76 trombones led the big parade in The Music Man, and while we aren’t quite there yet, we definitely are a musical family. My father was a church music director, my mom played organ and piano. Myself and my siblings all played violin, piano, and at least one other instrument. Truth is, I can’t remember a time when music wasn’t a part of my life.

And I’m glad for it. It is fun to pick up my violin and play duets with the girls or to sit at the piano and try to remember a couple of songs. One instrument that doesn’t usually make an appearance is my old trombone. At some point I wanted to join the marching band in school instead of being in the orchestra, and we happened to have a trombone, so that became my new instrument. Too many years have gone by for me to remember how to play very well. I can toot out a basic scale, but that’s about it. But when Maddy found out that we had a trombone, she decided that she wanted to play it. Unfortunately, it just isn’t a kid’s instrument. Violins come in all sizes from super-tiny to full-size and you truly can start at just about any age. Trombones are just trombones. They are big, heavy, and kind of awkward.

None of those were obstacles in Maddy’s mind, so we got out the trombone. I showed her how to hold it, she took a deep breath, and this happened:

That child has some lungs. I didn’t think she would make more than a little splat of noise, but a reverberation of horn filled the house when she gave it a try. As you can see, playing the trombone requires some serious concentration. We were a little afraid that her eyes were going to pop out, but she pushed through it and did a great job on her first attempt. For about a week, she got out the trombone to practice each day. It was loud. Then after a few days of missing practice, we quietly returned the horn to its storage spot. I don’t know how my parents tolerated us kids practicing violin, piano, trumpet, trombone, French horn, or flute in the house, we couldn’t take a week of one brass instrument.

Leading the big parade may not be in our future, but at least we have music. Like gardening, it is one of those amazing hobbies that allows you to relax and rejuvenate. I’m glad my life is filled with both.