Yeah, I remember that clearly. Here comes a long post about my experiences. Anybody up for a good long read? Good.
My parents are absolute giants in the concert band world here. They've played in a lot of bands around here, and funnily enough.. they met eachother through band. But what makes them such powerhouses is the fact they are reputable. They once fired the president and the director of a local concert band around here, the Delta band. So, I've come from great roots.
My core, starting instrument was the Alto Saxophone. That was seven years ago to date. It was my uncle's. My Aunt played French Horn, and my other Aunt played flute. My mom originally wanted to play flute but because the flute Aunt was older than her, she played it. So, my mom ended up playing Clarinet. My grandmother plays organ, and so does my mom. My mom actually played some of the biggest pipe organs in the world. I've learned to play Organ and Piano from her. I've always been "the organist's son" at church. She also directs choirs.
On to the other side of my family, my dad's side, my grandmother learned to play violin and my dad was forced to too. I think they still have the violin. Anyways, my dad took up trombone about the same age I did and was extremely into Jazz. He also tried other instruments in "Animal Band" but really stuck playing Trombone. After graduating though, he felt he would be better off in Business than Music and just put music off as a hobby.
I myself, I've come to learn a heck of a lot about instruments; some experiences I can't even begin to type off. First off, I've won major awards at my school for being Top Instrumentalist--but it doesn't stop there. I won awards down in Idaho and Kelowna, BC when I went to the jazz festivals there for Alto Saxophone soloing. I'm also the premier alto saxophonist in the district; I've been called to do such musical productions as "Chicago." I am also the proud owner of a Royal Music Academy degree, grade 8. But now, let's go on to all the instruments I play, starting in chronological order.
Piano and Organ were the first essentially, I learned it back when I lived in Ontario. My mom was going to the Royal Music Academy for Organ so she had access to the finest textbooks for learning in Toronto. I still have my beginner book, and I started about age 4. I still have drawings in that book because I was careless. Haha. Eventually, my mom also taught me to play Recorder. I enjoyed it for a while. In elementary school we learned how to play Ukeleles and other percussion. I wrote some songs with my mom for the school choir and I still get told that they sing them.
Then I started with the big gun: the Alto Saxophone. It was nothing like the instruments I was playing at the time. I eventually forgot how to play recorder because blowing into it with the larger lung capacity was impossible--I couldn't get a sound out. But I was down in Oregon going through music and we found a large Alto saxophone starting book. I wasn't supposed to start for another year (grade 6 is when they start to have bands in school) but I learned anyways. So you could say I was ahead of the other students when we started. So I played in that concert band and in the jazz band in grade 8, only alto saxophone.
Also through middle school, we had a general music course. Through this I was introduced to acoustic guitar and the majority of rock music. It was really, really interesting. I'll never forget my teacher, Mr. Ericson. He taught me about all the old bands and new bands. Eventually I learned my dad had an electric guitar at home, and I fooled around with that. I could really only play Red Hot Chili Peppers music though because that's what we mostly did in Music class. But in the summer of.. grade 8 I think it was? My friend got a drumset. We formed a band almost instantly. We never came up with a name, but we did lots of recordings on tapes. I wonder if I still have them.. But yeah, that's my experience with Guitar. I was just fooling around on it today actually. I also learned drums in this band but that's really the only time I've played them, so I only know rock drumming.
High School, I came in with high expectations. And funnily enough.. my teachers had high expectations of me. Maybe that's why I was assigned an alto saxophone solo at the start of the year.
I never joined Jazz band in grade 9 because it was too early. But it's the only year that I played alto saxophone in concert band. At the end of the year, I got my expensive Yamaha alto saxophone which I still have kept in great condition. Grade 10 of high school, I wanted a change.. and so I started playing Trombone. I played Trombone in Concert band and Alto Sax in the Jazz band then. By the middle of the year, the music teacher found a brand new Bass Trombone, a german-made one, and I was going to play it. So I played Bass Trombone then. The year after that, grade 11, I wanted to expand my experience so I took up Tuba and Euphonium/Baritone. I eventually stuck with the Tuba. Again, I played in Jazz Band. Later that year I tried out French Horn and Trumpet. Brass instruments are extremely easy to play once you form the correct embouchure. This last year, Grade twelve, has been interesting. The last instrument that I've picked up is the Soprano Saxophone, that I rented for one of the musical productions, because I didn't have an accessible Bb instrument to play half of my reed part. So I rented it, and it played easily. Over the years, I've also picked up and learned Clarient, Oboe, English Horn, Tenor Saxophone (same friend I made my band with) and Baritone Saxophone.
Well, what haven't I learned? Well, for the longest time I didn't have access to most orchestral string instruments. This is harps, violins, violas, cellos, and contrabasses. I also don't know how to play electric bass. Recently I also picked up a flute and you could say I only have half knowledge of how to play it.
Currently, I play with the New Westminster Alumni concert band, and I have been invited for subbing for tons of jazz bands around town on alto, or whatever they need me for. I take private lessons, where I learn theory, which is a heck of a lot cheaper than going to college.
But really, for conversation's sake, I say I play everything now, because it's easier to say that than to start listing off everything I play. And as far as I'm concerned, I haven't even started my musical career. But it's going to be more of a hobby for me.
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