Music is the only rational act. I have always been a huge fan of musical instruments, and have played a wide variety. I have some amount of skill on piano, clarinet, trumpet, tuba, viola, bass guitar, electric guitar, and acoustic guitar, and hold considerable proficiency at both euphonium and violin. The only instruments mentioned that I do not own are clarinet, tuba, and viola. Because of my wide variety of instrument skills, I have a considerable amount of knowledge in music theory, and music notation.
I believe that everyone should play a musical instrument. Although it may not seem like it would be, music is highly mathematical. It's crucial to play a musical instrument if you want to be good at math. When you play music, your brain is constantly working, translating the markings on a page into a coherent musical song. Most of the mathematics come in with rhythm, and counting. Even if you don't realize it, these tasks cause numbers to constantly cross your mind to keep musical phrases mathematically sound, and to make sure you don't lose count over a period of rests. Not only is music great for math, it's also another language in which you can express any feeling or emotion.
As a serious musician, the first instrument I played was the violin. I had taken piano as a preschooler, but as was expected of people of that age I wasn't enthusiastic. After the violin I picked up the clarinet, then the trumpet, and then soon after the euphonium. By that time I had seen the value of skill on the piano and started playing again. The other instruments mentioned randomly came over time, though I always have viewed violin and euphonium as my primary instruments of choice.
I have observed that through all of my math classes, the majority of the people who really excel are all well versed on an instrument or two. I have also noticed, that as I have played my many instruments, it has kept me from getting deep into non-productive activities such as video games. I know many people who do nothing except for video games, and as a result are irresponsible and you cannot count on them. As my instrument playing has always kept me busy, I have never gotten into video games very much. Not only that, but the constant practice has helped me build responsible and productive habits. In other words, dedicating time and effort to an instrument builds life long skills that help you be a more dedicated and reliable person.
All in all, through my instruments and my observations I have determined that playing an instrument can be very helpful in building up fundamental values. Values that can assist you all throughout life that you will never regret having built. Values that will help you everywhere, from finding a job, to doing well in a technical degree.
As a serious musician, the first instrument I played was the violin. I had taken piano as a preschooler, but as was expected of people of that age I wasn't enthusiastic. After the violin I picked up the clarinet, then the trumpet, and then soon after the euphonium. By that time I had seen the value of skill on the piano and started playing again. The other instruments mentioned randomly came over time, though I always have viewed violin and euphonium as my primary instruments of choice.
I have observed that through all of my math classes, the majority of the people who really excel are all well versed on an instrument or two. I have also noticed, that as I have played my many instruments, it has kept me from getting deep into non-productive activities such as video games. I know many people who do nothing except for video games, and as a result are irresponsible and you cannot count on them. As my instrument playing has always kept me busy, I have never gotten into video games very much. Not only that, but the constant practice has helped me build responsible and productive habits. In other words, dedicating time and effort to an instrument builds life long skills that help you be a more dedicated and reliable person.
All in all, through my instruments and my observations I have determined that playing an instrument can be very helpful in building up fundamental values. Values that can assist you all throughout life that you will never regret having built. Values that will help you everywhere, from finding a job, to doing well in a technical degree.