" and "What do you even do that whole time?" about 7,000+ times.
"Is it like a cult or something?"
8. At the end of the day, even though your family may not fully understand it, they support your musical abilities 110%!
Thanks fam! Love you!