Music is sort of like a club that nobody knows about, yet everyone knows about. Can you, or the person closest to you, read music, and read it well? Not everyone can, and I think that it's still amazing that so many human beings connect to each other through music. it's also amazing at how deep the music well goes, from playing hot-cross buns on the recorder in the second grade to being able to play every minor key that accompanies every major key on the circle of fifths. It's incredible that I even know what that means. Music is great.
Story time: It was like the forth grade and there was a concert showcasing brass and wind quartets at my school. Of course everyone wanted to go, because of course you would be able to skip class for a half hour. I was one of the chittery-ones, jabbering away about how funny the violin player looked, until the brass started playing. Those notes, the round tones, the fact that every single eye was drawn to the sheer shine of the instruments.
Something clicked in my 10-year old mind. Something life-changing.
I didn't want to play the french horn initially. After the concert I stared at a music poster showing the various brass winds in full. I chose the horn on the basis that it was the shiniest of all instruments, my reptile brain filled with a lust for reflective surfaces. Unfortunately for my ten year old self, I chose the instrument that is one of the most difficult instruments to play, and play elegantly. Like ever.
With hard work, and dedication, I managed to get... Nowhere, actually. I was an idiot when it came to music, to the point where when my teacher recommended that I sightread (practicing alone before you play with a group) I interpreted it as actual sight-reading. With my french horn solemnly in hand, I set my music as far away as my sight permitted (about 6 feet) and tried to play.
Needless to say, I've grown as a musician since then. Mastering stage-fright, my trip to Tennessee with a 90+ band and playing that has brought me to tears with how much it affected me.
The french horn, for me has been a slow burn/high reward instrument. It's taken me almost 12 years to get this good (to toot my own horn) and yet, I still have a lot to learn. People constantly want me to play at parties and of course at pep band, the recognition is always a nice thing. French horn is somewhat a secret club in itself, the mysteries surrounding the shape always arouse questions from strangers. It's definetly rewarding to have such a specific skill, and it's just been a fun journey this whole time.
