Instruments of Construction

As a small child I had a huge fascination with music. I couldn’t get enough of it (and still can’t). My Nana was an

Opera singer on Broadway, my Grandfather a Pianist on Broadway. No one in my family ever pushed me to learn an instrument, but I was very interested in singing.

As a 13 year old boy, I also took an interest in the drums as I liked to smash things, so my Mom bought me a drum kit and some lessons, which was great, but singing was still my main interest. I started working so I could pay for my own vocal lessons. My friends Mom would drive me from Saratoga to Albany and wait outside while I took my lessons. I’m grateful that I took the initiative with these lessons as they absolutely came to benefit me through the years.

What I’m trying to get at is in this day and age of electronics and Auto tune we are losing touch a bit with the importance of raising our children on musical instruments. It gives them self confidence, it keeps them engaged and it also keeps the future of music made with actual instruments secure. Now, I am NOT saying electronics are a bad thing in music. I happen to use them currently as well as in past projects.

My issue is that these days schools are canceling out music programs, Parents aren’t enrolling their kids in lessons and it’s also becoming the norm for anyone to just pull up some software, dial in some auto tune while sitting in their bedroom and claiming they are the next big thing on social media without having any knowledge or even passion about the roots of music.

So please, if your child if showing some interest in music, by all means enroll them in a music program or lessons. Maybe you could take lessons with them, it’s a great bonding experience!