So You’re Serious About Playing Musical Instruments? Think Twice.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE music. But this is just my opinion on why not *everyone* should try it out!

So you’re serious about taking up an instrument? You want to spend the rest of your life with the piano? Can’t blame you---me too. But do you expect learning an instrument to be easy, and believe it’s the ‘quick fix’ for more views on Instagram? Don’t be sacrilegious. Overestimate your own abilities and you will suffer for it.

Ivy League universities accept only the people who have proven their eternal passion and commitment to a specific subject into their school, and will not hesitate to reject anyone less. Learning an instrument is applying to an Ivy League. When you have none of the two traits---passion and commitment---you are destined to fail. And fail miserably. 

It is by no means my intent nor do I have the ill will to scare you out of learning the trombone, but not everyone can survive the drastically competitive music industry; and that person could be you, drowning in the endless cycle of doubt, hate, and fear. Doubt, hate, and fear. 

Though there are many scientific studies in music psychology---including one published by Healthline---that shows how music can be exceedingly beneficial to us as we age (improved concentration, sleep, and mood) (Stanborough, 2020), how big of a price at your happiness must you pay? Do you truly have the passion and the musicality in your bones? Do you live and breathe for music? Are you willing to commit to such a sacred craft?

With a flick of the wrist, all the previously mentioned benefits could be overturned. It may make you weaker than the anxiety you feel. It may make you prone to stress. It may dig a hole so deep you spend the rest of your days in absolute isolation. It may destroy your focus and deteriorate your mental health like none other.

Music increases risks of depression when coerced or manipulated into learning. It is quite ironic how the entertainers themselves are the ones being tormented by their own craft (Gupta, 2024). The pressure put upon an individual who has no passion for the craft is immense to a large degree, with the same beat of drum echoing loudly in their ears: Practice. Practice. 24 hours. 40 hours. You can’t fall behind. Practice.

I hope you realize that the topic being discussed here is far more important than ‘learning a new instrument’. It is the discoverance of your true passion and having the heart in you to fight back when something of utmost despisal is being forced upon your life. Everyone who is able to do this succeeds in life. The rest…well, there’s a reason we’ve never heard back from them.

To be the survivor, you commit to your true passion. No one should force music into your ears. No one should force you to pick up the guitar, and no one should force you to learn a new instrument that you couldn’t care less about. By doing so, you are obliterating your own confidence into tiny bits. Your self respect will cease to exist and so will your sense of responsibility (Manson, 2024).

Don’t be the one who chooses to learn an instrument like a fool. Don’t be the reason for your own demise. Don’t be like the cowards who dare not speak up for themselves and their passions.

We are all intelligent people. And we all know---full well---that there is only one correct answer.

So make the right choice.

Works Cited

Gupta, Chandrayan. “Why Are Musicians Thrice as Likely to Be Depressed/Anxious?” The Riff, Medium, 22 Jan. 2024, medium.com/the-riff/why-are-musicians-thrice-as-likely-to-be-depressed-anxious-580828eb43e0. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Manson, Mark. “No, You Can’t Make a Person...” Mark Manson, Mark Manson, 11 July 2019, markmanson.net/no-you-cant-make-a-person-change. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Stanborough, Rebecca Joy. “Benefits of Music on Body, Mind, Relationships & More.” Healthline, Healthline, 1 Apr. 2020, www.healthline.com/health/benefits-of-music. Accessed 25 Mar. 2024.

Author's Note

written: April 2024

Rationale:
This Op-Ed aims to convey the message of how not everyone should learn an instrument, by exploring deeper themes of discovering one’s true passion and committing to it. It uses emotive language and fear mongering throughout the work in order to convince the audience of the point. Name-calling and bandwagon was used near the end when the ‘others’ were called cowards, and indirect name-calling when “one who chooses to learn an instrument” was called a fool. Repetition was used several times (“No one should…No one should…” or “It may…It may…”) in order to emphasize the point made and convey it with emotive language. Moreover, glittering generalities can be seen when ‘doubt, hate, and fear’ were mentioned twice and were glided over without further explanation. Transfer was used to transfer learning instruments to Ivy Leagues—a concept most are familiar with. Furthermore, hyperbole was used to aid fear mongering, by exaggerating the effects of pursuing something one has no passion for, and how someone can “live and breathe for music”. Equally important, rhetorical questions were asked in order to instill a sense of uncertainty and doubt within the audience. Most descriptions used relate to music in some way or another, in order to successfully convey the message and stay on topic (“the same beat of drum echoing loudly in their ears…”). The first paragraph starts off without outright attacking the audience, which doesn’t scare them away from music completely, and is incredibly important for conveying the correct message. The next paragraphs show the horrors of learning a new instrument, while gliding over the benefits. The topic then expands from ‘learning an instrument’ to ‘discoverance of passion’ in the 7th paragraph, making the audience feel more relevant to the matter, since most have a passion they wish to pursue. Then, an alternative is given to make the audience feel the slightest bit of hope, while concluding with fear mongering, bandwagon, and name-calling in order to manipulate them into making what they now believe is ‘the right choice’. Citations were used throughout the Op-Ed in order to seem more credible in terms of facts, even when some facts were exaggerated in the piece, which was aided by confirmation bias (finding only articles that supported the point). Selection bias was used throughout the Op-Ed by selecting only the limitations to learning an instrument to write about. Moreover, bias is obvious through the language used; using negative connotations when it comes to describing the disadvantages of learning an instrument.