Music Appreciation

John: So Sarah, do you play any musical instruments?

Sarah: Yeah. I play two. I love to play the guitar. I started playing in college, and I like to play the piano, too. I started learning the piano when I was really young. How about you?

John: Oh that's interesting. For me, I started playing the trumpet when I was really young, and I don't play it much anymore. But I started playing the piano when I finished high school, and I still play it now.

Sarah: Oh wow. So you started learning the piano when you were older.

John: Yes.

Sarah: Do you think people can start to learn an instrument at any age?

John: Yes, I think so. Do you have a theory about that?

Sarah: Yeah. I think that if people start to play an instrument when they're older, I think they enjoy it more because they chose to learn it. And I think they're going to play it longer. But if you have to learn an instrument when you're younger, I think you won't continue playing it.

John: Oh, because you have to practice for homework or something like that.

Sarah: Yeah. I have five brothers. And we all learned how to play the piano, but as soon as my brothers graduated from high school and went away, they stopped playing the piano. And they don't play it now. In fact, they forgot everything.

John: Oh, wow.

Sarah: Yeah.

John: Well, I do think that music education is very important for children because reading sheet music is like reading a language. And children can learn it much easier than adults learn. So no matter what instrument you play, if you're a child you learn how to read music.

Sarah: And I think too, it's really important for kids to be a part of a group like that. For example, singing in the choir or playing music in the orchestra, I think it's really good for kids to learn to work together and make music as a team. I have some really good memories about being a young kid in the orchestra.

John: Me too. I was also in choir and orchestra and marching band. So I don't play the orchestra instruments anymore and I don't play the marching band instruments anymore but I'm very glad that I had the experience of learning to read music and learning to work together as a team.

Sarah: That's true. Me too. Okay. I changed my mind. Even little kids, they should learn how to play a musical instrument.