My maternal grandmother made all of her six kids play instruments of some kind. My mother, the youngest of them, went onto study and teach music for a short time and influenced my sister to pick up the violin. One of my uncles and one of my aunts were music teachers (they now retired) and a cousin of mine is a professional jazz guitarist. It's safe to say that I've grown up surrounded by music.
Although I shifted and never stuck to an instrument (I tried to the alto saxophone, the piano and the electric guitar) there are some fundamental lessons that I learned growing up around musicians that have helped me.
1. PRACTICE. PRACTICE. PRACTICE.
This doesn't just go for music: any art form needs practice. That's why I try to write something — whether it's an article, a fanfic, a poem, a reply to a role-play, a page of prose — every day so my writing skills don't soften. Even if sometimes it produces something terrible, at least I've practiced. For example, in a really terrible poem that I whipped up, maybe I could go back and find at least a single line where I could say, "Alright, that works, let's see why".
I know how awful one sounds after six months of not practicing. Cover thy ears and put in some headphones.
2. You recognize certain pieces and composers when they're brought up in pop culture
From "Looney Tunes" to "Hey Arnold!" to "Hetalia," you love the inside jokes and parodies that introduce kids and teenagers to classical music.
3. When you're listening to a piece, someone says, "Oh, that part's hell to play"
Nothing like writing to the sweet sound of Bizet as your flutist mother comes in to say "Oh, God, that part".
4. You realize how few female conductors there are
Having a female president isn't that only glass ceiling waiting to be cracked here in the United States: so are orchestra conductors. My mother and I were thrilled when we went to the "Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions" earlier this year and there was a woman of color as the conductor.
5. You listen more closely to the OSTs of movies, shows and video games
You love the effort that goes into making the soundtracks. You know that a lot of times people sadly overlook the power of a artwork's soundtrack. You know what an impact it makes on the experience of watching or playing something. You have a special appreciation for how it sets the mood just as much as the animation or set design does at times. You have playlists of your favorite tracks on YouTube saved.
6. You love looking at people's fashion choices at the opera or symphony during the intermission
Nothing's more fun than standing and people-watching during the intermission. You also get to make your best Tim Gunn impressions as you look at people's outfits.
7. You love student discounts to shows!
Whoever came up with the idea of student discounts, I love you.
8. Someone in your family has been to Austria, and you're so jealous (unless you're that person).
Opera, history, art, music, beautiful architecture and cake: what's not to love?
9. Everyone has hilarious band and/or orchestra stories.
10. You're glad that you had the opportunity to be exposed to music...
...and you can't imagine life without it!
