Playing Instruments

You’ve been practicing every night leading up to this day. Is it enough practice to make iperfect? You won’t know until you perform. You’ve practiced for years and you’re great at it, but you worry that it’s not enough. This one performance is stressing you outWill you do good or bad? Miss a note? You won’t know until you perform. That is the stress that comes with playing an instrument. However, it can also be enjoyable to learn to play an instrument. 

Many students at Papillion-Lavista High School play an instrument, whether they’re in the school’s band or learn an instrument outside of school, such as guitar or piano. Students who play in the school band love it and think it’s a lot of fun. 

In the school’s band, there are a lot of instrument choices. Students in the school band can play instruments such as, clarinet, flute, saxophone, or percussion. 

“I play the baritone saxophone,” freshman Meredith Koehler said. “I’ve been playing it since eighth grade.” 

While Koehler plays the saxophone, freshman Liz Buike plays two different instruments. 

“I play the clarinet and piano,” Buike said. “I started playing clarinet in sixth grade and I started learning the piano around last year. 

Practicing an instrument can be a lot of fun, but a person must learn the basics first and be patient. It takes a while to get good at an instrument, someone is not going to be good at it right when they pick it up. 

“You need a lot of patience to learn an instrument,” Buike said. “I tried to learn flute in  

the first two weeks of sixth grade and got to frustrated over it. So, I decided to switch to the clarinet because my mom played it.” 

Along with playing and practicing their instrument, Buike and Koehler also have schoolwork to do. Some nights they have a lot, other nights they don’t. 

Koehler says she has an assignment at least every night to do. 

Playing an instrument is hard to do with a lot of homework on your hands. A person must find time to practice playing an instrument and still make time to do the schoolwork. 

Buike says she plays her clarinet in band and plays piano at night but doesn’t practice as much throughout the week. 

When first starting to play an instrument, practice is importantFinding time to practice and do homework is hard when you first start playing. 

“When you first start playing an instrument its difficult and you need a lot of patience,” Koehler said. “You have to learn all the notes, practice, and know you’re going to mess up a lot, but once you get the idea of the instrument it gets easier.” 

Playing an instrument takes hard work and perseverance. Throughout the school week there is schoolwork to do on top of practicing. It’s a lot of work, but it can be very enjoyable. With the practice, you can be ready for that stressful performance and blow the audience away with your talent.