On Selecting a Musical Instrument: A Cautionary Tale

My beginning band students ask a lot of questions when it becomes time to try out the various instruments available to them. They want to know which instruments are easiest to play, which instrument I think suits them best, and - for the REALLY forward looking students - whether or not there might be college scholarships available for them if they pick a particular instrument. In answer, I inform them that each instrument has unique requirements, so each is easy for some people to play and more difficult for others. That shouldn’t be their concern. While not referring to specific students in the class, I will point out physical characteristics that might make some instruments more difficult to play. I inform them that if they are willing to work, there are college grants available for most instruments.

But I find the real obstacle to making a good choice on an instrument to pursue comes from a fixed mindset. Many students approach the tryout process having already decided that some instruments are ‘cooler’ than others. While we all readily acknowledge that the tuba is the greatest instrument known to man, this is not a good criterion for choosing to play the tuba. The instrument you play well is the cool instrument to play. Very few people are impressed by someone who holds a ‘cool’ looking instrument but cannot make a good sound with it. However, people will throw money at someone who plays an instrument really well.

I always take a few minutes to relate this story to them during the selection process.

Early in my career, I taught a young lady that I will call ‘Lauren’ (not her actual name). Lauren joined the band in the 6th grade, and she walked confidently up to a table on which I had placed instruments for the students to try. She pointed at the trumpet. I got the instrument ready, and she tried her best. The sound was simply not happening. As I watched her, I could see that her embouchure would struggle producing a good tone on a small mouthpiece, so I suggested she try a euphonium. “No. I’m going to play trumpet.”

So, I signed Lauren up as a trumpet player. She struggled. To this day, I am unsure how she managed this - but no matter what valve combination she used or how I coached her to change her embouchure, the same sound came out of the bell. The exact same sound. Not a pretty sound. Not even a solid beginner sound. It was a croaking, strained, barking noise.

Of course, Lauren practiced a great deal to improve her abilities. Just kidding, she didn’t. She sounded terrible, and she knew it. She couldn’t stand to listen to her own sound, so we never saw her taking her instrument into a practice room. She began to give up. I encouraged her as best I could, but it was no use. Her classmates even grew resigned to the fact that she would not improve.

Just before the end of the fall semester, Lauren came up to me after class. She informed me she would be withdrawing from band after the holiday break. “I just can’t do this,” she said.

I responded, “Lauren, I understand you’re frustrated. But you have learned a lot! You know how to read the notation and you press the correct valves! Do this for me. For the next couple of weeks leading up to the break, try the euphonium. Just give it a shot. I’ll give you treble clef parts, so you won’t have to learn new fingerings or note names. If you try it and hate it, I’ll sign the forms and let the registrar reschedule you for the spring semester.” She agreed.

The euphonium section gave me a angry scowl when they saw Lauren joining them in our next rehearsal. However, once she played - everyone in the room turned to see what was going on. She made more progress in her sound in that single rehearsal than she had all semester. Her classmates cheered her on. She had real fun in class playing music with her friends, and she had the satisfaction of knowing that she had made a solid contribution to the ensemble sound.

She didn’t quit. She continued to play throughout her middle school and high school career. She became a real leader in the ensemble and earned a small performance grant when she went into college to study nursing. Music is still an important part of her life.

I encourage each of my students to approach the tryout process with an open mind. Don’t decided which instrument is the coolest. Listen for the instrument on which you sound best! Find that, and then make the most of every opportunity to show people what you’ve got. You will not regret it!