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Earlier this month, EdNC had two articles about music education on their website. One was a feature about a summer band camp in Pitt County, and the other was a story they shared about a music program in Los Angeles.

Both reminded me of my love for creating music and how it can make a positive impact on a student’s life, in education and in their social experience.

Like football players getting ready before the school year starts, the marching band students also get started well before the bell rings on the first day of classes. The summer camp featured in the article I read brings together high school students who begin practicing their marching routines, color guard choreography, and, of course, their music.

The older students help out the freshmen who are just getting a taste of what marching band is like. As one student pointed out, the camp helped the first-year students make friends early on, so the transition to high school wasn’t as intimidating as it could have been.

Additionally, the students have to learn a lot of music in a short amount of time, and make sure they know where they’re supposed to be marching. It’s a lot of hard work, but the students said they really enjoy it, even if it takes extra patience.

The other article, originally from EdSource, talks about the Harmony Project, a program in Los Angeles that gets kids involved in music from an early age. It sounds like a great program, especially for low-income families who might not have an opportunity otherwise to get their kids involved in music.

There are over 4,000 students taking part in the Harmony Project, and as they learn how to create music, they also pick up other useful skills such as discipline, persistence, and commitment. Nobody plays the song perfectly on their first try, after all. Music requires lots of practice and practice and then more practice.

Even if they choose not to pursue more music education when they head off to college, they at least have a good foundation of skills for life. And, as one student mentioned, they can always continue to play music for fun.

These articles reminded me of my own fond memories of music lessons when I was younger.

When I was a student at Ridgecroft, we had the option of starting band class in fifth grade. I remember the anticipation at the beginning of the year when my classmates and I had the opportunity to pick out the instruments we wanted to play. Which one would be the best to choose? The woodwinds? The brass? The percussion?

I don’t remember how I settled on my choice, but I ended up picking the clarinet. I didn’t really have any interest in drums, nor did I think something like the trumpet or trombone would be easier to play. Perhaps the flute just didn’t have the same appeal either. (In hindsight, I could have been influenced by my avid Star Trek Voyager watching in those days, as one of the characters also played the same instrument!)

So began my days as a clarinet player.

I was not very good at first, and many of my notes came out squeaky. (My classmates sounded much the same. I say a hearty “thank you” and “bless you” to our music teacher back then for suffering through the noise.) Sometimes some notes were hard to play because my fingers weren’t big enough yet to cover the holes. And then, I had to be careful not to accidentally split the reed, which would also make it more difficult to play.

But I stuck with it all the way through middle school and high school. (Another hearty “thank you” and “bless you” to my parents for having to listen to me practice at home over the years too.) Band was always my favorite class in school. It was nice to take a break from textbooks and chalkboards and sitting at a desk. Some years we had a ton of students in the class, and other years, it was small and cozy. But I always had the most fun there.

I have to admit, I also felt kind of cool carrying around the little case that held my clarinet, and I felt very professional every time I had to put the pieces of the instrument together before every class and every concert. We weren’t a marching band, so I never experienced that aspect of it, but I had a lot of fun dressing up for concerts and performing with the others for a crowd at the end of each year.

There’s just something nice about playing one part in a whole group of people making music together. If you weren’t there, the sound would be just a little off. Just a little bit different and not as good as it could be.

I don’t get the opportunity to play the clarinet these days. It needed some repair work, and I never got around to taking it somewhere for a fix. But I still have my old sheet music from school squirreled away somewhere, so maybe one day I’ll pick it up again.

These days, if I play any instruments, it’s my piano. I took lessons to play for many years (longer than the clarinet actually), and I still enjoy it every now and then. I never exactly reached any advanced levels, but I learned enough to play some songs I really enjoy. (And my mom really likes when I play Christmas carols for her when the holiday rolls around every year.)

I consider myself lucky to have had such wonderful music experiences growing up. Please encourage the kids in your life to try out an instrument or two if they can. And if you want to learn how to play music too, just remember that it’s never too late to try!

Holly Taylor is a Staff Writer for Roanoke-Chowan Publications. Contact her at holly.taylor@r-cnews.com or 252-332-7206.