In my opinion, I think everyone should learn how to play a musical instrument of some kind. Being an avid musician, I can testify that playing music has brought me endless joy, and it has taught me an extremely healthy coping mechanism for the stressors of life. Everyone has their own muse. Of course, it’s going to be different from person to person. However, everyone has a passion for music. Whether it’s listening to it, playing it or creating it, music is a universal language in the world that always brings people together. A way to amplify that passion is through playing an instrument and creating music yourself.

Granted, learning an instrument takes time and devotion, and many people don’t think they have the luxury to sit down for an hour or two and play an instrument. However, speaking from experience, it’s well worth the time. I think learning an instrument should be imperative in schools across the country. Of course, it’s an option to join marching band in high school, but how often do you see guitar lessons, bass lessons, drum kit lessons or any other instrument besides the optional marching band instruments? One thing I know for certain, I wish I could have taken a class in high school. I felt as if my talent for music didn’t matter and was not recognized by anyone other than myself and my parents.

For me, it all started when I was around 11 years old. I told my dad I wanted to learn how to play guitar, so he took me to a little guitar training center at our local church. After beginning, I realized it was going to be harder than I thought. I was young, and my hands were small, which made it difficult to play certain chords. Feeling discouraged, I gave up. A year or so went by, and I got into a bit of trouble. My parents grounded me and took everything from my room except my bed, dresser and my guitar. Of course, at the time, I was not very happy about that, but little did I know how much of a blessing it would be. Taking what little I remembered from the training center, I started to play to kill some time. I had grown over a foot in that year, which made playing much easier. I played guitar every day for at least six hours at a time, teaching myself new things each day. As time went on, I eventually earned my privileges back and started to look up my favorite songs and learned how to play them. This caught my dad’s attention, especially since he also plays the guitar.

My dad eventually asked me to go play with him at a local open mic held at a coffee shop called Java Central. Every Friday night, people would come, sign up and get 15 minutes to perform. This is where my passion for performing ignited. Each week, each month and each year I got better and better. Somewhere along the line, singing was introduced, but I’m not sure when. This little coffee shop would become my second home. Instead of going to high school football games and dances, I would go to Java and play. The people there each week became somewhat of a family to me. It gave me a sense of belonging that didn’t really exist anywhere else. There are a lot of kids out there, and maybe even adults, who feel as if they are misfits. They feel that they only fit in with a particular group at a particular place. Music seems to be the one thing that brings even the most opposite characters in the same building right next to each other.

I think it’s so sad to sit in your class in high school, knowing that you have a gift and a passion, whilst simultaneously knowing that no one else understands. If I could allow someone to see into my mind and feel the way I feel when I’m playing guitar, I know they would instantly fall in love with that feeling and have the desire to chase it. It provides another world for me to escape to whenever this world feels like it’s failing. It allows me to be calm, tranquil and at peace when everything outside is so turbulent. Not to say I avoid those problems in doing so, but it just gives me a reset button and allows for me to have a clear head when I return from that creative bliss. I wish people who struggle with conflict with the world, and especially within themselves, could experience this feeling if they haven’t already.

That’s my personal journey with music. I think being taught an instrument, and learning music the right way, should be an absolute necessity across the country.