Do you ever wonder why your student choose to play specific musical instruments? I have some students who are very passionate about the guitar or the violin, and others who love the drums and other percussion instruments. Then there are those who just love the piano and only the piano!

I find this very interesting. How are we all drawn to specific musical instruments and not to others? I am sure that some of us got it from our childhood when we were introduced to our chosen musical instruments. For example, we had a piano at home when I was growing up and I was just naturally drawn to it. The guitar, the recorder or the xylophone are very commonly found in homes and so are often picked up by students in the home environment.

Nowadays schools also introduce their pupils to different instruments. In my experience though, most students have not picked up the instrument as their main instrument that they have been playing at school. At least in the UK, pupils have very limited time dedicated to learning a music instrument in school setting. These lessons are often seen as introductions to an instrument rather than intended as the main lessons. This can still ignite a spark to learn music in pupils and they might be inspired to try more lessons outside of school.

Or they might be completely different reasons for choosing a musical instrument, such as wanting to learn to play pop music or following in the footsteps of one’s favourite musicians. It can also tie in with the type of music we enjoy listening to!

Wat are your thoughts and experiences on this?