Ice Breaker – Musical Instrument

Each week on The Stretched Blog, I ask an ice breaker question.  The questions are designed to help us get to know each other here in The Stretched Community.  I’ll provide my answer to the question here in the post, and then you can leave your response in the comments.  While you’re in the comments section, see how others answered the ice breaker question.

This week’s question is inspired by my son.  On Monday, he will be turning 13, and he already is an accomplished piano and trumpet player.  He is talking about following in his grandfather’s footsteps in becoming a music teacher and a piano tuner.  He loves music, and he loves playing different musical instruments.

Question:  What musical instrument(s) do you (or did you) play?  Or what musical instrument do you wish you could play?

My Answer:  I took piano lessons for about a year and a half when I was seven or eight.  But my main instrument was the saxophone.  I started playing when I was in fifth grade, and I played through high school.  I played in marching band and concert band, but I especially enjoyed playing in jazz bands.  In high school, I played the alto saxophone in a stage band, the tenor saxophone in a dixieland combo, and the soprano saxophone in a jazz combo.  My senior year in high school, I went to states for all three of these jazz groups.

I still have the alto saxophone that my grandfather played when he was young.  It comes out every once in a while, but I don’t make time to play it as much as I might like to.

As for other instruments, I tinker around with my acoustic guitar on a rare occasion.  Maybe when I retire, I’ll have more time to play the guitar, the saxophone, and the piano again.  Until then, I play a mean iPod.

Answer this week’s ice breaker question by leaving a comment.  I look forward to reading your response!  (As always, feel free to share links.)