I have practiced a few musical instruments since I was a kid. I practiced some at school, and some outside of school, the difference is that you need to pay for one. Hahaha!
I think the first instrument I learned is the recorder in elementary. That recorder is still at my home. Although we are not rich, but I remember my father still brought me to buy a recorder. I performed for my family when I came home from school, late into the night, much to my Mom’s protests! After that, we learned the harmonica. After Elementary school, I didn’t practice or pick up a new instrument until after college. During college, I wanted to learn how to play the guitar, and I wanted to join a guitar club. My mom said the guitar was as heavy as my study. Without support of family, I gave that idea up temporarily. There are many kinds of clubs in university, and I joined other clubs while attending university, however I still didn’t join a musical club. After that, my studies picked up and I was too busy to deal with my clubs. After I graduated, I saved some money after working for a period of time, and the idea to practice instruments come me again. This time I wanted to practice the electric guitar, so I found a teacher on the internet who was near my home that would teach me how to play. I had hoped that I could be as cool and impressive as the teacher. However, I was living in a different city, and I couldn’t go back home to my home town every weekend, because I was busy with my master’s program. So I had to stop practicing. After my studies calmed down a little, I joined some university clubs and thought maybe I could practice some instruments when I have some free time. By joining clubs, I could also take my mind off of annoying things from school. I picked up the electric guitar first, and then the keyboard. I even went to the drum lessons! There is a fee to join the club, but after paying, you can use all the instruments, like the keyboard or drums, that way you don’t have to buy the instruments for yourself. But since they have a limited number of instruments, it’s hard to borrow them from them from the club. I noticed that undergraduate students have more time than graduate students. It’s too bad!
Although the undergraduate club teachers are fine, it’s still not as good as a one on one class. However, you get what you’re paying for, you can’t be too picky. They can share they learned how to play, which is nice to hear. They are willing to answer you if you have any problems, but their teaching is fragmentary. If you want to use the space and instruments, you need to fill out the form and contact the person who is responsible for that. Besides, the number of class slots is limited and there is just one set for every kind of instrument, you always need to compete with others. Right now all the bands are practicing, so it’s very difficult to borrow the classroom and those instruments. Besides, without any background of keyboarding and drums, I don’t know how to practice by myself. Who can teach me even I borrow? It’s impossible to ask club mates, so maybe I need to consult with the club teacher. That’s another big problem. Learning instruments takes practice. Without practicing, it’s impossible to be cool, unless I’m a genius.
However, I’m still appreciate their efforts, and I thank for having the chance to learn different instruments. I hope I can have the opportunity to play better for the instruments that I’ve learned. Keep enjoying the joy that the music brings for me!